Customer Reviews

Madden NFL 2001

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

 

 

Madden 2001 can be described, basically, as a cleaner, fresher version of Madden 2000 for Playstation. There have been no real big changes as far as graphics: the game is still amazing considering it's only 32-bit. But there have been several small upgrades--from the variable equipment, armpads, etc. that the players actually wear, to the all-around slightly better look of the player movements and the fields.
As far as the intangibles, there have been many improvements over 2000. The addition of Madden Cards is a definite plus, as is the 2-minute drill. The Hot and Cold feature is very interesting, and adds a more realistic feel. Do you start a cold Marshall Faulk, or a hot Trung Canidate? A cold Drew Bledsoe, or a hot Michael Bishop?
The Franchise mode has seen improvement as well: the salary cap seems to be more realistic now when signing free agents, and the NFL Draft is now 7 rounds instead of just 4. But maybe the best new feature is the addition of the Preseason mode, which allows you to pick your opponents for 4 or 5 games, to sharpen the skills of your rookies and get a feel for your new acquisitions. Then once the preseason ends, young players who performed well will see added points to their attributes. Really helps to develop rookies, and just to try new plays which you aren't accustomed to using.
All that being said, this is still not the perfect football game. There are statistical errors you will encounter at various times, most notably the tracking of kick-off and punt returns during a season. You see, it only tracks 2 players' stats for kick-off returns, and just 1 for punt returns. Thus, if only 1 of your kick returners got the ball during the first week, and at the end of the game the opposing team attempts an onside kick recovered by one of your linemen, the return stats for that lineman will be tracked for the rest of the season. And your second return man is left statless. Same thing with punt returns. If your returner is performing badly and you choose to bench him, his replacement will see zero stat-tracking. Pretty frustrating if that player returns one 80 yards for a touchdown.
Another minus is the commentary, which tends to induce sleepiness. Summerall has no enthusiasm in his voice, and Madden repeats the same stuff when he does choose to say something (he can go a full game on here and only speak 3 or 4 times). You'd think he'd know he made his point when he says "Randy Moss is one of the best receivers in the league today." But then, two plays later when Moss makes another catch, you hear him repeat the same thing yet again.
Still, this is an all-around solid game, which succeeds in most areas. It is much better than Gameday 2001, so if you're looking for a football game for Playstation, this is the one you want.

This is what a sequel should be like. Gameday 2001 cannot touch Madden 2001 in temrs of gameplay, replay value, graphic, sound, and the overall football experience.

This game is awesome. From little things that you notice, such as wrist bands and elbow pads, to the Create-A-Player feature, to the awesome Franchise mode, this game has it all. This game is packed tight with features and other bells and whistles.

The Franchise mode rocks this year, allowing you to pick an existing coach and their coaching style, or create your own. You can also pick your team's uniforms! Play with the Eagles' 1980 uniforms (if you believe that'll make your guys better players, but oh well). The draft is 7 rounds now instead of 4 a year ago. You can also play pre-season games to get your players in shape for the grueling regular season! Not to mention player awards, and you can keep track of Pro-Bowl voting (kinda unnecessary, but a cool feature nonetheless).

The gameplay rules, as the options and front end menus are done so much better than last year. The sound and graphics also rule, making it the most realistic PRO football title on PS-X (I still think that NCAA Football 2001 is the best football title on the PS-X TODAY).

Should you pick this up if you've never played Madden? Definately! It's the best NFL football game on PS-X. If you had Madden 2000, should you pick this up? Without a doubt! This version blows away what the previous Madden had to offer, and will keep you playing for hours on end. It's deep, the options are amazing, and you will see the days fade away as you try to bring the Browns back to their glory days. If you're getting a PS2, you might wanna hold off, unless you gotta have a football game before then.

I've been playing Madden football since the Sega Genesis days, so let me tell you what's good and what's bad about Madden 2001. The good: the franchise system and the Madden Cards. Playing franchise mode is the best part of the game for me, because I like to create a dynasty. 2001 has added more draft picks and a preseason, which allows you to play your rookies. The problem with the preseason is that I rarely see improvement, and too often I find myself in salary cap trouble due to injuries.

Although it's fun to make trades and try to improve your team's weaknesses, the game makes it a little too easy. I turned the Chargers from a 66 overall to a 95+ in one season, without draft picks or creating any players, simply through trades and free agents. The game should be a bit more stingy when it comes to giving up players. Still, this is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the franchise mode, so I can't complain too much.

The Madden cards allow you to earn tokens for certain plays (like sacking the quarterback or scoring more than 21 points), which you can use to buy Madden cards. There are cards for most of the major talent in the league, which you can activate for a particular game if you need that player to shine. They come in gold, silver and bronze, the difference being in the amount each card boosts the player's attributes. You can also get great players from the past, such as Dan Marino, Rodney Hampton or Jumpy Geathers, who can be added to the free agent pool and included on your team's roster. The cards also feature different stadiums and great teams of the past for exhibition mode.

