NCAA Football 2003

"It's not Madden, but it's still great!"

Normally I have some little story to put here, but I don't have one this time. o_o

Gameplay: 8/10
-This is on par with Madden 2003. In a game, you've got all the same options as Madden, except for 1 thing. On defense you can't press Y for advice on a play. Big deal. On the plus side, though, you can now lateral on offense.

Outside of the game, things are a little different. There is no mini-camp, no Tournament mode, the players don't have names (>_<), and a few new things have been added, such as Rivalry and Mascot Games. Dynasty Mode is pretty much the same as Madden's Franchise, except for minor differences which make sense considering it's college football. Create-A-Team is also improved. This gets an 8 because 1) no tournament mode and 2) they spelled Massachusetts wrong! Boo!

Graphics: 9/10
-Same as Madden. Players look realistic, football has bumps, etc. It looks like an actual college football game. The only reason it doesn't get a 10/10 is because the ball sometimes acts odd and doesn't look realistic. (ex. it hits a player in the arm and bounces off but it doesn't ever actually touch him. Meh)

Sound: 10/10!
-Some of the best I've heard. The commentary is EXCELLENT. The only comment I've ever heard more than once is a comment about a long kick. The fight songs are all pretty good, and sound fine. There aren't any menu tunes other than the fight songs, but that's ok. The players don't make weird comments randomly in the game either.

Controls: 10/10!
-Sheer perfection. The controls are completely fluid, and you can do everything with relative ease. The addition of a lateral button makes things a lot better. The Juke and Stiff-Arm are different than Madden, so it'll take 1 or 2 games to get used to. After that, they're perfect. I believe there are multiple controller configurations, but the default should be perfect for everyone.

Buy/Rent: BUY
-If you're a college football fan or even just a regular football fan, this is great for you. Unless you have NCAA Football 2002 and all the Madden games, you should really consider buying this. Or, if you don't like football at all.... uh.... stop reading this review. o_o

Overall: 9/10
-I really don't know what to say. I looked at the other reviews before trying the game, and one thing - the guy who gave it a 1/10 for poor AI is just plain wrong. In the time I've had this game, not 1 thing he said happened to him happened to me. Anyway, go get this game.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/07/03, Updated 07/07/03