Amazon Maximum Age: 17 years Amazon Minimum Age: 96 months Binding: Video Game EAN: 0014633143379 ESRB Age Rating: Rating Pending Label: Electronic Arts Manufacturer: Electronic Arts Platform: GameCube Publisher: Electronic Arts Sales Rank: 18500 Studio: Electronic Arts
Rating: - Best sports game ever? Maybe.
This was the very first game I got for GCN (I got it before I got GCN!), and I was impressed instantly. This one very smooth and high quality game! It has all the modes you could ask for, such as Situation, Practice, Franchise, Create-A-Player, and Two Minute drill just to name a few.
The graphics are amazing, and some of the best on GCN. There are over 100 faces for the players, so rarely will you see the same face twice. And the players faces aren't just paintings, their mouths move as if talking, eyes move, they blink, and everything. The game is so detailed that it throws on grass stains and helmet marks when a player gets slammed to the ground or takes a hard hit. The framerate is also very good, it only lags rarely when you down on your own 1 or something like that.
The controls are easy to pick up, too, of course. Each player has his own button for you to throw with him, and it is easy to scramble as a QB and juke people out as a RB/HB. Catching is automatic, so no worries about that. Madden 2002 has near flawless controls.
Of course, there is always one downfall of the game, and it is the difficulty. The game gets very easy up to All-Pro, and when you advance up to All-Madden, the game is just too hard (opposing players are extremely hard to tackle and break 70 yard runs every other play).
With all the factors and everything combined this game gets a...
A- (9.2/10)
(yes my scale is kinda odd)
Rating: - Another great Madden game.
I bought this game the day it came out for my brand new Gamecube system. It instantly became my favorite game for the system, and I could find absolutely nothing wrong with it. A year later, I buy Madden 2003, and now I realise that this game is not as good as it seemed. The computer is not very smart at all, Screen plays don't work with anything, and the controls feel pretty awkward. If you can get past that, it is a completely solid game that can steal hours from your life.
Rating: - Absolute Control!!!!!
Absolute control is the fact is why I'm in love with Madden 2002. I know by now, everbody's into Madden 2003, and I honestly admit that I'm behind the power curve. When I finally get to play 2003 I only hope that it allows me to do the same things plus some that 2002 does.
The reason why I didn't start playing 2002 off the bat was I kept losing! Once I got the hang of it, I couldn't put the controller down. I love the Create a Team feature which allows me to move teams to different cities. What I would like to see in the future is when naming teams, I should be able to have the state as the city not just the city. Example: If I wanted to name a team the Alabama Rattlers, I should be able to put Alabama down as the name of the team and have the team play in Birmingham,AL like the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals.
Next, the ability to create players after each season and also edit the players in the draft by changing their name, school and looks. The option of drafting players from NCAA Football 2002 is absolute genius! I wish NBA Live would take a page out of Madden's book. The option of changing teams Head Coach and creating your own coach is absolute genius as well. I just wish that I could delete that DAL Coach for good because every time I fire him, He pops up with another team. I'm sure that 2003 will have Dave Campo as the Cowboys Coach.
The Super Bowl aspect is impressive as well. I assumed that after the 2001 season all the other Super Bowls would be at something generic like EA Sports Stadium. Somehow, EA Sports found out what cities would host the Super Bowl each year. I would like the see a better championship presentation. Just having the coach wave his hand is not a Super Bowl celebration. NBA Live 2003 improved their's tremendously, I assume that Madden 2003 will do the same.
Rating: - Best Football
NCAA gameplay is better, but overall realism Madden wins. GAMECUBE owns for this, faster loading, gameplay seems smoother, and graphics better than PS2. Gamecube is THE system.
Rating: - Great Game, Wrong System
Gamecube is an awsome system. I love it, and wish I owned one for games like Melee, Sunshine, and Animal Crossing. But for sports titles, I'm sorry to say, it's rediculous. And for Madden, it's below rediculous.
Reasons: 1. Everyone knows the true joy of playing sports on a video game now a days is franchise mode. Signing free agents, drafting, holding a team together, or trying to repeat back to back. That's what make sports games fun! Problem with Gamecube's version of football: A FRANCHISE TAKES UP A WHOLE MEMORY CARD! Sorry Nintendo, but you need some sort of built in memory for sports titles. As franchises and dynastys get (YAY) longer and longer (already some are 25 seasons), it's gonna take more memory to support it. 1 memory card now, 2 for the 2004 edition, 3 for the 2005 version, etc... Were not made of money Nintendo! We only have enough cash for a few memory cards.
2. The controller! I love the Gamecube controller for games like Mario, Zelda, Melee, Animal Crossing, Pikmin. Unfortunantly Gamecube Contreller + Sports titles = NO NO. Nintendo made a great controller for those types of games, but not for sports titles. Not enough buttons for 5 to 6 receivers, a boost button, and a pump fake. Not to mention the bounce back affect of the triggers. This is not a controller for sports games, and definantly not football. People always whine about how many buttons Xbox and PS2 have. In this case, the buttons were well needed. Sports titles need buttons!
Those two reasons are cridicle to buying Madden or Gamecube. It just doesn't work. Maybe if they make a special controller, but until then, I cant imagine a good game of football on a Gamecube. Sorry Nintendo, this is not your strength.
Go for Xbox if your a sports fan. I want to play NBA, Football, baseball; and all of those take memory. Xbox has it built in, not to mention a great controller for it; and slightly beter graphics. Xbox even has some decnt games coming out (Tru Fantasy Online, Blinx the Timesweeper, Halo 2, Medal of Honor: Frontline; even GTA3 is rumored to be soon on it's way to Xbox).
I hope you see my point when I talk about Madden + Gamecube = Impossible. It's great for other games, but Madden..........
- Best sports game ever? Maybe.
- Another great Madden game.
- Best Football
