"It's
that time again folks. Football. Saturdays spent with
your nose on ESPN watching college ball, which is always
a good warm-up for Sunday’s pro games. EA is back with
yet another round of pigskin entertainment..."
Intro
There is one word that sums up the Electronic Arts
football series: franchise. I still have fond
memories of the original Madden series back on the Sega
Genesis. EA really does one thing usually flawless, and
that is producing some high-quality sports titles. I
mean every year they pump out a new Madden or NCAA
title, and yet somehow they actually manage to get
better...
I will admit that I'm more of an NFL fan rather than a
college ball watcher. Since I'm in the Maryland region,
my interest has sparked the last few years more than in
the past (yeah Terps!). Those who are gamers and
college fans, be prepared to experience one of the best
football titles ever to grace a console.
Netjak University
The most exciting feature about NCAA 2003 has to
be the plethora of new features. For the most part the
foundation of the game has changed little, and the basic
gameplay is still the same as it was five years ago.
What really impressed me were the "god-mode"
actions. It seems as though a standard feature for
sports games now, is the "create-a-player"
option. That option is still here, but EA went a step
further and gives you an option to create your own
school. At first the concept seems to be just filler,
but soon I grew to love the feature and the option truly
makes the game unique and satisfying. You can change not
only the name of the school, but also the colors,
players, team fight song and even the "pride
stickers" for your helmets...
Aside from all of the bells and whistles, the heart of
the game has changed little over last year’s
installment. The game physics are tight and the
GameCube's controller fits the schematics perfectly. The
responsiveness is quite good, aside from slight
slowdowns when the action intensifies. If you have
played an EA football game, the control set is a
welcomed return and feels like cool sheets on a warm
night.
Play calling is what really makes-or-breaks a football
game (aside from physics), and again, little has
changed. But, what should really impress fans (for
this is a game for the fans) is the actual
"feel" that each team gives. Days of
carbon-copied play sets and playbooks are a thing of the
past. Each team has their own play style that counters
their real life style. NCAA 2003 is without a doubt a
very personable game. The experience is a close one that
delivers a football experience tied in with personal
interaction. If you are familiar with a certain team;
the flavor remains and you actually feel part of the
team as you play throughout a season. Adding even
another layer of depth of realism is the rivalries that
exist within the game. What would a college football
game be without rival school hatred? Well, the same
feeling permeates digitally and just oozes adrenaline. A
game just feels different if you are playing a
Navy vs. Army game rather than a Navy vs. Cornell game.
Not only is the tempo increased, but also you are
playing for different inter-school trophies. In fact
there are 23 different trophies to be won via rival
school competition; not to mention the bowl games...
Again, the game is just extremely personable which is
why this game will be so successful as football hits in
the fall. In your "trophy room" there are
countless stats at your fingertips, and depending on the
game mode you choose (season play I hope) you
will also get results of future awards such as the
Heisman and coach of the year. There are even weekly
plaques and awards you can receive if you earn them;
which can really start to build up as the season
unfolds.
The icing on the cake has to be the intriguing
off-season activity. I never realized that not
playing could be so enjoyable. You have to play the role
of a scout and dip into the high school and college pool
of players and recruit talent to your team. Stemming off
of the college experience, different schools will
attract different types of players. The recruitment
process is the final layer of perfection that makes your
team truly your team and allows you to customize
it the way you want. The satisfaction of completing a
season, regardless of your record, really becomes
rewarding after you see the work that went into the
compilation of your team.
The multiplayer is fairly standard fare here, yet should
still give countless hours of late night party fun. I
still found the game to be much more enjoyable on a
single player season mode.
You would never know this was a port
Visually this has to be the most impressive football
game to date. While the initial graphics may not
"wow" you, the attention to detail is sure to
win you over. The animations are fluid and realistic,
and every tiny detail is included even outside of the
action. Things like weather and field conditions are
dynamically changing, and "pride stickers"
increase as they become distributed. The stadiums are
true-to-form as well as the facial expressions that
easily match the detail in games like Ghost Recon.
Helmets fly, bones crunch and the lighting effects are
brilliant.
The only real negative when discussing the graphics has
to be the somewhat questionable framerate. For the most
part the game chugs along with no problems, but at times
it chokes a bit and the framerate slips to what seems
like single digits. This only happens when the action is
tense and most of the players are on the screen at the
same time ( i.e. goal line stance). It's not
unplayable, but this is the only sign of the port from
the PS2 version to the GameCube. Still, the differences
between the versions are like night and day; with the
GameCube version head and shoulders above the square
giant.
The audio was a mixed bag. The first half of my first
season was nothing but brilliance but midway through I
felt the commentary to become a bit repetitive. I do
realize you can only cram so much commentary into one
game, so I never felt robbed or cheated because of the
repetition. Aside from the commentary (which
initially is awesome), the sound effects are superb.
You'll feel every bone jarring hit and every screaming
fan. The crowd really plays a huge part within the game,
and really adds to the realism to the game being played.
The same goes for the unique fight songs for each team,
the band and the cheerleaders. Most impressive indeed.
Not only are the fight songs here, the chants are also
included (team chants and generic chants). This
probably impressed me the most in regards to the audio.
Overall, the audio/video experience was memorable and
fit the tight gameplay beautifully.
66 Says:
I know I sound like a broken record, but the game just
has so much gravitase and personality that it's hard not
to like it. For those who really like to experience a
game rather than just play it, this is the best football
game to date that does it. While the exhibition games
are fairly bland, the season mode as well as the
create-a-team mode just jaks this game into stardom.
Highly impressed with the newest football game of the
upcoming season, should satisfy football fans to the
hilt. I recommend this for a full-fledged purchase and
encourage you to enjoy the game to the fullest and take
your time. It's a wonderful experience that truly has
limitless replay.
9.1