The problem with the Madden card system is that there are no instructions for creating a user profile or saving the profile. It takes a lot of effort and cursing to figure out how to do it. Once you've got it down, however, it's addictive. Still, why is it so hard? Why can't you save your user profile at the same time that you save your franchise? It doesn't make any sense.

Now, for gameplay: the game plays at least as good as Madden 2K, with additional taunts, etc. Players move smoothly, with nice tackles, jumps, dives and other moves. However, the AI doesn't behave sensibly. For example, the computer WILL NOT RUN THE BALL. EVER. The only time the computer opponent runs is within the 2-minute warning, inside the 5 yard line or on a 3rd and short (sometimes). No matter what team you play, or how good their running back is, have no fear. If the HB gets more than 5 carries it's a miracle.

So, the computer passes constantly. And successfully. No matter how good your secondary is, unless you have a dime-protect defense out there, the computer is going to complete pass after pass. If the computer has decided it's time to score, there is no stopping it. A pathetic team can rack up 300+ passing yards on a team with a good secondary no matter what you do to try to prevent it. In addition, no matter how bad the computer opponent's OL is, or how good your defensive line is, the quarterback will be well protected throughout the game (unless you blitz, in which case the computer will throw pass after pass out to the FB to take advantage of the lack of LB coverage).

The AI will pick up on your favorite moves pretty quickly, particularly running plays, and you may find it virtually impossible to convert a 3rd-and-2 unless you throw the ball. It's amazing how fast the computer's defensive ends are all of a sudden when you're running your halfback outside on a third-and-short play -- you'll find yourself tackled for a five-yard loss. The best way to get around this is to start mixing up your running plays, running between the tackles, up the middle, etc. And throw the ball. Then you can go back to your favorite halfback toss or sweep play.

The juke moves that were introduced in M2K (using the R1 and L1 buttons) are less effective here -- the move has to be made well in front of a tackler, and that just gives the tackler time to adjust. Otherwise, you go down. Although the spin move is more realistic this time around (you can actually keep your forward momentum), it almost never works unless you're in the open field with only one tackler to beat. Same for the stiffarm.

The kicking and punting system has been changed, for the worse in my opinion. I haven't kicked a field goal over 40 yards in probably 50 games due to the awkward display system in 2001.

As for Madden and Summerall, this is where the game really tanks. They say the same things over and over and over. For example, if the computer opponent completes a short pass to a fullback, Summerall will say something like "the quarterback had a nice quick release on that pass" followed by Madden saying "yeah, he really fired that one in there." Two plays later, same exchange. Next play, same thing, ad nauseam. Every punt is "skied"; if Summerall doesn't say "So-and-so really skied that punt," Madden will step in and say "yeah, he really skied it up there." If you get a sack, Summerall will say the player's name who sacked the QB, followed by a pause, then "goes down" or "is sacked for a loss." So it sounds like "Kearse... is sacked for a loss." Huh?

If EA can't figure out how to more effectively cue the color commentary, they should just not bother with it. It detracts from the game play and can drive one to distraction.

Overall, buy the game if you enjoy the franchise mode and don't get easily distracted by the senile Pat and John show. But otherwise, you might want to just wait until you can get your hands on a PS2 and buy the PS2 version of Madden 2001.

This is a good game with solid play. The addition of a two-minute drill mode is a deffinite plus, and the players look properly demensioned for the first time. The Madden Card system is also interesting, and the basic game set-up (music, opening screen, etc.) are all pretty good. There is also the plus of being able to create your own team, uniforms, name, standium and all, that adds a large amount of replay to the game. All of these things are basic improvements on Madden 2000. There is really thing that sets this game apart from its predessor, and that's the added realism. Not only do the players seem more real both in their movements and in their grafics (players can now be distinguished by what they wear, such as long sleeves, gloves or turf tape) but there is a great feature in the game that monitors whether they are hot or cold. You could have a cold Jevon Kearse being out-performed by a hot rookie with only a 70 overall rating. Deffinitely a plus. There is also now a seven round draft instead of the limiting four round draft in the last two games, and for once there is actually incentive to pick up late draft picks because players sign contracts according to their draft position and not their actual value. I picked up a strong safety with a rating of 83 in the sixth round and he signed a seven year contract at the league minimum (250K). The draft is also less predicatable, where as in the last game it was easy to spot the diamonds and the duds. There have also been many features added to the coaching, including a screen where you can determine how your team plays in simulated games. If you have a strong rushing game and a poor passing one you can actually do something about it this time, a huge improvement for a franchise junky like myself. All in all Madden 2001 is just a very solid game that's great for even casual football fans. Two years ago when I bought Madden 99 I hardly ever watched football, even casually, but now I not only watch it religiously but I've become a certified expert on it. Madden 2001 is the perfect game for kindling your football passion, with amazingly addictive gameplay and remarkable replay value.

