After playing Madden 2001, I am in agreement with Ben on almost all of his points. Naturally, the Nintendo 64 Madden leads in graphics, but its high-res graphics are simply too choppy to go unnoticed. The PlayStation version on the other hand, lacks any sort of graphical punch at all, but plays more smoothly. Both come up short in the sound department in my opinion, because aside from the repetitive commentary, the background noises and ambient sounds are absent. The AI is just ridiculous in both games. As Ben said, the pacing is different in each game, but that really doesn't matter since the defense will always be that much faster than you resulting in quick sacs or deflections.
I do disagree with Ben on his opinion of the Nintendo 64 version. While it lags in the gameplay department, it's only its smaller catalogue of features that differentiates the two games. That said, Madden 2001 fails to be pinnacle of football gaming on either console. They both repeat the same mistakes made with every release, and considering this could be the last release we'll see on these consoles—especially on the Nintendo 64—it's a shame they couldn't go out on a high note. If you only own a PlayStation or Nintendo 64 and are dying to take your favorite football team to the Super Bowl (and beyond), then picking up Madden 2001 is not an abhorrently bad idea. Be warned, if you're a PlayStation- or Nintendo 64-owning Buffalo Bills fan, you can still take your team to the Super Bowl, but they still choke and wind up going home empty-handed.
- Published October 13, 2000
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