They say beauty comes with age. With that being said, Madden NFL 2002 looks as good as it ever has. Following their debut season on the PS2 last year, people were amazed with the life-like graphics EA had created, whether it be facial features, body types and sizes, or stadium crowds. For the sophomore season, the 'little things' have been cleaned up. More player motions were added for tackling and catching. Also, the facial features have more 'life' to them. The main difference from last year is that the players are blinking more, along with more personalized faces for your favorite superstars. But that doesn't just apply for the players, it goes for the coaches as well, who aren't afraid to throw their clipboards down if something goes wrong. The other fun little feature that has been added is the 16:9 instant replay. If someone makes an interception or lowers the boom into the receiver going across the middle, a replay similar to a widescreen motion picture replays the down, much like something made out of Hollywood.

Besides the obvious, what makes a great football game comes down to what the scenery looks like. Needless to say, count on seeing a torn up field, cheerleaders on the sidelines, and crowds going nuts in the stands of picture-perfect stadiums.

Much like a year ago, the sounds of the game make you believe you're actually out on the field. The bone-crushing tackles, the grunts, the loud stadium noise... all are mastered beautifully in Madden 2002. Sadly, what also is mastered is the commentary of John Madden and Pat Summerall. Don't get me wrong, if you like sitting through a Sunday afternoon game listening to those two, you'll feel right at home. But if you're like me, you go straight for the options setting and turn off the commentary.

Last year's amazing recreation of the gridiron caught the attention of football fans everywhere, thanks to impressive gameplay on AND off the field. However, Madden 2002 will be making even more gamers believers because everything is a year better. Like any pro athlete, the PS2 version is one year better than last. The running game is much more sound, with an improved blocking scheme, but be aware that defenses will be wiser as well. The sophomore passing attack is geared more towards timing and running correct routes. During the offseason, be prepared for greedier free agents who won't want to stick around forever; sound like real life?

Since we're getting into the real life scenario, let's talk game modes and options. Obviously, Exhibition, Season and Franchise are returning. However, there are some new modes added to the PS2 copy that have been on the Madden series in the past. For instance, Situation, Two-Minute Drill, and Training Mode, which I'll explain later on in Difficulty. If you've ever wanted to go back in football's past to change the outcome of any game, Situation is for you. You can select the teams, the score, and the time left in the game. Then it's all up to you. The Two-Minute Drill is much like a training process for when it's late in the game. You have two minutes to score as many points as possible, giving you practice for the real thing later on, along with some points you can use to buy Madden Cards. Those are little extras to game, which you purchase for extra cheats, locked players and fantasy teams, and greats of the past. The other ALL NEW mode is the Create-a-Team. If you feel like moving the Rams back to L.A. or the Vikings to San Antonio, Madden 2K2 lets you do just that. Select any NFL team, then change the name, city, mascot and logo, and the uniforms... anything you want.

You can use your created team in Exhibition, Season and Franchise. For those of you that don't know, Exhibition is just one game, while Season lets you try to take a team to the Super Bowl for one year. The Franchise mode is the moneymaker, though. After your first season at the helm, head to the front office where you'll deal with those who are retiring (health or age), those who want to get PAID, and those who are looking to make it in the NFL. EA made this game so real, you can actually draft kids coming out of their college version (which you'll need to own) NCAA Football 2002 (consult the college manual on how to export the draft class). Also, after year one, you have to select five scrub players, whether they be really bad or really overpaid, to head to the expansion draft of the Houston Texans. By the way, the league will realign itself once the Texans enter the league. You're also offered to coach the Texans if you'd like. Writer's note: the Texans have very generic uniforms since they haven't been designed as of yet.

There was a couple things I was hoping would have been different. For one, I was looking for a Preseason for the Franchise mode, especially since it was on a successful rival game last year, NFL 2K1 for Sega Dreamcast. The other was a better explanation of the Player Progressions, and have their improvements be based more on the past season. Nonetheless, the noticeable difference between this year's Franchise and last are the injuries take longer, players are greedier, and it's a lot tougher to build a dynasty.

When I booted up Madden 2K2 for the first time, I was expecting the difficulty would be the same from a year ago. I quickly found out the hard way that wasn't the case. First off, the levels of Rookie, Veteran, All-Pro and All-Madden are tougher from years past, thanks to a smarter AI on both offense and defense. The computer will remember even more of your tendencies on both sides of the ball, which means you need to learn ALL of your playbook to be successful in the final two minutes. If you still can't figure out your offensive scheme, you can go through the Training Mode, where Madden himself walks you through each and every play, allowing you to learn the system and to earn some tokens towards Madden Cards.

The controller handling for Madden 2K2 is much like last year: easy. The configuration compliments your hands perfectly so you have total control of what's happening on the field. My main concern was with all of the impressive graphics and sound cards, the loading time would be the downfall of what has been a great game. Not the case, as little time is used to run 2K2. The other plus is that the memory card isn't completely used up after saving your franchise. All in all, I have no complaints in this department.

The funny thing is, when my roommate says he wants to watch some football, that means he wants to watch ME play Madden 2002 because it's so real. If you couldn't already tell, this is probably your leading vote getter for 'Football Game of the Year.'