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In recent years, competition between football titles has seen a lot of debate in the genre of sports videogaming for the console. Madden has been challenged over the years by the likes of Tecmo Superbowl and NFL Quarterback Club. However, on the Playstation, the Madden series has faced its most fierce competition from the Gameday series. The original Gameday is the reason I bought a Playstation. It offered unprecedented arcade-style play with great stat tracking and realistic gameplay. Up until last year, when Madden 99 was released, the Madden series was less than spectacular. It had a below average AI and sluggish gameplay, while Gameday was sporting fast, fun arcade play, with a respectable AI (for its time). Unfortunately, Gameday 99 was an absolute disaster in terms of AI. It also had numerous money plays and horrible glitches in audio and execution. Madden 99, on the other hand, was introducing gamers to a franchise mode, improved tackling animations, and good AI. This year, the gap between Madden and Gameday has further widened.

Madden NFL 99 had a respectable AI and an engaging franchise mode that added great replay value. The two main problems with the game were: the CPU rushing attack was anemic at best, and there were too many ways to beat the game by passing to the flats. A few issues such as CPU playcalling with under two minutes to go in the game, player physics near the sideline, and the ease of running the ball for huge gains also needed to be addressed in Madden NFL 2000.

Madden NFL 2000 not only fixes many of the problems of Madden 99, but offers a large helping of new features. Casual fans of football may pop Madden 2000 into their Playstation and think that it looks basically like last year's release. They would not be entirely wrong-Madden 2000 certainly has a similar look and feel of its predecessor. However, upon a more careful examination, die-hard fans of the series will be appreciative of the many enhancements the developers included in this version of Madden.

The modes of play in Madden NFL 2000 are: exhibition, season, franchise, tournament, practice, and situation play. The main difference between the season mode and franchise mode, aside from the obvious element of multiple seasons in franchise mode, is that James Brown, Madden, and Summerall give a weekly full motion video preview/introduction before the start of each week's games. There is an optional "arcade" style of play available for all the modes except franchise and situation. There are four skill levels: rookie, pro, all-pro, and all-Madden. Just as in Madden 99, there are options galore. Gameplay can be customized in terms of quarter length, penalty levels, clock speed, etc. There is a tutorial that can be turned off. It gives pop-up info and tips to the user before some plays. For people that like accolades, there are a bunch of awards-offensive/defensive rookie of the year, offensive/defensive player of the year, player of the year, and players of the week. Additionally, there are awards in all the categories for each team, each conference, and each division. The frontrunner in every one of these categories is displayed each week of the season. This is truly a great feature!

Something new to Madden 2000, that Gameday has been consistently offering, is the ability to customize the AI. This is an awesome feature. The CPU coaching can be set to normal, conservative, or aggressive in terms of both defense and offense. The run/pass ratio can also be customized. The following elements can be adjusted on offense: QB accuracy, pass blocking, WR catching ability, RB ability, and run blocking. On defense, the elements open to customization are: awareness, pass knockdowns, interceptions, break block, and defensive tackling. The offensive and defensive settings apply to both CPU-controlled and user-controlled teams. I would like to have seen the ability to make adjustments for just one side. For example, I can run all over the place on the CPU, but the CPU has trouble running against my defense. It would be good if I could give just the CPU better running ability and blocking. I tinkered with the settings quite a bit to see if they make a difference, and found that they do indeed. There were far too many interceptions being thrown by the CPU, so I went in and knocked it down a couple notches. Problem fixed!

For reference, I played out 3 seasons and simmed eight seasons in Franchise Mode. The first season, I played as the Browns at the Pro Level. The second season, I played as the Titans at the All-Pro Level. The third season, I played as the Saints at the All-Madden Level. Six-minute quarters seem to yield the most accurate stats. I am currently playing in multi-player franchise mode at the All-Madden Level with a buddy. I am playing with the Colts and he is playing with the Bengals. Too much fun!

Although I had a relatively easy time running the ball in Madden 99, I know that many people found it to be an exercise in frustration. I am happy to tell these people that running the ball in Madden NFL 2000 is more forgiving. Holes open up much quicker and the CPU defense is less aggressive in attacking the ball. Also, there is a new way of shedding tacklers. By tapping a corresponding button while a tackler wraps up the ball carrier, it is now possible to throw off the tackler. Jukes can be performed with the L1 and L2 buttons this year. While juking is still a good move to put on defender, it is not as exaggerated as last year. I averaged about 11 yards per carry with Kirby (Browns) at the Pro level. My average yards per carry went down to eight with Eddie George at the All-Pro level. Using Ricky Williams at the All-Madden level, my avg. yds. per carry went down to just under six. It "seemed" like I was getting some easy rushes, but my averages were well under those of Madden 99 due to the lack of long runs of 70 or 80 yards. I am fairly pleased with the adjustments in Madden 2000 in the rushing department.

