NFL 2K1 vs. Madden PS2

   Based on feedback I have received in the past, Master Gamer's readers 
don't want to read reviews that makes non-stop comparisons between two 
competing games.  As a result, I have refrained from making my Madden PS2 
Review a series of comparisons to NFL 2K1.  My NFL 2K1 Review focuses 
completely on NFL 2K1, my Madden PS2 Review focuses completely on Madden 
PS2, and this feature is the place where I'll pit the two games head-to-head
in 12 different categories.

Passing the Ball
The Winner: Madden PS2
   Both games have been drastically improved in this area.  The developers 
of both games have been working hard to ensure that passing the ball 
successfully involves a lot more skill and a lot less luck than it has in 
past football games, and their hard work has finally paid off.  Madden wins 
this category in a close battle.

Running the Ball
The Winner: NFL 2K1
   Madden's running game once gave it a big advantage over NFL 2K; now it 
actually puts Madden at a disadvantage.  When you're controlling a running 
back, making moves in order to get past defensive players is a much less 
intuitive and skillful process than it is in NFL 2K1.  This is mainly due to
the fact that success in NFL 2K1's running back is largely dependent on your
ability to make moves and break tackles.  Madden relies too heavily on 
offensive linemen creating big holes that a truck could probably go through.
(yes, dammit, I ended a sentence with the word "through," so sue me)

Defensive Coverage AI
The Winner: NFL 2K1
   NFL 2K1 is almost perfect in this area, while Madden's defensive backs 
behave a lot like quick-footed goats.  They might knock the ball down if you
throw it their way, but it's unlikely to end up in their arms even if you 
throw it right to them.  The solution to this problem is not to tweak the AI
so that an absurd amount of interceptions occur, the answer is to re-work 
the coverage AI from the ground up so that it's smarter and more realistic. 
Sega did it with NFL 2K1, and hopefully EA will follow suit in Madden 2002.

Tackling Physics
The Winner: Madden PS2
   Like the passing game improvements, EA has taken an idea from NFL 2K and 
improved upon it with the tackling physics.  You actually have to be close 
to ball carriers in order to tackle them; there's no arcade-style jumping 
for five yards.  The NFL 2K series gets an honorable mention for its 
innovation with this feature, but Madden PS2 wins the category for improving
on it.  

Online Gameplay
The Winner: NFL 2K1
   Now that NFL 2K1 has revolutionized the console sports world with its 
smooth online gameplay, the Madden series' biggest liability is its lack of 
online play.  Here's hoping that it's included in next year's Madden.

Franchise Mode
The Winner: Madden PS2
   What a bad year for Franchise Modes.  NFL 2K1 debuts with a Franchise 
Mode that needs a huge amount of improvement if it's ever going to top 
Madden's... meanwhile, Madden's Franchise Mode has actually gotten worse in 
several ways.  EA needs to think about expanding the Franchise Mode rather 
than simplifying it.

Graphics
The Winner: Madden PS2
   Madden's graphical edge over NFL 2K1 is much smaller than I expected it 
to be.  Madden is more detailed, while NFL 2K1 has better animations and 
body proportions.  I expect the graphical gap between these two series to 
grow in the future as EA taps into more of the PS2's power.

TV-Style Presentation
The Winner: NFL 2K1
   Having a TV-style presentation is a category that's related to graphics
but still separate, and it's an important category in making the game seem 
more realistic.  NFL 2K1 does a great job here, but it almost wins by 
default thanks to Madden's inane instant replays, close-ups that you would 
never see in a real game, and players that stare off into space with a blank
look in their eyes.

Injuries
The Winner: Madden PS2
   Why would I care about injuries in a football game, you ask?  Because 
they can make a game seem all the more realistic.  NFL 2K1 does a fairly 
good job in this area, but it eventually gets annoying to have every other 
injury be a "twisted knee."  Madden has a much larger variety of realistic 
injuries.

Sound
The Winner: NFL 2K1
   NFL 2K1's sound is fantastic in every way, while Madden has Genesis-level
sound effects.  Also, while the transition to the PS2 has done wonders for
the commentary by Pat Summerall and John Madden, there is still a lot of 
room for improvement.  In a nutshell, NFL 2K1's commentators seem like real 
people while Madden's sound like video game commentators.  To EA's credit, 
this may have something to do with the fact that Pat Summerall has sounded 
like a robot for the past several years in real life.

Playbooks
The Winner: Madden PS2
   NFL 2K1's playbooks are organized much more nicely than Madden's, but 
that doesn't change the fact that they're also much smaller.  Bigger 
playbooks invariably lead to more variety and depth, and Madden's playbooks 
are bigger than NFL 2K1's by a long shot.  NFL 2K1's playbooks eventually 
lead you to rely on a small group of plays to get the job done, while 
Madden's are so huge that this never becomes an issue.

Number of Categories Won
Madden PS2: 6
NFL 2K1:    5

   The real winner in this no-holds-barred gridiron war is the game-buying 
public, which has two new, must-have football games to play for the first 
time in many years.  Both Madden PS2 and NFL 2K1 are excellent games in 
their own unique ways.  Which game you enjoy more comes down to a matter of 
personal preference more than obvious differences in quality.  Personally, 
I enjoy Madden PS2 more than NFL 2K1, but just barely.

Send your thoughts on this feature to ivan@mastergamer.com

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