EA Sports is bringing their flagship title to GameCube this fall and should be available at the November 5th launch date. The playable version being shown at E3 is about 50% complete and looks every bit as good as its Xbox and PS2 counterparts. Considering that the game originated on the PS2 and that the Xbox is supposedly a more powerful system (we believe you Microsoft), the GameCube version holds up very nicely.

Madden 2002 for GameCube will not be a port of an older existing version. The game is being simulatneously developed for all 3 major platforms and each version should be tailored to the strengths of their particular system. Given the GameCube's particularly strong lighting and texturing abilities, look for Madden to shine in these areas.

One disappointing piece of news is that GBA connectivity probably won't make it into the game. EA plans on using the feature to follow the much cited example of choosing a play on the privacy of the GBA screen, but they're more concerned about finishing a nice polished product in time for launch and may not have the time to work this nice extra into the game. Regardless, it's great that Madden 2002 should make it to the November 5th launch, as the franchise has become enormous and will keep the PS2 and Xbox from having a potential system seller exclusive to their systems.