Interestingly, the CPU passing defense has tightened up on many of the patterns. I am lucky to have a 60% completion percentage each game at the All-Madden level in Madden 2000. That percentage was closer to 80% in Madden 99. First off, there seem to be too many interceptions at the default settings. The adjustable AI made this a non-issue. The defensive backs play realistically and the wide receivers are able to achieve separation at times. One problem is that after a throw, sometimes too many defensive players are able to put on the afterburners and get to the intended receiver. You will rarely see six defensive players around a TE at the finish of a deep post route in an actual NFL game. Unfortunately, it is possible in Madden NFL 2000. There are still a few issues, such as the aforementioned one, in Madden 2000. All in all, though, the passing game is realistic and requires the reading of defenses to gain success.

On the defensive side of the ball, it is a little tougher to stop the CPU's rushing attack. The CPU will not only run the ball more in Madden 2000, but more effectively. The effectiveness of the CPU rushing attack varies greatly. In some games, the CPU will rush for 180 yards, while in others it will be lucky to gain 20 yards. The better backs will put some nasty moves on the human-controlled players from time to time, as well as just bowl their way over defensive players. The CPU passing attack is also improved. I had to quickly learn to audible on defense. The CPU does not hesitate to audible into a set that will exploit a weakness in the defensive set. I noticed that the AI becomes better as the season progresses. CPU-controlled teams will learn user tendencies and take full advantage. Overall, the playcalling of the CPU is intelligent, but not without fault. There are too many fake field goal attempts from the red zone. This can be fixed by adjusting the CPU playcalling AI to "conservative." I also noticed a few mistakes in clock management, but it is better than in the past. At times, the CPU team will let the playclock run down to 15 seconds when down late in the fourth quarter, then call a timeout.

The overall difficulty of the game has changed from Madden 99. It seems as though the All-Pro skill level of Madden 2000 plays more like the Pro level in Madden 99. In speaking with one of the producers of the game earlier this year, he mentioned that the game difficulty would be eased a little. The All-Madden skill level has not been watered down much, if any. It is giving me a fair challenge. The game scores vary greatly at this level. A 14-10 game will be followed by a 35-28 game. EA has done a nice job of creating a skill level for a wide range of gamer abilities.

The longevity rating of Madden NFL 2000 is high due to its greatest feature - franchise mode. The franchise mode operates very much like the one in Madden NFL 99. Several new features have been added. First, agent feedback has been included. When the gamer is trying to sign or re-sign a player, the player's agent makes remarks based on the specifics of the contract. For example, I tried to sign Neil O'Donnell to a 2-year/$1.2 million contract. The agent replied, "Cash is a four-letter word. Don't play me. I know what my client is worth." This aspect lends personality to the nuts and bolts of contract negotiation. Second, up to eight players can now compete in franchise mode. This feature is awesome! Gamers can now play in franchise mode, head-to-head. The franchise will last up to 32 seasons. Third, the whole process of viewing depth charts, substitutions, the roster breakdown, and the like is easier in Madden NFL 2000. Fourth, there is now the possibility of including future draft picks in trades. The gamer can offer up to three players/draft picks in a trade. Three-for-one, two-for-two offers, etc. are possible. Finally, career stats are kept, in addition to season stats. Experienced NFL players start out with their actual NFL career stats, and then stats in Madden 2000 are added accordingly. New players, of course, start out with a blank slate. Speaking of which, players from NCAA 2000 can be drafted into Madden 2000, just as in Madden 99.

Once each season is complete, it is time to play general manager. The first thing that occurs is the display of player progression. Each player has a screen that shows improvement, decline, or no change in each category. Then, the user is informed of any players that retired. Individual stats are shown to inform the user as to which players they may want to keep or release. Next, players may be re-signed or traded. Now we get to the good part-the NFL Draft. While it is only a four-round draft, it is fun. An NFL draft preview allows for the viewing of players in the upcoming draft. Then the actual draft occurs. So you have sighted that superstar running back, but now you must sign him. Some of the higher-rated rookies have tough agents that think their client is all-world and demand some serious dough. At this time the user may also opt to create a player and place him on a team or drop him into the pool of free agents. The final element of the off season is to sign free agents. There is a 45-day competition to propose deals to players and try to convince them to play for your team. Whew! That is a quick run-down of off-season happenings. The developers have managed to make this process simple to use, yet deep enough to satisfy that control-freak in all of us.

