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Released before
Madden 2003, NCAA Football 2003 hit the shelves early
in August, following up the successful 2002 edition. EA Sports struck gold when
creating the first Madden game on PS2, creating an engine that may very
well be the best one out there right now. So you can look at this in two ways -
EA decided to stick to what works, or EA was too lazy to come up with something
new.
What makes it Madden?
Well it's obviously structured in the same way, with pretty much identical
player models and the controller layout. The players react in pretty much the
same way, and of course you'll have similar features, like the Campus Challenge
(you know, the Madden Challenge), and the Franchise Mode (only called Dynasty
here).
But wait!
Before you write this off as just a cheap clone, there are things to consider.
Like the pro's and college, it's a different game. Yes, the game does run off
the Madden engine, but this game is distinctly NCAA, not NFL. For starters,
there are 144 teams in the game, representing every Division 1-A and 1-AA team.
So whether you like Oklahoma, Notre Dame, or (::gasp::) Rutgers, you can rest
easy knowing that your team is represented.
Before I go further though, I have to reiterate a well-known fact - since this
is a college game, there are NO player names. Instead everyone is known by their
number and position, like every other NCAA game. But don't worry, you'll know
your Dorseys from your Grossmans.
Even though the players are only numbers, they behave very much like their
real-life counterparts. Play Oklahoma, and their tailback will run all over you.
Play Florida, and expect an aerial assault. Take a trip down to Texas and try to
find out exactly why Chris Simms left New Jersey. But not only do you have a
representation of all the players, the game also comes with all 144 stadiums!
Play a game at your home stadium, and you can very easily tell where you are.
Unlike Madden, which is more or less a generic stadium for each team,
NCAA Football 2003 has VERY distinctive stadiums. And to make the
college experience even more realistic is that every team has their own fight
song. Rather than hit you with Andrew W.K. like this game's NFL counterpart,
you'll hear "Boomer Sooner" on first downs in Oklahoma. (Pick Rutgers, and go
against them at home, and you'll get sick of that song very quickly.)
Cheerleaders, mascots, and the fight songs play an important role in the game,
which as the game says, brings the pageantry of college home.
It's the little things
Yes, little things that make this an obvious NCAA game. They made sure to
include all the differences from the pros, making sure that the game was as
unique as possible. Field goals will be harder in this game than in Madden, as
the hash marks are wider in college. Players only need one foot in bounds for
the catch to count. And I suggest you get used to running the option, because it
plays a big part in this game.
Game Modes
They come in bunches. NCAA Football 2003 offers all of the
standard modes, as well as some of their own.
Season - Play through a team's schedule, trying your luck at cracking the
top 25, and see if you can get into a bowl game. Also, your players will compete
to be All-Americans and Heisman winners. You also have the ability to redshirt
freshmen. At the end of your season, you have the option of converting it into
a...
Dynasty - An expanded season, that adds in the element of multiple
seasons, graduations, and recruiting. Rebuild your team after every season,
trying your luck at a national championship. The more successful your team is,
the more appealing your school will look to possible recruits, and you may very
well lure in the next Heisman winner to your team. As an added bonus, for those
who own Madden, you can export your draft class into the game for
drafting in franchise mode.
Rivalry - In every sport there are rivals. But not like college football.
Pick this mode, and literally hundreds of games will be available for you to
pick from. Choose a team, and scroll through their available rivals. Then duke
it out for bragging rights, or one of the 20 trophies assigned to specific
rivalries.
Mascot Game - Just for fun and games, but why not lead a team of Fighting
Irish against a team of Buffalos?
And more - You can create a school, create a player (or a whole team of
them), and change rosters and playbooks. Another feature is the Trophy Room
and Pennant Collection, which display trophies earned or pennants
(cheats, much like Madden cards) that you've been able to collect.
So that's what you can do with this. Now how does it stand up?
Graphics
As is already well-known, the game runs off the Madden engine, so similarities
are expected. Like Madden, the players are very detailed and realistic in
appearance, however they aren't as refined as in the professional offering.
Players seem a bit rough around the edges when compared to those in Madden,
which can be expected due to the large amount of teams and stadiums. Animation
is excellent, and feels a lot looser than that game it resembles. Rather than
have the players respond with utmost precision, they have more amorphous routes.
The best analogy for the gameplay would be comparing Mega Man 2 to Mega Man 3.
Like Madden, Mega Man 2 has a very tight control scheme, with his reactions and
animations down to precision. NCAA Football 2003 is more like Mega
Man 3, as he has more liberal actions in the later offering.
Stadiums however are very detailed. Each is distinct, in which you will quickly
pick up on their little nuances. A nice little touch is that in each stadium,
the players run out differently. In simpler ones, they'll just huddle up and
charge, while in a bigger one, they'll arrive to the accompaniment of smoke and
the like. Little details were added as well, the players will have stickers on
their helmets, and you can see mascots and cheerleads between plays.
As nice as the game looks, it still doesn't seem as refined as Madden. The
players are a little rougher around the edges, and lack the depth and shading
that you can readily pick up on in Madden. Close-ups looks beautiful however,
it's just in the normal game play where the slight drop-off between this game
and Madden appears. Some interfaces aren't as nice as those in Madden, most
notably the kicking meter, as a cruder version appears in this game. There's
also some minimal write-in and jaggidness (like part of a leg can disappear
sometimes) which is most likely due to the fact that since it was released a bit
sooner than Madden, it wasn't given as much tweaking. But it still looks
excellent nonetheless.
Sound
Fight songs are where it's at. This is definitely one advantage this game has
over Madden. Rather than having Bon Jovi in between plays, you'll hear the
actual songs that will be played at the stadium. Instead of those annoying
tracks they threw in Madden, the college feel is captured with these fight
songs. And thus, the pageantry is brought home.
Commentary works with a three-man team, which both works and doesn't work. I
can't remember their names, but during the game, one guy will usually call the
game, while the other two take shots at each other. Like any other game, the
commentary WILL grow on you, as it's as basic as any other game. But rather than
bland catch-phrases, they concentrate on the game itself more. There is less
talking here, as the fans and band carries the game along beautifully.
The Verdict
Madden with pageantry, that'd be a nice place to start when describing this game.
But the creators made sure to add in enough differences to make this game
unique, and they definitely succeeded in doing so. But unless you're a die-hard
NCAA fan, I recommend getting Madden over this, as Madden feels more refined and
I think more enjoyable than this game.
Graphics - 9/10
Looks good, but a little rough around
the edges when compared to Madden. Stadiums look great, but some jaggies hurt
the appearance.
Sound - 8/10
Commentary is a bit better than most games, but is pretty much the same as the
rest once you've gotten deep enough into the game. The real plus comes in the
form of over 200 fight songs, truly completing the college experience.
Realism - 10/10
Unless you're very good, you'll find trouble beating Miami with Rutgers.
Implementation of all college rules and the addition of the option make this
game distinctively NCAA.
Control - 9.5/10
The scheme is perfect, but player response is a bit looser than Madden's.
Overall (not an average) - 8.5/10
Still a very good game, but geared more towards the die-hard NCAA fan. You'll
probably find more enjoyment in Madden, as I feel it's more refined than this,
and has the online play that this game lacks. You'll most likely enjoy this, but
if you've only got enough money for one football game (after all, Mario's out)
right now, rent this, Madden, and NFL 2K3, and make your decision then - each is
strong in their own right.
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