Madden 2000

Madden 2000

PSX

“What you want?

The ROCK in the PALM of my HAND

What you got?

I got JOHN MAAA-DEN!”

                - Ludacris in opening theme

Click HERE for screenshots.

Madden 2000 opens with a bang, featuring the first ever John Madden rap, written and performed by Ludacris.  While I would have preferred seeing Madden perform the rap himself, the song is set to action packed NFL clips and gets me fired up and ready to play every time.

After this intro video, one IMMEDIATELY notices how much smoother the menu interface is than it was in Madden ‘99.  The PSX seems less overwhelmed by the game menus than it was in ’99- responsive controls, much faster load times between screens. 

In getting into the game itself, my first reaction upon seeing the players run onto the field for the coin toss was to burst out laughing.  The player models look ridiculous!  The best description I have is “fidgety umpaa-lumpaa bubble men” – the players all look squat and fat and can’t seem to stop moving around, even when they are standing still.  The player models did remind me a bit of the popular football arcade game from the era, Midway’s NFL BLITZ, but the players look less muscular and more tubby.  Wide receivers look like lineman and lineman look like sumo-wrestlers.  This said, they run smoothly and the frame rate is excellent, resulting in faster, better game play than ’99. 

The presentation of the game is MUCH improved over ’99 as well.  Player names and numbers are much easier to read and to understand.  For the first time, a yellow line has been included for on-the-field action to indicate the first down marker. 

Getting right into the Patriots in the playoffs, my wildcard matchup was against the evil New York Jets, who had recently stolen from the Patriots hall of fame coach Bill Parcells, hall of fame running back Curtis Martin, and a variety of others.  Once again, there is a little pre-game show featuring James Brown and then on the field “analysis” with Pat Summerall and John Madden.  While these “shows” are still pretty silly (“you have to play hard, play tough, and put points on the board to win today”), the in-game commentary from Madden and Summerall does seem to be improved and more spirited than in previous years. 

As soon as gameplay was underway, I was struck by how much faster the game was.  All the players fly down the field in a way that is vaguely reminiscent of Madden ’96 on the Genesis.  Definitely more in the vein of arcade action than “simulation”, but not AS dumbed down as BLITZ.  The controls are extremely responsive – again, a HUGE improvement over ’99 – which actually make the game FUN.

My game against the Jets was in New York and as the game kicked off, I was greeted with the signature crowd chant : “J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!”  A nice touch.  The game was a defensive struggle, with the Pats clinging to a 3-0 lead at the half.  Midway through the fourth quarter, with the same score, Bill Parcells rolled the dice by faking a punt on 4^th and long.  The gamble worked and the Jets ended up scoring later on the drive.  Down 7-3 with less than two minutes to go, I managed to put together a 12 play, 62 yard TD drive to win the game 10-7.  An exciting nail biter that ended in a Patriot victory- as it should be. 

Going into the Divisional round at Denver, I took note of the funny ska music that played on some of the menus.  From Ludacris to SKA, Madden 2000 sure knows how to kick it.  This game was set in the snow, but still managed to run well and look pretty good.  After the Broncos got on the board first with a first quarter field goal, two late TD strikes by Bledsoe put me up 14-3 at the half.  I opened the second half with a 5 minute, grinding TD drive.  This effectively put the game out of reach for the Broncos, who managed just one more score (and a failed 2-pt conversion), in a fun 28-9 thumping. 

The AFC Championship game was at Miami against Dan Marino’s Dolphins.  The pre-game show was noteworthy as Brown, Madden, and Summerall all described the game repeatedly as a “slugfest”.  Brown: “This game is sure to be a slugfest.”  Madden: “I think we are looking at a real slugfest today.” Summerall: “How will the players cope with a slugfest like this?”  Madden: “That’s the thing with a slugfest, you have to slug it out!”

Well, the “slugfest” ended up being one sided- I was up 21-7 at the half and cruising to victory into the 4^th quarter when the game FROZE on me.  My reboot and replay of the game played out completely differently.  I managed only a 3-0 lead at the half, which I stretched to 10-0 going into the fourth quarter.  The Dolphins then put together an impressive 15 play drive that took them 79 yards to my 1 yard line.  Somehow I was able to keep them out on four attempts from the 1 and preserve my 10-0 win.  A completely different experience than the game that froze, but a win is a win. 

The Super Bowl featured the Pats vs. the Vikings.  I must admit that I was feeling under the weather when I played this game, and it actually impacted the way that I played the game.  I managed a first quarter TD on a pass from Bledsoe to backup running back Lamont Warren, but could barely move the ball after that.  I had a decent drive late in the first half that got me to the goal line, but Bledsoe fumbled on a QB sneak, killing the drive. 

The Vikings’ offense, led by Randall Cunningham, could not do much better.  They managed an opening drive fieldgoal attempt (wide right), and were effectively shut down the rest of the game.  Randy Moss had a terrible game- 1 catch for 10 yards – and that was it.  7-0 at halftime, and a 7-0 final.  This lame score felt pretty anticlimactic after playing through a very good game in Madden 2000.  To me, it drove home the idea that focus mattered in the game.  I was not feeling well, I was not paying as much attention as I would normally to the game, and my gameplay suffered.  

On the whole, Madden 2000 is one of the best games in the series yet (’91-2000).  Madden ’96, 98, and 2000 are all the front runners so far.  While ’98 might have inferior graphics (2-d player models), it felt more real to me than 2000.  Madden 2000 is a lot of fun and features lots of fast action and great controls.  For great arcade football action that is smarter than NFL Blitz, Madden 2000 is the answer.  For a more realistic feel, Madden ’98 stays at the top.