PLAYSTATION GAME RECOMMENDATIONS |

[#] Madden NFL 2002 (Electronic Arts, PlayStation, 2001)

Madden's rather confusing last hurrah on the PlayStation.

As the (functionally--later editions were mostly roster updates) final edition of Madden to grace the PS1, I was curious to see how the series had matured over its run. What followed was confusion. Why can't I see my receivers? Why do zone plays not work? Why is the kick meter touchy like a squirrel with a coke habit? Why are my cornerbacks running with the receiver and not tackling him? Why is the other half of the field wide open when I play defense? Why does every stadium have an airhorn that blows every 45 seconds? Why do I save my settings, season, and user profile in three different menus? Why does the game freeze sometimes returning to the menus, and why does turning the music off seem to fix it? (That one might just be my copy.)

Setting the camera to "Madden Classic" did a lot to make the game playable. While the bugs and bizarreness never fully go away, time and practice does reveal a fun, fluid football game to round out Madden's time on the console. How much shit you're in for depends on the team you're up against. Some teams, I found my running game absolutely useless, and my blockers wouldn't help much. Sometimes, passing was the challenge, and runs were the only way I could move downfield. I still try to pick more blitz and direct coverage plays on defense, since you cannot trust your CPU teammates to do anything with zones except stand there. Still, you find enough ways to exploit the computer and score (corner passes are great for shaking off defenders) to keep things unpredictably fun.

Graphically, it's angular, but solid. I love the goofy player animations, especially their dumb hops to deflect passes. (If you're a fan of strange unlock characters, check the teams you get through the Madden Cards--and some of the cheat cards, like the Motocross Madness force field sidelines one, are no less odd.) While the rap instrumental menu music is cool, Pat Summerall and John Madden's commentary is sparse and disappointingly repetitive. Most of the headliner features, like mulligans, you can pretty well ignore, but the Madden Classic mode is an adorable little extra. It's an emulated version of John Madden Football on the Genesis with all 32 teams present, and if you thought this game was antiquated, wait 'til you get a look at those passing windows.

(As said, Madden 2003, 2004, and 2005 on PS1 are basically identical to this game, mostly with roster updates and Al Michaels taking over for Pat Summerall on commentary. Like the end of its run on PS2 and Xbox 360, these versions of Madden were mostly meant as cheap releases to keep the lights on for players who hadn't upgraded consoles yet, a curious tactic to look back on.)

Recommended for... those who like riddles.

Reviewed	Supports analog controls?	My favorite part
November 1, 2025	Yes	The goofy player animations

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