Review By:  Jared Black
Developer:	Tiburon
Publisher:	EA
# of Players:	1-12 (season)
Genre:	Football
ESRB:	Everyone
Date Posted:	10-01-01

Frankly, I’m fed up with it, and this stagnation covers every facet of the series. My #1 complaint is that Madden NFL 2002 does absolutely nothing to make any accomplishment seem special. For the playoff games (including the Super Bowl), we’re treated to virtually no new commentary and the same lame game introduction we got during the regular season. The only difference is that, after the Super Bowl, we’re treated to a quick and bland 5-10 second celebration. When you clinch your division, you don’t even know it unless you go to the standings and see the "x" beside your team’s name. How hard would it be to spice things up a bit? Wanna know who was this year’s NFC MVP? Better go hunt for it in the awards section, because the game sure won’t let you know when the selections are made. Get in a close game? Don’t expect tension (or more than a couple new phrases) out of the commentary team.

In the audio department, they could give us some special music to accompany the opening of a playoff game. They could record additional voice samples from John and Pat that relate specifically to the playoffs. A triumphant little number when you clinch your division title. There are numerous things they could do to make an accomplishment actually seem like it means something, and that extends to the graphics as well. When the player clinches his/her division, let them know! Throw up a big splash screen showing the celebration. There are lots of "little" things like this that are overlooked year after year. They’re easy to implement, and would do wonders towards making it seem meaningful.

In a sense, this genre has actually regressed since the Madden series asserted itself as the top dog. Remember Tecmo Super Bowl? It gave you animations for everything….a player hobbling off the field after an injury, halftime shows, and even a player returning from an injury. Despite being on an old 8-bit system, that game still has more "life" than both PS2 Maddens combined. Remember how the old Bill Walsh games used to show "clips" from the closing seconds of other games? How hard would that be to implement on Sony’s ultra-console?

What it boils down to is that this is Madden NFL 2001 with all the standard upgrades from last year’s version you would expect, and little else. Aside from the updated rosters and create-a-team mode, there’s really little reason to buy this if you already own last year’s. Sadly, for most sports gamers that’s enough and EA knows it.

HIGHS:

• Classic Madden gameplay delivers exactly what fans of the series come back year after year for.
• The passing game, my major complaint about last year’s version, has been improved.
• The franchise mode, and all the new options like create-a-team, offers unlimited replay value.

LOWS:

• EA’s resting on its laurels. They totally dominate the genre, and they know it. The pattern that the series has been in for years (upgrade everything slightly each year) proves it.
• Accomplishments, both team and personal, are virtually ignored by the game. Despite it being the Super Bowl, it’s difficult to get excited about winning it.

Don’t get me wrong, Madden’s still an awesome football franchise and Madden NFL 2002 is another worthy entry. It’s better than any other PS2 football game this year (besides NCAA Football 2002), and that makes it the game to own for PS2 football fans. Just don’t expect much in the way of innovation or atmosphere.

Overall Score: 8.4

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