Play Madden NFL 2002 Online

Summary

Madden 2002 landed on both PlayStation and Nintendo 64, and the N64 cartridge even slipped in a tweaked version of the classic John Madden Football 93 from the Sega Genesis era, complete with an updated roster. The cover sports former Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper, while Pat Summerall and John Madden call the action, and the first commercial aired during Super Bowl XXXVI just three days after the game hit shelves in Japan.

Budcat Creations took the helm for the first time, delivering modes like Play Now, Season, Franchise, Tournament, plus Create‑a‑Player and Create‑a‑Team, and the Madden Card system for extra flair. Team ratings are a mixed bag: the Baltimore Ravens sit atop the overall chart at 99, the Houston Texans crawl at 39, the St. Louis Rams boast the best offense (96) and the Ravens again lead on defense (96). Seven teams share the top special‑teams score of 99, including the Vikings and the Titans.

Critics were split; GamePro’s Uncle Dust warned that the N64 version offered nothing new enough to justify the purchase, while GameSpot named it a runner‑up for best Xbox, N64, and traditional sports console game of the year. Notably, Tom Brady is missing from the roster, only appearing later via updates.