Preview: 'Madden NFL 2002' tackles PlayStation 2

From...

By Atomic Dawg

(IDG) -- For over 12 seasons the quality of "Madden NFL" football games has been even more dependable than Eddie George on third and short. And even though "Madden NFL 2002" for the PlayStation 2 will dump the Titans' George as box guy in favor of the Vikings' Dante Culpepper, the preview work-in-progress looked good.

Of course, when you say, "lookin' good" at this stage, you're talking about gameplay as much as graphics. The early hands-on version sported sharp on-field player graphics and awesome animation similar to 2001's, but it was missing many of the new and improved face and body close-ups expected in the final.

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Overlooking the obviously early visual package, the preliminary field play felt as sweet as ever. Naturally, you'll get all the current NFL teams, and you'll even be able to build the expansion Houston Texans in Franchise mode. The basic control schemes were the same, and player moves were on the money -- even at the early stage. The kicking game drops last year's too-easy two-button press system for a more challenging three-press technique.

The Games Within the Game

To amp your football fun-o-meter between halves, "Madden 2002" will feature some new gameplay modes. Two-Minute Drill will challenge you to run up as many yards and points within 120 clock-ticks as you can. Training Mode will be a hecka-cool on-field training session where John Madden helps you practice the Xs and Os of key plays. And this year, you'll be able to build your own team, too.

Ready To Take the Field

"Madden NFL 2002" reported to the Sports Pages' PS2 pre-season workout in fine shape. While it still might not offer enough fantasy to help Bengals' fans survive the season, all indications are that other football freaks should prepare for fine competition.