Madden NFL 2001 includes several customizable modes. Players have the ability to create a play, create a player, run a franchise, and collect Madden Cards, allowing players to perform certain actions during gameplay. The cards can also alter individual player ratings, unlock special stadiums, and unlock Hall of Fame and All-Madden teams. Only the PC and PlayStation Version allowed the player to create a team via the rosters menu and the PlayStation 2 version have Madden Cards. The best teams in the game overall were the Jacksonville Jaguars and the St. Louis Rams with a score of 95. The worst team in the game overall was the San Diego Chargers with the score of 70. The best offense in the game belongs to the St. Louis Rams with the score of 95. A 3-way tie for the best defense in the game belongs to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars with scores of 95. The best special teams in the game belong to the Denver Broncos with the score of 95. The game also contains 35 Great Games that unlocks the additional teams and stadiums on PC, N64, and PS.
Teams and stadiums
Madden NFL 2001 comes with over 60 teams and over 40 stadiums. Most of the teams and stadiums are fictional like the Mummies and the Marshalls. Each fictional team has its unique type of player . Fictional Stadiums are like Hot Stove Stadium for example.
Reception
The game was met with universal acclaim to a mixed reception. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 90.78% and 91 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version; 88.65% and 90 out of 100 for the PlayStation version; 84.82% and 89 out of 100 for the Nintendo 64 version; 79.36% and 78 out of 100 for the PC version; and 62% for the Game Boy Color version. Official UK PlayStation Magazine gave the PlayStation version a score of nine out of ten and the Starplayer Award and said that it "expertly mixes arcade action with sim-deep stats and playbooks". In Japan, Famitsu gave the PS2 version a score of 35 out of 40. Rob Smolka reviewed the PlayStation 2 version of the game for Next Generation, rating it five stars out of five, and stated that "If you were looking for a reason to buy a PlayStation 2, this is it – superb gameplay, even better graphics, and enough substance to make you forget about all those other, weak launch titles."