• Madden NFL™ 2001 Official Site
• Madden Cards

For football fans, the long months from February to August are possibly the worst part of the year. Sure, you've got baseball, basketball and hockey to tide you over, but nothing quite matches the excitement and electricity of all-out, bone-jarring pro football action.

Fortunately for gridiron addicts, you can get the next-best thing to actually being on a real field in Madden NFL™ 2001. The most elaborate and accurate football game ever produced, Madden takes you onto the field, into the locker room, and inside the sport of pro football like no game ever has before. Madden takes full advantage of the next-generation capabilities of the PlayStation®2 to bring the full football experience to your fingertips.

Yes, it's all here -- from the crunching goal-line tackles, to the one-handed touchdown grabs, to blitzes and quarterback sneaks and off-tackle runs and long field goals, Madden gets you in the game. It's like nothing you've ever seen before in a video game: the reflections of the stadium lights on the players' helmets, the dirt in the facemasks, the seams of the football pants and the logo on the ball itself bring the game to life and make you feel like you're right there, in the stadium.

The Next Generation of Gaming

"The hardware power of the PS2 was a tremendous upgrade from the Playstation or anything before that," said Madden NFL 2001 producer Jeremy Strauser. "Having both processors and memory that exceed previous hardware capabilities really allowed us to break new ground that we could never possibly touch on the older systems."

The sky was the limit for Madden NFL 2001, and Strauser said that the design team jumped on just about every possibility imaginable: "Our artists and programmers are amazing. They are able to take the ideas of the design team and any little idea thrown out by anyone and make it a reality -- it is just a matter of how much time we have to devote to things. These kinds of details will be expanded upon going forward."

Back to the Future

Of course, Madden NFL 2001 has all of the features that hardcore gamers have come to know and love. Each team has a complete roster of players rated accurately to replicate their real-life abilities, and each team comes with its own accurate offensive playbook, so you can experience the wide-open passing of the Vikings or the controlled West Coast Offense employed by the 49ers.

Furthermore, you can play entire seasons and try to guide your team all the way to the Super Bowl™, or, if you want to go beyond that, head to the Franchise Mode, where you can play multiple seasons with one team and restock your squad every year through the draft and free agency. A practice field lets you draw up plays and, better yet, run them against a scout team, so you can figure out your strengths and weaknesses and dominate your opponent come game-time.

A Whole New Ballgame

Even experienced Madden gamers will be delighted at the new touches that the PlayStation®2 has to offer. Each stadium is modeled so you can get a real feel for home field advantage, and the outstanding graphical capabilities of the PlayStation 2 are used to bring the arena to life. Day or night, rain or shine, the stadiums are packed with rabid fans, and shadows creep across the field as the sun moves through the sky. On the sidelines, each team's real NFL coach offers encouragement and instruction as you progress towards the final whistle.

Of course, if the game is moving too quickly for you and you want to soak in the atmosphere, or if you want to review that diving catch you just made for a first down, the instant replay capabilities let you relive the previous play from any angle, wide or tight, from the top down to practically inside a player's helmet. From the tape on the shoes of the players to their eyes as they search for the block that will spring them clear, you can see it all.

Here's My Card

One feature new to Madden fans old and new is the Madden Cards, which add a new twist to the action. As you accomplish certain goals during gameplay (say, like gaining 100 yards rushing or scoring three touchdowns), you accumulate points that you can then exchange for a set of Madden Cards. With these cards, you can improve the ability of your players, or unlock some special secrets.

"There are lots of different types of cards," Strauser said. "We have current player cards, which boost those players' performance in the game. We've also got some hidden teams, stadiums and historical players, and also cheat cards that allow the breaking of rules both football-related (such as needing only 5 yards for a first down) and in the physical world (super speed, great catches, etc.)."

The Best of the Best

Without question, the video game world has never seen anything like Madden NFL 2001. If you've ever wanted to take a snap, drop back, and gun a long pass to a receiver streaking downfield -- just before you get crushed by a defensive end -- then this game is for you. Combining the pad-smashing on-field action with the chess-match approach to play-calling and front office management, Madden NFL 2001 brings the world of NFL football home to you.

Sure, the real Super Bowl has come and gone, but that doesn't mean you still can't strap on the helmet and play some smashmouth ball. With Madden NFL 2001, it's football season all year long!