2002 - MyGameReviews.com

Well, as usual, awesome EA Sports intro.... some cool new features too. First, I just want to make sure you all know what the Madden Challenge is. Basically, you get points for doing stuff.... 3 points for an interception, 3 points for a sack, etc. You then save these points to buy Madden Cards (100 points for a pack). These cards give you cheats, player boosts, hidden players, hidden teams, and hidden stadiums. This is not new for '02, but I know Rick just bought his PS2, so I want to make sure you know what these are. BTW, make sure you this option on under settings. Anyway, one of the new features is Training Mode. This is pretty cool. You have 3 plays per formation. When you pick a play, Madden explains the play, then runs it for you. You then have 5 chances to run the play yourself. The better you do, the more points you get. I did pretty much every play with each formation....nothing wrong with sharpening your skills. The other new mode is 2-Minute Drill. You get the ball on your own 20 yard line and the point is to score as many points as you can within the 2 min. limit. If you drive down and score, you get the ball at the 20, and do it again. The more points you score, the more points you get. There is a top 10 score list and you can get more Madden points by doing well here. The most points I've scored yet is 10 with Tennessee vs. the Ravens on Pro....it's not as easy as it sounds.

OK, now for the game. First thing you must know is that the game is a lot more realistic then last years. I know, I didn't think it was possible either, but it's better. That being said, the game becomes harder. I've always played EA football games (Madden '01 and NCAA '02) on the Pro level, and usually won. I won 3 consecutive Super Bowls in the Franchise mode of Madden '01, going 15-1 in the last season. Well, now, I can't win a game. I lost 42-7 vs. the Cowboys, 24-7 vs. the Giants, and 17-7 vs. the Giants. I also played a game as the Colts vs. the Giants, just to see if I sucked, or the Bills sucked..... well, I think it's a combo of the 2 b/c I did win, 20-17 in OT. I think it's b/c the Bills running game sucks. I had 162 yards rushing with Edgerin, but have only had a high total of 48 with the Bills.

Passing - Awesome, ultra realistic. Steve, I know this is going to ruin your whole game plan, but you guys remember those one handed catches that were made about 80% of the time, usually in double coverage?? Not any more. Not only are those catches rare, even if you're wide open, but the defenders WILL step in front of you and knock the ball down or pick it off. Also, when you do make a catch, if you get popped, you will drop the ball. Pretty cool stuff.

Rushing - pretty much the same as last year. It seems that this year, reading your blocks is even more important b/c the defense is a lot smarter in '02.

Defense - again, pretty much the same as last year. In Madden '01, I used to always pick a play that had a blitz for an outside LB, and I would take control of that LB. I would only get 1 or 2 sacks per game, but I would rush some throws and possible knock down some balls. Not this year, the RB's pick up that LB right away. Not only that, the spot that is left open by that LB is where the QB throws the ball, so now I control a defensive lineman. To date, I've only had 2 sacks total in about 5 games.

Cool Stuff - OK, now for the good stuff....

a) Tackles can be harder. There are some of the same leveling tackles as last year, but they have added some new ones where you can really feel the tackle. If you really pop someone, the auto replay goes into a letterbox screen and it shows the hit 3 times (quickly) pop, pop, pop.... it's cool. You have to see it.

b) Tackles can be harder part 2. I dropped back in the pocket, on the 2 yard line. Ray Lewis came flying around the end and popped the shit out of me. The top of his helmet hit the face mask of Rob Johnson's and knocked his helmet clean off his head.... really cool stuff.

c) Tackles are more realistic. Collision detection has been improved. Not only that, but the players fall more realistically. No more "grazing" a player to have them fly like they were hit head-on. There is also a lot more arm wrapping on the tackles, so that improves the visuals too.

d) The players look like themselves. No more generic faces with that weird stare the players had last year. This year, they look like themselves....pretty cool.

e) The coaches look like themselves too. Really cool. Last year they resembled them, this year, it is them. Seeing Fassel walking the side line with that pissed off look on his face is just priceless.

f) The crowd is more realistic. Instead of them just randomly cheering, they get a lot louder for 3rd downs (and 4th if the offense is going for it) as wella s goal line stands. The pump up the crowd button actually makes them louder. If the visiting team does the pump up the crowd button, they boo loudly.... pretty cool.

g) If you do a Franchise, the Houston Texans will be available for the 2002 season. Pretty cool.

h) If you own both NCAA '02 and Madden '02 (which I do), you can draft the players from NCAA into Madden when they graduate. I'm 3 games away from the Bowl Games in NCAA, so once those seniors leave, I'll be exporting them to Madden so they are available to be drafted. Of course, I have to start a Franchise in Madden first......

