MADDEN NFL 2001 (NINTENDO 64 N64)

Madden NFL 2001 is another annual update to the long-running football series. The version for PlayStation and Nintendo 64 comes with its own selection of teams, modes, and options, refined from the previous year's iteration. Compared to the other versions, it has the highest number of modes, but less graphical fidelity and a lower number of selectable teams.

Players can choose from all 31 teams from the 2000 NFL season and the 1999 All-Madden team on both consoles. The PlayStation version adds 31 all-time franchise teams and 101 classic NFL teams, from 1960 to 1999. Available modes include exhibition games, season, franchise, custom league (four to eight players) , the tournament (for 4, 8 or 16 players in single or double elimination), training and situation (create any possible game situation to play). A new addition is called Two-Minute Drill: up to ten players compete for points by trying to make spectacular plays within two minutes. Exclusive to the PlayStation version, the Great Games mode allows players to relive classic games from NFL history. Grand Games must be staged in order, and winning one makes the teams involved available for selection in other modes. As usual, creating, drafting and exchanging players as well as creating custom games are also included in the game.

The previous year's Madden Challenge reappears in a new form called Madden Cards, resembling a trading card game. The game includes a list of 100 challenges organized into five different levels. These include making certain plays or combinations of plays, beating teams in certain conditions (e.g. at home and in the rain), avoiding fumbles, sacks and penalties, etc. Completing a challenge earns player tokens (the number depends on the difficulty level played) which can be spent to purchase a number of random Madden cards. There are a total of 296 cards in the game (different in rarity) which are collected from the in-game card book. Unwanted cards can be sold to get half of the paid tokens back. It is also possible to exchange cards with other player profiles and it is even possible to wager cards in two-player games. Cards have a number of different effects: most unlock regular players as well as hidden teams and stadiums. Others can be activated for different gameplay effects: making the game harder or easier or activating gags such as teleporting players or putting the camera inside the ball.