2001 Electronic Arts
The N64's launch was absent of any sports games. With the limited cartridge format, developers like EA Sports opted to leave their sports titles on the rival Playstation. EA's support built up later on in the N64's life with releases of Madden 64, Madden 1999, Madden 2000, Madden 2001, and Madden 2002. Now EA Sports is continuing their support for the N64 with the release of Madden 2002 for Nintendo's GameCube, an upgrade to the existing Playstation 2 game that has already been released.
Features
- Create your own NFL team and stadium
- Realistic player faces
- Brand new animations
- Widescreen 16:9 support amd HDTV support
- New modes, like the two minute drill
- Dolby Surround Pro Logic
Brent: Madden NFL 2002 is GameCube's first football title and it'll be the only good football title out for the system in 2001. The running game is fine tuned but the passing game needs a major overhaul. Some players don't look like their real life counterparts and though the zombie eyes are gone, the players still look like midgets compared to what you see on a live broadcast. The kicking game needs work, because even if you do know how the kicking system works, it's still a pain in the ass. What's here is a version of Madden that's just as good as what's on the Playstation 2, but absolutely not the best football title available. It's a good start, but hopefully there will be some improvements for next year. Madden 2002 is far from a bad game, it's just not great either. But it's the only option available right now, so if you want a football title for your GameCube, this is it.
Anthony: I am not the biggest fan of football sims, but in general I found Madden NFL 2002 to be a solid game. The game boasts some very nice graphics that up the excellent PS2 version in textures and lighting. The crowd still needs some major work, but the animation and facial expressions are definitely good. The GameCube controller did take a bit of self-reprogramming after previously playing Madden 2002 and Madden 2001 on the Playstation 2. It's currently the best football title on the GameCube until next year when EA, SEGA and Acclaim release their latest NFL incarnations.