Like every other game in the series, Madden 2001 has it all and has enough features to satisfy everyone. For the hard core football fan, the game is very realistic with a multitude of in-game plays and strategies. You can even plan out your strategy before the game. This is best used in two player mode where luck doesn't determine the winner. The computer is also more advanced than last year and the AI is adjustable, so you can make the game progressively harder for yourself. Still, an experienced gamer should beat the computer with a relative regularity. For the casual gamer, there are plenty of features that will keep you occupied, such as the cheats found in Madden Cards, the many teams and stadiums and the ability to create your own fantasy team. Franchise mode is great as it simulates actual NFL seasons and offseasons and includes a Pre Season. Personnel, coaches and strategies all change with the passage of time. One problem is that the schedules aren't properly updated, so if you remain the same team, you'll play mostly the same opponents every season. Madden's commentary, though revamped, is still poor and the graphics aren't a huge upgrade from Madden 2000, but, this is PlayStation and these negatives don't nearly outweigh the many positives in the features and gameplay. Buy this game if you like football and be wary of the "better" versions on better systems as it is often the case that options and gameplay are sacrificed for graphics.

When my brother asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I immediately told him NFL2k1 for Dreamcast. I own a PS and Dreamcast, and already have NFL2k. When my brother gave me my present early, he told me that he looked in 6 different stores, but they were all sold out of NFL2k1. I opened it up and it was Madden 2001 for PS. At first I was kinda upset, but then remembered the good reviews I had read of the game. Now, I have played the game almost non-stop since last night(taking a short break for sleep). First of all, people used to NFL2k will at first be disappointed with the graphics of the game. PS isnt Dreamcast. But the graphics in Madden 2001 are the best I have ever seen on PS! They won't "blow you away", but the game offers a smooth framerate and the best football visuals in any game on the system. The gameplay is what really makes this game shine. There are so many modes to choose from: Exhibition, Season, Custom League, Tournament, Franchise, 2-Minute Drill, Practice, and Fantasy Draft. I have started a Franchise, and find that this is the best mode. You pick a team and guide it through up to 10 years. You can take a bad team like the Chargers, make good management choices, and in a few years make them and NFL powerhouse. Thats right, I said management choices. You have to deal with the salaries of the players, trades, salary caps, and make players offers. For instance, offer 900k a year for 4 years. If the player rejects, it will show a statement from his agent offering advice on how to sign the player, i.e. "He wants a long term deal and more money." Everything I just wrote about was all in ONLY the Franchise mode, which shows how deep this game really is. The gameplay is very fun, with tons of plays, and new moves to execute. Both passing and running are easy to learn how to do. Once you can blow out the CPU, up the challenge from Rookie to Pro, then to All-Pro, and finally to All-Madden. You must get one thing straight, though: THIS ISN'T NFL BLITZ! In fact, it is nothing like Blitz. This is a simulation football game, and the best one at that. Overall, Madden 2001 is an excellent game! I'd recommend it to anyone!

Yes, Madden NFL 2001 will knock you out of your cleats. This game is, by far, the best professional football game around.

The graphics are easily the best in the business, and now, there is even more detail like the addition of arm pads and wrist bands, making this game extremely realistic. The addition of the two-minute drill and an enhanced franchise mode are nice add-ons as well. The Madden cards are also an amazing new concept that adds to the overall enjoyment level.

As always, the commentary is very good, although you won't find too many pearls of wisdom, the constant chatter makes for a more realistic feel. This game pretty much has it all, even the little things like crowd chants. It is a super game, and just another smashing success in a wonderful line of EA Sports games. Madden NFL 2001 is a winner.

Madden 2001 is one of the greatest football games i have ever played its graphics cannot be touched by any other football game I've seen. The sound quality and realizism is great. The pros to this game is that you have a new 2 minute drill and trades are great. the only thing i see wrong with the game is sometimes the computer has weird plays called and sometimes are tricky to beat other than thatthe game is great. if you don;t own a madden or any other football game you have to buy this one.

Madden 2001 is a good game if you like this type of game. I really enjoyed it most of the time when i wasn't losing. I like the fact that you can get a player of high value for a not-so good player. I use this to my advantage all of the time. When I play get frustrated with the repetitive phrases done by John Madden. When drafting rookies I always get the same players with the same names and attributes. But they are useful in the sense that I can exchange them for guys who are on the verge of retirement. One feature I felt they should have put into the game, is the "Edit Player Names" just like in NFL Gameday 2000. Oveall, it was an O.K. game, I just hope they can improve greatly on some of the more necessary details of the game.:-);

This is just another great game from EA Sports. Overall the game is just an updated version of last years game. The graphics are about the same with better collisions. The Francise mode is better this year with a 7 round draft! I would recomend this game to anyone that is not going to buy the Playstation 2, otherwise I would just wait.