The Ten Most Influential Console Sports Games of All Time #3 |
|
|
|
|
Written by Scott Hemphill
|
|
Sunday, 02 March 2008 |
|
# 3 Madden NFL 2001
2000
EA
PS2 
Several hyphenated words come to mind when we think back to Madden 2001 on PS2. The first of which is “awe inspiring”. The second is “system-seller”.
When Madden made the jump from the PS1 to the PS2, the result was what many consider to be the biggest graphics jump between football generations. Though Madden 2001 was far from perfect, it was- for its time- a surprisingly complete package. Madden 2001 set the bar extremely high for both graphics and franchise mode for the 2000 calendar year. This was not a release of a rushed product just to make the PS2 launch list, this game was surprisingly refined for its time.
And the graphics were simply awe-inspiring. Gone were the days of the blurry, blocky 3D polygons from the PS1 era. Now we could see vibrant dazzle-twill on NFL uniforms, perfectly recreated helmets and accessories, and well articulated player movements. Combining those graphics with the surprisingly full features set, and what you have is probably the single-biggest system launch title of all time. The jump that Madden 2001 gave the PS2 was insurmountable. The PS2 systems and the game flew off of shelves at an unprecedented rate.
Madden 2001, its graphics, and its feature set not only influenced what would become “expected core features” of future football games, but it also influenced an entire generation of PS2 dominance with the sales it helped create for both EA’s sports games and Sony’s system.
|
|
Last Updated ( Sunday, 02 March 2008 )
|
53.jpg)