NFL 2K2

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The original NFL 2K was a huge hit when the Dreamcast launched, and NFL 2K1 introduced online play a full two seasons before Madden would add it. But NFL 2K2 was the Dreamcast’s pigskin pinnacle.

The 2K series had always been defined by fast-paced action, gameplay that was deep but still totally accessible, and graphics so realistic you mistook them for a TV broadcast of a real football game. That last one seems ridiculous now, but the other two bits, speed and accessibility, were critical in setting the game apart from Madden. Everything in 2K2 was quicker and more arcade-like, more concerned with “was it fun to juke that chump and dance into the end zone?” than “would a 227-pound man really be able to switch direction that quickly when running full-tilt, or should the controls be more sluggish to reflect real-world momentum?”

 

 

But there’s more. From a gamer-level perspective, the 2K series gave Dreamcast owners their pride back when haters taunted them. Dreamcast didn’t have Madden? Dreamcast didn’t need Madden. Its game was faster, hipper, and went online years earlier. Madden, by comparison, seemed old-fashioned.

What made it the best: Setting aside the whole Madden rivalry, NFL 2K2 played like a dream. In its day, it was arguably the apogee of video game football. It had a huge number of game modes, it had online play (Madden didn’t yet), it was a snap to pick up but tough to master, and the on-field play was top-notch. NFL 2K2 was the best version of the Dreamcast’s flagship series. It just plain rocked.

In fact, it rocked so hard that the series continued after the Dreamcast died. It even sold okay, right up until 2004, when Madden publisher Electronic Arts gave the NFL a brazillion dollars for the exclusive NFL license.

Best moment: The exact moment was different for every player, but they all happened because NFL 2K2 recreated the emotion of real football better than any previous game had. This felt like the NFL, from the roar of the crowd to the heartbreak of watching your opponent steal your victory by scoring a touchdown on the last play of the game.