Is Madden the Best Football You Can Buy?
Written: Nov 26 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Smooth frame-rate, Dolby 5.1 sound, abundance of options.
Cons: Awkward controls, inconsistent AI, player attributes.
The Bottom Line: I recommend you don't short change yourself by holding out until NFL2K2 is released, and miss the experience that is "Madden Football" on the Xbox.
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| EBelfour20's Full Review: Madden NFL 2002 for Xbox |
I had been a die-hard JMF fan since it's debut on the Genesis through the 1998 edition on the PSX. It was then that I switched to the Dreamcast and was overwhelmed with Sega's NFL 2K series. You may have read my review of NFL2K1 here on eOpinions entitled “The One and Only Madden Killer.” Well, I now have an Xbox and was eager to see how Madden has changed over the last three years, especially on what I feel to be the latest and greatest system available. What follows are observations and opinions I’ve made after spending over a week playing Madden – some are positive, some are negative.
The positives: The first thing that catches your attention aside from the intensely smooth graphics is the incredible Dolby 5.1 digital sound. I have a great HT setup and the sound of pads crunching, players groaning, and crowds chanting give the sense of being part of a live event. The graphics are sharp and run at what looks to be somewhere around 45 fps or higher. I have had no experience of slowdown whatsoever. The instant replays are shown from different angles and the attention to detail is quite impressive. The options available for Madden 2002 are abundant: create a team, create a player, modify team colors, exhibition, franchise and season modes, training, practice, and the ever popular, “Madden Cards” feature which enables you to unlock stadiums, retired players, and other bonuses through accumulated achievements on the field. There is even an option to “challenge” plays on the field during a game!
Some of the nuances in the game are quite pleasing as well and add to the overall realism. I was playing as Arizona the other day and I noticed that my players began to cast shadows in the third quarter, as if time had passed and the sun was in a different position than when the game first started. It was pretty neat. You will also notice players jerseys get dirty depending on their position and how much they are used (and getting hit!). I had Joey Galloway looking like he was playing in the mud after taking on Oakland on their home turf!
The controls are adequate but could have been improved substantially by using a similar interface such as what the NFL 2K series uses, which leads me to…………
The negatives:
While the graphics are outstanding and the motion capture looks true to life, the players look sort of………..well, goofy. Just give them a look when they line up at the coin toss and you’ll see what I mean. Also, their sizes aren’t exactly accurate either. Sure, linemen like Larry Allen have guts hanging over their belts, but as far as height and build go, there seems to be no distinguishing factors between say, a Randy Moss and any of the smaller cornerbacks in the league. Also, since when has Martin (or brother Bill) Gramatica’s arms become the same size as David Boston’s? Shoot, in real life, Boston’s arms are probably bigger than their legs! Again, no specific attributes are assigned to individual players.
Speaking of specific attributes – and this is what has plagued Madden almost since the beginning: poor/biased player ratings. While I agree that most players are somewhat accurately rated, others have gotten the shaft and undeservedly so. I recall an early Madden (’92 maybe?) where Rodney Hampton of the Giants had a speed of 12 – the same as Herschel Walker, Emmitt Smith, and the other top RB’s at the time. Hampton was well known as being one of the SLOWEST RB’s in the NFL and he had a paltry 3.5 yards per carry average back then. Just because he reached 1,000 yards doesn’t make him a “fast” runningback (the incredible amount of carries was the reason!). This problem still continues on 10 years later in EA Sports’ latest installment. For instance, just check out Anthony Thomas of the Bears. He was an incredible RB in college and yet he gets a poor rating (I believe he is rated in the 50s or 60s) which is MUCH lower than James Allen. Ricky Watters better than Shaun Alexander? I hardly think so! But Madden has him rated that way. The Madden series has consistently failed to realize that benched or backup players are, or can be, just as good if not better than the starters (Cunningham vs. Grbac, anybody vs. Quincy Carter, Anthony Thomas vs. James Allen, Troy Hambrick vs. the great but aging Emmitt Smith). When you play Madden, YOU are the coach. It is up to you to recognize the talent level on the team you are playing with. Why should the folks at EA Sports decide someone like Shaun Alexander isn’t as good as Ricky Watters simply because he’s a backup. It’s not Shaun’s fault that Mike Holmgren can’t recognize talent and didn’t favor him over Watters until injury struck. EA Sports should rate players based on ABILITY and not the previous year’s PERFORMANCE. How can someone like Moss, Galloway, Ismail, or Tim Brown not get separation against ANY cornerback? It is ridiculous. I’ve tried various match-ups against a number of cornerbacks in the league and 8 times out of 10 the CB is step for step against a speedster WR. Timing of the pass is pretty much the only way to get a successful deep pass for a score. Coverages are never blown, and the CB’s always right where they need to be.