The franchise mode in Madden 2000 is not without its problems. You can release already signed players and open up that money for your salary cap. For instance, after signing a player to a multi-year deal, you can simply release him and regain that money. There should be a penalty for signing a player and then releasing him before his contract expires. I would also like to see an option to limit the length of the contract for multi-player franchise careers. It is too easy for a gamer to offer a lengthy contract to a player and save a lot of money. Since many multi-player franchises will not extend more than a few seasons, it would be good if contract lengths could be limited, thereby making it tougher to sign players. Finally, it is too darn easy to re-negotiate with players. A stud player can be re-signed at any time for a pretty reasonable price. If I have a player performing well, all I have to do is re-negotiate the contract and offer a long-term deal for very little money over what he is currently making. This is totally unrealistic. It would be nice to see Peerless Price have a break-through season and demand a huge contract before he could be re-signed so easily at a low cost.

Overall, despite its few problems, the franchise mode Madden 2000 is highly enjoyable. There are so many features and "little things" in this mode that it cannot be fully appreciated until seen. For a game with arcade-based gameplay, Madden 2000 deserves high praise for the franchise mode.

Another new feature to the Madden series is the "Madden Situation Creator." Gamers can create any game situation and then try to lead their team to victory against the pre-selected odds. Also, there are pre-made situations, complete with detailed descriptions of each situation. I did not think I would go gaga over this feature, but after tinkering with it, I kind of enjoyed conquering the "do-or-die" situations.

For those people who like to play with teams of the past, Madden 2000 has an abundance of great teams from the past (throwback uniforms are "in the game"). There are also quite a few codes in the game. These codes are gained through a new feature called "Madden Challenge." Players are awarded a certain number of Madden points after completing certain tasks. The tasks range from "beating Green Bay in the snow" to "having a running back gain 150 yards in a game." Also, correctly selecting the answer to the trivia challenge will gain points. Different point amounts are given based on the difficulty level of the game. A cool window will pop up during the game letting the gamer know when a feat has been accomplished. At the end of the game, if enough points have been gained, the new codes will be announced. The points are cumulative, and there is a screen that can be viewed that shows all the unlocked codes. Just be sure to save/load your user profile and make sure Madden Challenge is set to "on."

Madden NFL 2000 supports the multi-tap, analog control, and the vibration function. The controller schemes are adjustable. The same basic moves of Madden 99 are found in Madden 2000. Players can hurdle, juke, spin, hurdle, pump fake, stiff arm, etc. There are several new moves this year. First, by rapidly pressing certain buttons, the ball carrier can occasionally break wrap tackles. This maneuver is most effective when a player such as Bettis or Biakabatuka is carrying the ball. Second, there is now something called "route-based passing." By holding L2 and pressing the receiver button, the pass will lead the receiver. Third, "hot routes" have been introduced to Madden football. A hot route is an audible called for a specific player, instead of the whole team. The triangle button is used to audible into a hot route, and then the user can inform that particular player which route to run. Pretty cool stuff!

The actual on-field control is fairly responsive. Players react to user input instantaneously most of the time. There are instances in which defensive backs seem to react on a delayed basis, or do not react at all. I presume that this occurrence is to cut down on tipped passes by the user. However, this is not a glaring problem and only occurs on occasion. Everything else works great. It is fun to guide a halfback up the middle and juke the safety for a breakaway run, or throw a spin on the would-be-tackler during a punt return.

While the player physics of Madden 2000 are sound, there are still a couple issues in terms of the physics model. While the physics can be adjusted, there is still the annoying occurrence of players running out of bounds too frequently on screen passes and passes to receivers performing out patterns. When a player in one of these routes goes to the near side, they are many times too close to the sideline to stop their momentum. It is irritating to see the CPU complete a screen pass to the halfback with 15 yards of daylight ahead, only to see him run straight out of bounds for a five-yard loss. This also occurs with user control. Something that cuts down on this occurrence, but does not eliminate it, is to avoid hitting any buttons except the d-pad upon reception of the ball. Other than this, the physics are good. There is no sliding ten yards on a tackle, or the ball rolling twenty-five yards on a punt.

