Customer Reviews

Madden NFL 2001

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

To tell you the truth, I think a lot of these people who criticize this game are too picky about every little aspect (graphics, how badly the computer cheats, etc.). I think this game kicks a lot of butt and is the best football game on the PC currently. The online play has gotten a heck of a lot better (and more fun) since Madden 2000. The players look nicer and the sidelines seem more detailed. What suprises me is how nobody's complaining about the ... kicking game! It is next to impossible just to make a 43-yard kick (unless you have Sebastian Janikowski or Jason Elam as your kicker), in real life no kicker would ever start if all the time his 43-yard kicks ended up SHORT! EA needs to come out with a patch to correct this BIG TIME. Other than that though, I enjoyed this game and think you oughta buy it at your nearest retailer.

The Madden series has always been a personal favorite and this year's installment has the best graphics I've ever seen in a computer game...MOST of the time. I've been playing for about two days and I'm having continual graphics problems unless I turn them ALL the way up, in which case gameplay suffers because I ONLY have a PII-366 w/ 128 megs of RAM and an 8 meg 3D card. Problems include striped helmets (green and white with some orange regardless of team), players walking through each other, an ambulance with no wheels, and occasionally invisible players. It's kinda disturbing to see a uniform out there running around with no player inside it! On the other hand, game play is pretty good although predictable. If EA fixes the bugs, this will be a great game.

Lets face it many of us are very upset with EA about the problems they seem to be having releasing Live 2001 on time. But I have to give them credit where credit is due. Madden 2001 is possibly the BEST football game to date for any console. I am not a very dedicated football fanatic, but this game is slowly changing that. The graphics on this game are excellent, and they even rival those of the PS2 version. The movements are fluid and are not robotic and choopy. Each football stadium is done almost perfectly. Even Raiders' stadium has an inprint of the Oakland A's baseball field. The game play is probally the best it has ever been. It seems much easier to control and a lot more realistic than ever. Yes, it still gets frustrating when your receiver can't seem to catch a pass with noone on him, and then the computer's receivers catch passes with double coverage. But this does not happen very often as it has in past Madden games. The anouncers add a little bit more depth to the game eventhough their comments often repeat during the same game. If you don't pay close attention to them, the fact that they are commenting on the game plays well bring you closer to the game. I can now go into some of the minor faults of this game. In addition to the commentators repeating themselves often, Leslie Viscer at the halftime reports ALWAYS has something to say about halftime adjustments, and that gets old very fast. But I guess some talking is better than no talking at all. Also sometimes, the receivers seem not to WANT to catch the ball even when their wide open. However, that doesnt happen very frequently, and the whole gaming experience won't be a frustrating nightmare as in past Madden games. Another frustrating this is that their is no way to restart a season game from the beginning if you want to start over. Everyimte you exit out of the game before the regulation time is complete, the game AUTOMATICALLY saves, which sucks. However you can always turn the power off on your computer during gameplay, but I wouldnt recommend doign this very often. One final point about the game save feature, even after you win a game you have to leave it up to the computer to save your game, their is no save option where you can actually manually save your progress. You have to depend on the computer to do it for you. (I really got screwed by the computer. I beat the seahawks 39 - 3. However when I came back to the game the next day. I found out the for some reason the computer did not save my game and I had to play the seahawks again. VERY FRUSTRATING). If you win a game then I would suggest advancing to the next week, and starting your next game, and after the coin toss. exit the game and the computer will automatically save that game and all your previous games as well. If you don't do this, you have to hope that the computer saves your game. Also, you can't switch teams or have another player take over the computer control during gameplay and this sucks as well. I feel that you should have more control in this game and thats probally one of its worst features. But other than that I think that you will be very pleased with this game's graphics as well as gameplay. I was very nervous about getting this game, due to my past madden experiences, but I got a very good deal on this game, and I am very satified with this game.

This is in fact a better game than the 2000, much better graphics, sounds and interface. The gameplay is much like last years. I see that some of the other reviews are posted by people who haven't even played the game. Something bothers me, it's very hard to beat the AI, they (AI) abuse the pass. Even the TB Bucks use pass playes some 80% of the time. I've enjoyed playing against a friend much more than playing single player. I like the game overall, but the passing thing needs a fix.

