Parents Video Game Reviews for Families- John Madden's NFL 2000

John Madden's NFL 2000

Overall: B+
Violence: B
Sexual Content: A-
Language: A
Drugs/Alcohol: A

Platform reviewed: Sony Playstation
Publisher: EA Sports
ESRB rating: E

The rap lyrics "...Madden 2-thou / puts your face in the cracks / and your pride in the dirt / so put on a skirt / if you come on the field / and don't wanna get hurt..." combined with a number of hard-hitting clips viewed during the introductory screens, will have you ripped and ready for action with John Madden's NFL 2000.

If you've ever been guilty of second-guessing players or coaches from the safety of your own couch, here's your chance to show how much better the game would be with you in it. NFL 2000 presents a number of game modes allowing you to practice, play an entire season, set up tournaments or just brush up on a particular situation. Choosing franchise mode will help those coaching aspirations become a reality, but you'd better hope your team does well, or you'll be down the road quicker than Deion can run the 40.

Is your running back in a slump? Has he got a problem hanging on to the ball? With full control of your roster, you can bench him, or make a trade. Perhaps you'd be happier creating a new player, or editing an existing one to make him bigger, or faster... hey, you're the coach!

Down in the trenches, you'll appreciate the realism this game has to offer. With Pat Summerall calling the play-by-play and John Madden adding context-specific color commentary, I was almost as entertained as though I were watching an actual game. During one play, my running back was hit hard, knocking his helmet off (any violence in the game is limited to what would be considered standard for football). While my son and I were commenting on the great hit, Madden added "His helmet flew off... that's the bad news. The good news is his head wasn't in it." On a 4th and 1 play, I was outguessed by my short-yardage savvy progeny, who stopped my player dead in his tracks. Summerall said it was close, but I begged to differ. As my opponent and I were arguing, out came the yard markers to measure... short! Aarggh! Big-play gestures and end-zone celebrations add to the authenticity, but attention to details such as nets behind the goalpost on field goal attempts is impressive.

With options to audible, or throw on the run, you have all the freedom necessary to make the game interesting. If the numerous plays built into this game aren't enough for you (we all have better ones, remember?), go ahead and add your own. When you feel you're at the peak of your game, try the Madden Challenge. In this mode you receive points for completing 100 pre-determined goals and correctly answering 200 trivia questions. These points allow access to secret codes, providing such benefits as harder-hitting, longer-kicking, faster running players.

For the player who doesn't know a two-minute warning from a stern lecture, NFL 2000 can be played on a basic level in a short time, and with the capability of having up to eight players involved, an atmosphere of strategy and teamwork can be developed. While my experience playing this game was enjoyable, the time required to master numerous game situations and controller functions was a big concern for me. It would be tempting to take as long playing this game as Tom Landry spent coaching the Dallas Cowboys.

Jim Fleming