Madden NFL 2003

"Best Sports Game Ever?"

Another great entry into the Madden series, Madden NFL 2003 was by far the best sports game in 2002, and, as every year with Madden NFL, the argument can be made that it's the best console sports game of all time. The evolution of the series has yet again carried the game to new heights. I've owned every Madden game since John Madden Football ('92) on the SNES (with the exception of 2002), but I've never been into any of them the way I am into NFL 2003. There's a lot to say about this game, so sit back and relax.

Graphics: 9/10
This is about as good as it gets. Stadiums are incredible, the field is virtually life-like, players and coaches look very good. The animation is smooth like silk, and actions like running, tackling and throwing look more realistic than ever. Occasionally you will see a player walking through another, or a tackler's arm slicing through the ball carrier's body, but this is excusable. My biggest gripe is that between-play animations, like players grabbing injured body parts and defensive linemen doing Hulk Hogan poses, become repetitive to the point of annoying. They could have spent a little more time getting more motion captures.

Sound: 6.5/10
Not too great, not too bad, not the reason you're playing the game. Al Michaels puts in a great performance. Melissa Stark is an annoying broken record. John Madden is good. There are more ''Maddenisms'' than ever, and you'll often get one you've never heard, though a few of them are repeated far too much. Commentary programming is sloppy at times. For instance, I once heard ''He just threw that bullet right into the end zone!'' after catching a pass at midfield and running it in for a score. The menu screen music isn't anything I'm into, in fact I think it sucks, but it's impressive that EA has put real music in its games. You'll get sick of it halfway through your first season, though. Sound effects are decent, the usual grunts and oof!s, with a few nice surprises, like the sound of players running.

Controls: 9/10
The controls are somewhat different than in the past, but are excellent. You have complete control. Extremely smooth, very responsive, except for sometimes when you are holding the ball. Jukes, spins and hurdles can be non-responsive and are hard (even with practice) to get off at the right time when you're near defenders. Otherwise controls are perfect. Defensive controls might take some time to master, but when you know what you're doing, playing defense has never been so fun.

Gameplay: 9/10
Very deep, the meat of the game. This is what has always set Madden apart from the crap. In-game gameplay is spectacular. NFL 2003 plays more realistically and more fun than any other football game ever. Create a player, a team or a playbook - you have lots of freedom to customize. You can even take your created team into the Franchise Mode. Franchise is awesome. Trade, sign, release, draft, renegotiate, you can do nearly everything as GM. It is all too much fun. But the gameplay does have some negatives. Career stats aren't kept (I hate this!!). Likewise there is no hall of fame, and you can't look at past season records or champions. And it seems that the news section never loads when you turn on the game on and load your season. So unless you play a season without turning the game off, you can't look back to see what trades and signings the CPU has done. The menu interface can be bulky and frustrating. It could stand to be more comprehensive. Computer GM AI is pretty stupid. Most computer teams will resign more of their own free agents than real NFL teams do, and waste all their cap money before the draft. Many off-seasons the free agent market is boring since the stars were all resigned. After the draft, way too many drafted players are left unsigned, and are available on the free agent list. You'll likely be able to sign guys who were picked before your first round pick. This hurts Franchise Mode a lot. Finally, you can't save games in progress. This can become a problem when you want to play a game in your season but you don't have a lot of time, or if you need to leave the game. Quite a few small flaws, but there are a hundred times more strong points.

Challenge: 8/10
The game provides a great challenge for the most part. The lower skill levels are a breeze. The upper skill levels are tough. Even the best gamers should get a challenge from the ''All-Madden'' setting. The AI is particularly nice. The computer will adjust to your strategy most of the time, and calls a pretty good game. Finding and using cheap sure-thing plays isn't that easy anymore. This isn't like your old Maddens, where you could beat the CPU 80-10 using only HB Sweep and Hail Mary. Sometimes the computer will pull off magic plays and superhuman feats, seemingly predetermined cheap shots. This can suck. You will want to bust up the cube each time a 210 pound running back breaks 10 tackles on one run and knocks your entire defensive line on their backs. But hey, it's a video game. It has to beat you somehow.

Replay Value: 10/10
Madden NFL. That's all I have to say.

Rent/Buy? You can't afford not to buy this game, especially since you can pick it up for $20 to $30 new, and $10 or so used. Get it and play it until NFL 2004 comes out. Then buy that. If you don't own this game, you are a fool, especially if you own NFL 2K3.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/02/03, Updated 02/02/03