OK, that's all I can think of. Bottom line.... this game rules. If you like Madden '01, you'll love '02.....

Originally written August 27, 2001

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Hockey's back..... that's right gentlemen, it's back the way hockey should be. After the disappointment of last years version, it's back the right way. Do I have gripes with the game? Yes. Is it a keeper? Oh yeah!! Here's my little review for ya. Enjoy.....

Now, I only played 2 quick games b/c I get tired early since I've been back at the gym. I used the Rangers and I played the Islanders. They are one "point" away as far as their overall ratings (with the Islanders being higher), so I figured it would be a good game. The difficulty levels are Beginner, Easy, Medium, and Difficult. The default is Beginner. Now I know I'm a little rusty, but not that bad, so I bumped it up to Easy for the first game (but turned on Offside, Icing, Penalties, etc.). Well, to make a long story short, I got my ass kicked, 5-0.... it may have been sick, I don't remember. Yeah, it was ugly. I blame part of the reason on the fact that the game play was slow on easy, so for my second game I corrected that. I left the difficulty on Easy, but I moved the "slider" that controls the game speed to about halfway. That did the trick. I jumped out on top 1-0, then 2-1 after they tied it. Only problem was, I did not score again and I lost 4-2, but I was able to hang. That is my gaming experience, below is the breakdown.....

** What I Liked: **
Realism off the Rink - too sweet. Check this out... when the "camera" shows the bench and the coach, the people in the crowd behind the bench stand up and wave, etc. b/c they are on "TV". Pretty sweet. Also, when you're getting your ass kicked as I did in game one, they show the crowd and they are all pissed off!! Cool stuff.....

Shooting - this is pretty easy.. hockey is back, the way it should be. I like the shooting meter. I comes up under your player when you shoot. It goes from Blue, to green to red. Blue is a wrister, the more blue, the harder the wrister. Green is a slapshot, again, the more green, the harder the shot. Red is a slapshot, but the odds of hitting the net are lowered b/c of the power.

Replays - cool... just like Madden '02. If you level someone, it shows it 3 times. If you have a great save, it shows it 3 times. It actually does this DURING the game, but in a way that does not interfere with the flow. Not only that, all replays and cinemas during stoppages are in letterbox.... pretty cool.

Music - sweet... what a soundtrack they have this year. And the clincher which will make Steve run out and buy it as soon as he reads this.... it has most, if not all of the Barenaked Ladies new greatest hits album. That's right, during stoppages you hear One Week, etc. Not all the time, but it's mixed in. Really cool.

NHL Cards - just like Madden, you get points for doing stuff and you can buy cards which offer cheats, hidden players, etc.

TV Presentation - is awesome. It really makes you feel like you're watching TV. I love the whole presentation, especially when you start a game... really cool. Oh and BTW, both games I played were at home. They don't show a picture of the Garden when it's loading, guess what it is...... The World Trade Center. Guess they couldn't take it out, but I'm glad it's in there. I was very surprised when it came up, but I was happy.

Player Icons - next to the players names are little icons, a stick means a hard shooter, a bullseye means he a sharp shooter, etc. The one I like which I think is new for this year is the "H" which stands for Hero. During the closing minutes of the periods the Hero players get an H. Basically this means that this guy is a clutch player. Not only that, but when you're doing a line change at the end of the period, you have your 1-4 lines, but you can also put in a Hero line, made up of all of your money players. Really cool.

Create A Player - you can still do this, but now you can add your face!! This has been available on the PC version, but never the console. I'm not sure yet how you do it, but Babbage's reps were telling me that you hook up a compatible digital camera to the USB port on the PS2... pretty freakin' sweet.

** What I didn't like: **
The new announcer: The guy who's always called the play-by-play is back (can't remember his name) and he's cool. But there's this other guy who only tries to be funny, and he's not. He's EXTREMELY annoying. You'll have to listen to him to understand me, but trust me, after 2 games you'll want to beat him with a wet noodle....he's that bad.

Changing players: not sure if this was just me or not, but sometimes it wouldn't give me the player I wanted, especially on defense. I adjusted though and dealt with it. I'm sure I'll get used to it and everything will be fine.

That's about it.... Hopefully you enjoyed my review. You know if I liked hockey, you guys will, so go buy it now!!

Originally written September 27, 2001