To be fair I just bought this game last week. You are probably thinking, why would this guy purchase Madden 2002 in the year 2006? Well, I wanted to finish off my Madden collection for the Xbox. Now obviously after playing the newer games in the series and going backwards to play this game, that could screw up any review I might do for the game. So, while reviewing this game I had to have an open mind and not compare this game to the newer versions. Here is what I thought:
Way back in 2002, a franchise mode was a new thing. And when Madden 2002 came out with their franchise mode in this game, it was a huge deal. It's still a pretty deep mode with lots of options for the GM. A nice little touch is that there is an expansion draft because of the Houston Texans joining the league the following season. Obviously the franchise mode has been fleshed out quite a bit since, but this mode still holds it's own and is fun to play to this day.
Obviously the graphics aren't going to be as good. But to be honest, they aren't that bad. You will notice it more in the animations of the players more than anything else. Of course, the crown looks horrid and the menus aren't as nice looking, but this is by no means a terrible looking game. It kind of looks like a suped-up N64 title. The audio was a real downer for me though. The play-by-play is done by Pat Summeral & our old friend, John Madden. They are boring beyond words. There is also no music in the game besides a looping rap track that is worse than the commentary. Thankfully in 2003, EA added some licensed music to the mix in the form of 'EA Trax', which is in their games to this day.
You do get the create-a-team and create-a-player here and it was very good for it's time. My only complaint was when you create a team, you can't pick your own players. You have to use a current team's roster. Which makes no sense to me. The situational mode is kinda fun for a few tries and a nice way to earn Madden cards. And then auto-save feature isn't around quite yet. Other than those minor grips, this 2002 version of the best football game on the planet, is still playable and fun. I got it at Gamestop for only $3. If you don't care about current rosters or you like playing classic Madden, I would definately check this game out.
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