Madden NFL 2003

"Turn out the lights, the party has just begun"

Story - n/a

GamePlay - 9
The gameplay for Madden 2003 is top notch. One word describes the gameplay ''franchise mode''. Well that is really two words but who is counting. The franchise mode is the meat of the game. You will need at least a 251 Memory card for all of the saves that will need to take place. No worry, only a $20 and change will get you one. Take a team from the bare minimum and struggle through a season or two, but then you can draft rookies, players will retire, fire your coach and trade players. All of these options will await you at the end of a season. Another excellent feature that will keep you hooked is the mini camps. Yes that's right mini camps. Players hate them but the gamers will love this feature. Go to different camp sites and test your skills. Get trophies for your achievements also. Lastly the
Madden Cards are very fun and will make a gamer want to get them all. Have you gotten the Fleer Update '91 set? I do. Mainly for Emmitt, but if you don't then you should focus on getting the full set of Madden Cards.

Graphics - 9
The graphics are similar to last years game but hey, they are very tight and crisp. No complaints here. Very detailed and clean. Can't ask for more in my opinion. I did see a couple of times a player walk through another player. Nobody is perfect though. Shows off what the Cube can do.

Sound - 9
The sound is awesome in the game. The audio commentary from Al Michaels very good. I love hearing the hitting on the grid iron. Very clean. Also the slow heartbeat during a playback is nice also.

Replay - 10
Well the replay has got to be a 10. I find it very difficult to give out 10's, but this portion of the game deserves it. This game will take hours and hours to play. Come February when there is nothing to do except watch a boring NBA game, then you can throw in this game and continue your franchise game. The Madden Cards turn up the replay value also.

Final Thoughts
I rushed out and bought this game. Why, because it is Madden and Madden is the best. There are some new features that make this game a MUST BUY. Yes I said it, a must buy. Usually I rent before I buy but I went on instincts on this one. I will be playing this one for many moons. I just cant wait until I can don the dark blue uni's, march into Redskin stadium and add onto the most heated rivalry.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/21/02, Updated 08/21/02