NCAA Football 2003

"College Football Like No Other"

NCAA Football 2003 is perhaps one of the best football games I have ever played. I was very happy with the 2002 version and the improvements made in 2003 make it worth having.

Gameplay 9/10
The gameplay is overall very good except for a few minor things. This game has a boosted AI level that makes it more of a challenge. You no longer get sacked every time you try to run a play-action pass. It is much easier to defend the pass now too, you no longer give up 400 yards a game to bad teams.
One of the best parts of this game is the off-season options, you have the chance to go out and pick up players from all around the country to play for you while you try to build the perfect team. This isn't so easy though because you have to compete with other schools for the top players. After that is done you go into red-shirting players and setting up your depth chart. A new feature in this game is the pre-season schedule menu. You can go in a change your schedule so instead of playing the 80th ranked team you can play #1 Miami or anybody else you want to.

Graphics 9/10
The graphics are a small step up from 2002 but still seem to lack something. A few times you will have a player seem to just go through another player but overall the graphics don't take away from the fun of the game, instead they add a lot to it.

Sound 6/10
This is by far the most disappointing part of this game. Most of the commentary is just copied from 2002 and the new stuff isn't much better. I do get tired of hearing the same phrases repeated over and over and over but don't hold that against this game because I have yet to find a sports game that doesn't have the problem of repeating commentary. The crowd noises and bands are a huge boost to the sound in this one. The fight songs are there for most of the schools and the crowd gets pumped up or showers you with boos depending on how you are doing.

Replay Value 10/10
In this game no two seasons are alike and in a dynasty you can play up to 60 years so this game is worthy of replaying over and over again.

Buy or Rent?
If you have NCAA Football 2002 you may just want to rent this game but if you don't it is a must to have. With all the options in the game and all the teams there is a whole lot to explore.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/29/02, Updated 07/29/02