The player graphics in Madden 2000 are very good. The players are scaled to their real-life counterparts. It really hurts to see my diminutive 5'10" kick returner get blind-sided by a hulking 290 pound lineman. Every time one of the little guys gets crushed I look around for an injury screen because I just know that kind of punishment has to result in an injury. The uniforms are accurately rendered, with nice large numbers on the players' backs. The animations in Madden 2000 are stunning at times. First, the tackling animations are the most realistic in a console football game, period. The developers have added even more tackle animations to complement the basic tackles from Madden 99. It is pure eye-candied goodness to watch a running back twist and turn for that extra yard while a wrap tackle is being applied. Heck, even a helmet flies off every now and then! Second, the celebrations after good plays, notable bad plays, and touchdowns are cool. It is a nice addition to have the kicker hang his head after a missed field goal, or the linebacker crush the quarterback and jump up and signal that a first down has not been made. On an even more detailed level, individual stars of the NFL have their signature celebrations, such as Anderson's "Dirty Bird," represented in Madden 2000. Even the "Chicken Dance" is included, although it is not limited to Merton Hanks. I was amused to watch one of my defensive linesmen attempt this dance after taking a fumble in for a touchdown. The framerate is very good and the gameplay is smooth as silk.

The stadium graphics are top rate for a Playstation title. It is not hard to tell which stadium you are in based on the stadium graphics. The lighting in the stands looks phenomenal at night. The crowd looks decent, but then again, when has a crowd of 60,000+ looked all that great in a Playstation football game? The sidelines are adorned with coaches, players, cheerleaders, officials, and TV personnel. For those who have played NCAA 2000, the people on the sidelines in Madden 2000 look quite a bit better than in NCAA 2000. If you have seen the cheerleaders and sideline players in NCAA 2000, you will know what I am talking about. There are also stadium-specific signs around the stadiums, such as "Cheeseheads Unite" in Lambeau Field. After key plays, there is occasionally a cut scene in which the camera shows the players on the sidelines celebrating, cheering, or even trying to tell the ref that holding is taking place. A minor addition is the yellow line that now appears at the point needed to reach a first down. I do not know if anyone remembers Jimmy Johnson football for the PSX, but it was the first PSX football game to implement a first down line of this type.

The camera views are very good. In fact, the best in a Madden game to date. In addition to the many functional camera angles, there is a user cam in which further adjustments to the camera view can be made. The default cam (Madden) is fine with me, but some users may opt for the classic Madden cam, which gives a more distant view of the field.

The menu screens have been spiced up a great deal in Madden NFL 2000. Menu screens in previous versions of Madden have been functional, but not attractive. The fonts are easy to read and the navigation system is simple to use. The statistic screens and team management screens display a lot of information to cut down on making the user cycle through a bunch of categories and players. EA has a real knack for providing a user-friendly interface in their sports games.

Finally, the FMV introduction to Madden NFL 2000 is nice. Backed by some grooving hip-hop beats, cutouts of NFL footage are shown to backdrops of various things such as play formations and special effects. I rarely watch FMV intros more than once (NHL 98 being an exception), but I seem to watch this one every time I boot up the game.

A big complaint about Madden NFL 99 was that Summerall and Madden were lifeless. Things have definitely changed in Madden NFL 2000. Pat Summerall is much more loquacious. In fact, he starts talking at the beginning of the play, announces the action during the play, and then comments on the result of the play. John Madden will break in every couple plays and bless us with a tidbit about a specific player or the play in general. Both announcers do a fine job and do not get annoying. Through over 40 games, I have only encountered a couple miscalled plays by the announcers.

The on-field sounds are right on target. From the barking of signals by the quarterback to the nasty hits put on the ball carriers, the audio definitely has an in-your-face sound. I am not a big fan of taunting in sports games other than in titles such as Blitz. I guess I just regard it as bad sportsmanship. However, the taunts in Madden NFL 99 really work. The player taunts are accompanied by an animation. Many of the taunts sound like they could have easily come from an NFL Films production. Some of the taunts are just downright funny. They lend a sense of actually being on the field after a big play.

The intro music must be mentioned. Ludacris performs a hip-hop song written specifically for Madden 2000. The only word I can find to describe the song and its beats is "smooth." The various songs that play during the menu screens are performed by Bughead. These tunes are edgy guitar material, mixed in with a little ska for good measure. It gives the game an upbeat feel while browsing through the various menu screens.

Gameplay and AI are the main elements I weigh when giving an overall score to a sports game. Madden NFL 2000 features the deepest gameplay of any console football game to date. The framerate is smooth, the player physics are believable, and the control is solid. The AI of Madden 2000 is much more advanced than its competition, yet still could use improvement (name a sports game that is perfect). While the frequent big gainers that plagued Madden 99 have been reduced, there are still some issues in the AI such as playcalling and clock management. All this being said, Madden NFL 2000 is a killer football game that is the result of a lot of dedicated folks at EA listening to the suggestions of avid football fans. Let's just hope that EA decides to develop a version of Madden for the Dreamcast next year.