NFL Quarterback Club 2002 is just the latest version of a series that, to this date, still is the only game to have the exclusive QB Challenge. If you've never seen the actual event during the off-season on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, eight quarterbacks will compete through four events to try and win up to 125,000 dollars. The events range from Speed & Mobility, the Accuracy Event, Long Distance Throw, and Read & Recognition. It may take some time to get the feel for a couple of these events, but the gameplay will keep you coming back for more. Plus, you can take on seven of your buddies if you so desire, which can definitely lead to some serious bragging rights. By the way, if you happen to break some records along the way in these events, you'll unlock QB greats like Marino, Young, and Elway. The only bad thing I found with this mode was if I broke a record, it would not be saved over to the next game. Why not have something to shoot for later on?
Of course, no one is going to pay 50 bucks to play one game mode with four quick events. That is why QB Club 2K2 has all the other standard modes. You can go through the Practice mode, Exhibition, Simulation, Season, and Playoffs. The Practice mode lets you do just that, practice. The Exhibition and Simulation are similar, with only one game being played against a friend or the computer. The difference is that Simulation allows you to set up any scenario you want, from the yard you are on, to the time remaining on the clock. The Season mode lets you play from the Preseason through the Pro Bowl. Following the Pro Bowl, you can continue on to following seasons. This is the most unrealistic mode however, because there is no salary cap, so you can stockpile your team, and there is no drafting rookies or retiring veterans. The Playoffs mode lets you take a team through just the playoffs to the Super Bowl. You can also Create-a-Player, who can be used in both the game itself and the QB Challenge.
Gaming wise, I wasn't impressed with what was offered. An audible cannot be saved, so you must redo that every time you turn on the game. I found it a little difficult to run the ball, but passing seemed to be fairly easy to learn. However, the gameplay just does not match up to perennial favorites like the Madden series or Sega's NFL series. Truthfully, this series gets overlooked each year because of the lackluster gameplay.