The graphics on this game are great, but you probably need at least a 500Mhz computer to enjoy them. It takes awhile to get used to controlling the action, but there is a practice option so you can practice without an opposing defense.

The only gripe I have about this game is the running game. You can have a gaping hole, and a defender can dive 4 yards and knock your guy down. Your guy also runs into your own lineman and will run in place if the hole isn' big enough. It's pretty hard to break tackles in this game, and there isn't much driving forward after initial contact (ex. a 170 CB will level a 250lb FB in the open field) But at least you can't tottally run up the score like you can in other football games (unless you are on an easy level). And sometimes the computer runs too much, and the computer has a hard time moving the ball.

But, you can adjust gameplay attributes like RB ablity, Run blocking, tackling, ect...but it's a trick to get the right mix to make the game realistic. You can also tinker with every players ratings and create new ones. But the game is still very fun despite it's minor quirks.

if u asked me what i thought about this game when i first got it and started playing it, i would have told u i hated it. the passing and running game were nearly impossible, the computer was juking me left and right out of my jockstrap on defense, and trying to put field goals through the uprights was just not happening. (full disclosure: i am originally from san diego and was playing with the chargers every time i engaged a game of madden 2001, and thats probably the reason i hated this game at first!!) but now i truly enjoy and look forward to playing this game. the running game is all about hitting your holes quickly and putting your head down. the passing game is all about timing, accuracy, and soft hands! defense is about team: if u cant make the tackle or the play, do something that enables your teammate to be able to (fill a gap, take away the inside/outside, take a blocker out, go for the tackle instead of the pick, etc.) the one part where the game TRULY lacks is field goals. they are hard as hell if youre farther than 15-20 yards away! nevertheless, this game is exciting and FUN. im currently playing the chargers in franchise, and i made it to the playoffs (like WHOA!). it seems like in the playoffs the crowd cheers a little louder, the hits are a little harder, and the only thing that matters is the WIN. way to go easports!

Like most normal owners, I had a generic, so-so video card before I bought this game. You can run the graphics in non-accelerated mode.... I updated to a full 3D accelerator (Voodoo 4) and the 3D accelerated graphics are awesome. The Game play is good, but not great. Bottom line: If you have a 3D accelerator or are willing to get one, you'll love this game. But if you don't have a 3D accelerator and don't want to get one, you'll hate it. Once you get it, play online. It's SO much more fun than playing the AI.

This game is great for football extremists like me and a couple of my friends. Modem play is awesome, execept for some cases, where you get booted. Internet play is a lot laggier if you don't have good connection. YES! You can run up the middle, finally! The juke buttons, stiff arm, etc. are high quality for today's football moves. You'll find yourself wanting to play more and more, and season's and franchises are really fun to work with. Sure, the announcers may repeat themselves some times, but you can always turn them off. Other than some technical flaws, this game is right for any sports fanatic.

No amount of neat graphics can overcome the frustration of the game throwing you out with 2 minutes left in the half. The tech support did me no good also. You might have a machine that has no problems with it, but then again you might not. I surrendered to the crashes and mailed the game back to EA Sports asking for my money back.

What a disappointment! I have a Pentium III 550 with and 8MB integrated video card (good enough to play every other game I've ever tried, EA or not), but that's apparently not good enough for Madden 2001. The tech support guy at EA told me that the video card must have full Direct 3D support, which means that everyone who has a Pentium III or lower and hasn't upgraded their video card (that's most of you, folks) won't be able to appreciate the graphics because you'll be forced to play the game in Non-accelerated mode, which is comparable to playing the game on a Sega Genesis circa 1989. As an example, if you try the game in 3D mode, you'll get no stadium graphics, no crowd graphics, no sideline graphics, and no indicators over your receivers when passing, among other missing features. For some reason, EA chose to make the game incompatible with the majority of the systems in use today. In addition, the installation process is very buggy (fatal errors with the Autorun on the CD)and doesn't bother telling you to update your video drivers before playing (I learned that the hard way, after several e-mails to EA's support group). For those of you with high-end video cards and a whole lot of patience, enjoy yourselves. For those of us with only a very good video card, it looks like we'll be forced to look to other software companies for football this year and in the future. Shame on you, EA Sports.