www.top1shop.com | Shopping

BABY

BOOKS

COMPUTERS

DVD

ELECTRONICS

GIFTS

HOME & GARDEN

MUSIC

PRODUCT DETAILS

Madden 2002

Madden 2002

Mr. Madden's football games continue to be the titles against which all other gridiron games will be judged. Considering that Madden NFL 2002 is the Xbox's first contribution to the series, it's a triumphant debut indeed. Everything that we've come to know and love about the console Madden games has made it to the Xbox. This version even has minimal but noticeable upgrades from the PlayStation2 edition.

Gameplay is almost exactly the same as Madden NFL 2002 on the other consoles, with key differences relating to the enormous Xbox controller. If you're not a fan of the Microsoft controller's ill-placed black-and-white buttons, you'll be happy to see they aren't used too frequently.

The artificial intelligence exhibited by the Xbox-controlled players seems to be equivalent to that of the very smart PS2 version. In other words, expect a slow-paced, competent game that will challenge you for every yard.

The graphics, however, have been slightly tweaked for the extra pixel-pushing abilities of Microsoft's console. Helmets get scratched and dirt, grass, and other filth accumulates on player uniforms. Players are somewhat sharper and smoother than in the great-looking PS2 version, plus people with widescreen TVs can view the entire offensive and defensive lines without having to pan left or right. All in all, the improvements over the PS2 version are slight, but they do add to the atmosphere of the game.

Also retained are the two-minute drills, teaching modes, and Madden Cards from the other versions. Sadly, repetitive and droll announcing by Pat "What Game Is He Watching?" Summerall and John "Blandly Stating the Obvious" Madden didn't get upgraded. One or both of these guys need to hang up their microphones in a hurry. Also, the game still puts way too much emphasis on the passing game, leading to somet
Manufacturer: Xbox

Price Range: $0.99 - $29.99

Madden 2002

User Reviews

it's football
rating: 3

Can you believe I NEVER owned a football game before and, to my knowledge, only played one once in my entire life? This was in 1994. I just never liked football until a couple years ago.

Anyway, I bought Madden 2002. I know it's an old game with outdated rosters, but that doesn't matter to me much. I just want to have fun with the game. What kind of advice do you have for someone who understands football, but, other than that one time in '94, has never played a football game before?

Will it take me a long time to understand what I'm doing? I can't fathom at the moment what it must be like for the quarterback to throw the ball to one of his players. It must be really hard to throw the ball to the correct guy and have him run as far as possible. I know nothing about what the speed of the game is going to be like either. All the players on the field might move around too quickly for me to have time to react to anything.

The reason I wanted Madden 2002 is because this game has a classic mode where you can go back to how football video games were played in the early 90's. This is good, so in case the gigantic 3D graphics become too much of a problem for me, at least I might have a shot at glory playing the game in an old-fashioned way. I wonder how many weeks or months it will take until it feels comfortable to play this game? How long will it take until understanding exactly what's happening on the field makes perfect sense?

Anyway, this Madden game has me worried because looking through the instruction booklet, each button does something different. I don't even know what most of these things mean. "cycle defenders" "secondary shifts" "power/swim". What, we're playing football underwater now? :)

UPDATE:

Unfortunately, I'm having a pretty tough time with the game. The part I said a couple days ago about worrying about the speed of the game seems to be true- I have hardly NO time to react to the defense and offense of the computer opponents. It's like making one mistake will *really* cost me. I did manage to get a touchdown with the Cincinnati Bengals. I guess luck was on my side.

I personally don't think I have the necessary skills to understand which buttons should be pressed at the exact moment a play happens. It seems all the buttons are used on the controller (including the four buttons at the top) and apparently I have to press the right button at *just* the right time. If I make a mistake, the other team will do some serious damage to me. If that's going to be the story of Madden 2002, well, then I'm done with it. Simple as that. If you actually CAN improve the more you play the game, I will continue playing it.

It's too confusing to me how, after every play, a bunch of options appear on screen asking me what I want to do next. I guess having your players line up on the field in a certain way is very important. I never have any idea what the right move is supposed to be, so I just pick one and hope for the best. I figure "hey, I'm not a genius". Unfortunately the game seems to be designed for people who know football like the back of their hands. There REALLY needs to be an easy mode.

That classic mode I mentioned about how you can play football the way it was played in the early 90's is pretty tough also. Not to mention SLOW. Each play takes forever to execute because you keep being asked questions about the next play you want to do. To add insult to injury, there seems to be a waiting period after you pick an option for the next play. It's like these really old and dirty graphics actually require LOADING. The music is insanely catchy, though. The title screen music, I mean (there is no music when playing a game)

All I know when watching football is that you have three attempts to get across the yellow line (a gain of 10 yards). Apparently you need to be much smarter and have a better understanding of the technical aspects of football to be able to execute the proper plays in video game form. These Madden games require you to be really smart and knowledgeable about the game itself. What I need is someone who has experience with Madden games to come over and show me what to do. Without help, I'm a lost puppy in the rain.

What bothers me the most is that, since they keep releasing new Madden games every year, it's expected that everyone who picks up the newest one will understand the game immediately. The people who create these games don't realize how much trouble regular fans of football will have playing a game. You CAN'T just tune in every Sunday to watch a game and expect to understand video game football. It doesn't work that way.

It's entirely possible that someone (like me) could experience the Madden series for the first time in February 2007, despite the fact that the series has been around since the early 90's. I would love to see someone play the game I just bought (Madden 2002) to see how you actually play the thing.

I'm giving the game 4 stars because I'm holding on to the hope that one day I *will* have a better understanding of how the game works and improve my skills.

holding penalties are ridiculous
rating: 2

Great graphics and some very realistic features but I am furious over the number of holding plays I keep getting especially when I use a superior team over another i.e. the all madden team vs. a regular team. The regular team rarely gets called for holding while I get called nearly a third of the time and on running downs. THAT IS BULL PLOP.

The commentary also needs a lot of work on better coordinating and adding many more so we don't hear the same thing over and over.

Also there are waaaay to many receivers dropping the ball on well thrown passes.

Madden 2002, great game
rating: 5

If you like the Madden series, you will love this game. The graphics are astonashing, and the gameplay is amazing. It is a little slow looking at times, but none the less it is such a fun game.

Best football game for 2002.
rating: 5

This was a great game to get in 2002. Dont bother now, get 2003 but only for the better rosters. I guess you could do this in 2002 but you need to update stats and trade players away, ex. Ricky Williams to the dolphins but it might take a while. ALso you can't add players to the Texans. The controls and gameplay is great. The commentary is average but the player models look fantastic with real-life faces that you can make. You could make a moustached-bearded 400 pound guy or a little, bald, 160 pound kicker. Overall- a great port.

It sucks!
rating: 1

This game has OK graphics. It's gameplay SUCKS, everything SUCKS!

Madden 2002