Another key point to mention is the AI. From my experience thus far, the AI is fairly inconsistent. I can run the same play over and over again with similar success without the defense ever adjusting. I also find it ironic (and frustrating) to encounter an abundant of holding penalties when inside the Red Zone. I know I am not the only one to encounter this as I’ve heard numerous complaints from others. It is almost predictable that if I run for a TD inside the 20, it will be called back – especially in the higher difficulty levels. While this is annoying, the “cheap factor” isn’t nearly as bad as NFL 2K1’s in All-Pro mode where one computer-controlled player could shed like eight tackles on route to a 60 yard punt return with six seconds left to tie or win the game. NFL 2K1’s All-Pro AI was notorious for being cheap either through dropped passes during a key drive, fumbles, penalties, or some crazy play where the computer breaks a ton of tackles en route to a score.
While the above complaints are irksome to me, my biggest gripe has to do with the controls, especially with the placement of the black and white buttons that is more of Microsoft’s fault than EA’s. EA Sports should have done something to make pulling off certain plays easier. For instance, the pump fake and pass. Let me explain the difference between NFL 2K and Madden for the same type of play.
For NFL 2K – one button snaps the ball, pushing the button again pulls up the passing “windows”. To pump fake to a specific receiver, you would tap the button twice to the “decoy” receiver. To pass to your intended receiver, you would press the appropriate button and push the stick forward to lead him if necessary. 4 buttons total (two being the same) and are fairly localized.
For Madden 2002 – one button snaps the ball, the same button pulls up the passing “windows.” To pump fake, you would press the right trigger (keep in mind, this pump fake is to no WR in particular. It is just a generic pump). Then, you pull the left trigger to lead the receiver followed by the appropriate button for the designated WR. 5 buttons total (two being the same). It is just awkward and time consuming to do this since the required buttons are spread all over the controller.
There are also several other instances where pulling off a play could have been more simplified. Of course, you can re-assign buttons for specific actions, but it seems to me the game control mechanics could have been simplified.
While it may look like there are more problems with Madden than there are blessings, it is not necessarily the case. The overall game play is enjoyable, albeit a little cumbersome getting used to the controls (especially if you are familiar with the NFL 2K series like I was and had been away from Madden for a several years now). What it comes down to is this: would I recommend Madden? Yes, I would. Would I rate it a “10?” No, I certainly wouldn’t. I’d give it about a 7.5 or 8. I’ve heard that people think Madden is more of a “simulation” while NFL 2K2 being more “arcade-like.” I can understand where people get that impression (e.g. NFL 2K’s ability to “charge-up” your player for a “super move” by holding down one of the action buttons). But what it comes down to is - is Madden fun? Yes it is, in it’s own way. Most gamers are either for one title and against the other. I admittedly prefer the NFL 2K series, but I do enjoy playing Madden 2002 on my Xbox. If you are a fan of the NFL and videogames, chances are, you will like Madden 2002 as well. However, the next installment of the NFL 2K series is due out on the Xbox soon (Dec. 18th) and I will certainly be picking up my copy on release day. If it’s an improvement over last year’s version, I will continue to favor it over Madden. If it’s the same but with updated rosters, then I’ll be content owning two great football games. That will be two opportunities for me to fire Dave Campo, put myself in as the Cowboys coach, and turn their season around. Some first step recommendations: trade Quincy Carter for a veteran and take over Jerry Jones’ job and start drafting and trading intelligently!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
EBelfour20
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Location: Alexandria, KY
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 3 members
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