NCAA Football 2003

"Let's go EA, let's go, Whoo-whoo!"

OVERVIEW:
College football seems to have so much spirit to it, what with all the chants and fight songs every school has. Thanks to EA's NCAA Football 2003 you won't be missing much of the school spirit. Not only are the graphics, sounds, and gameplay well done, but you can see where EA went the extra mile by adding actual school songs and team spirit.

Throught the game you will find several modes of play, including the very fun (and funny to watch) mascot game. I don't want to ruin the fun, but picture a your favorite college football teams mascot grabbing the ball and breaking tackles to run a forty-yard touchdown. Sounding pretty yet? It is! There are now pennants you can collect (much like the Madden Cards in Madden 2003) which you use to boost teams abilites or unlock secret specials.

Overall I found NCAA Football 2003 to be an excellent game that shows it was well planned and executed.

GRAPHICS:
(9/10):
While I am used to the clear clean look of the Madden series I have to say that NCAA Football 2003 does have great graphics, especially when compared to other college football games. Game play runs smooth and will hardly ever slow down leaving you open to cruise down the field and bruise your opponents!

SOUND:
(8/10):
NCAA does a great job at getting good clear sound quality for the game. The sounds on the field and in the stands are excellent, as well as the phenomenal fight songs you'll hear between plays. One of the coolest features I've seen in a game is the ability of the PA system to call out player names, yes even custom players. Now, my last name being Burnette, I figured there was no way it would be able to call out my name, but surely enough it did, and I almost pooped my pants! Now, while the sounds of NCAA Football 2003 are great to hear, I got a little frustrated at hearing the announcers repeat things often. It really distracts from gameplay and makes you want to just turn down the announcers fully, which leads to the game no seeming so ''actual TV broadcast'' like. Which is why announcers are there in the first place. All in all the sound is great, but with the commentators repeating themselves so often, it's hard to score this a perfect 10.

FUN FACTOR:
(10/10)
If you football games then there's a great chance you'll love NCAA Football 2003. From the team pride down to the franchise mode, EA Sports has done a fantastic job. The added pennant collecting makes this game ever better, since you must strive to collect the secret mascots and other goodies. NCAA Football 2003 is a greatly done game and should brighten up your day with fun, fun, fun!

CONTROLS:
(10/10):
Much like it's pro-football counterpart, NCAA Football 2003 has awesome controls which are easy to learn and easy to pull off when it comes down to it. It also helps that EA has stuck to showing game controls during loading times. While this may seem a small gesture, it pays off in the long run (heck you have nothing better to do during loading times anyway, right?). Overall the controls of NCAA Football 2003 are a treasure to use when in the heat of the game.

REPLAY:
(10/10):
Much like any good sports game, this can last FOREVER! Even with the close of college football season, you should still find it fun to just pick up and play possibly the best college football game out there. Start a new franchise, try to beat your previous records as coach. Create a college team and name them, dress them and prepare them anyway you like. It's all in your hands now run that touchdown!

WHAT ELSE?
What could have made this game a perfect 10?
First and foremost, fix the commentators! Cripes! That nearly drove me insane hearing them over and over again. The funny thing is, in the making of NCAA Football 2003 they talk about how they added so much more dialouge, but where? I have yet to find it.

RENT OR BUY?
You can never go wrong with endless game play! This is a definite buy for the college football fan, or even football fans in general.

SCORE SUMMARY:
Graphics: 9
Sound: 8
Fun Factor: 10
Controls: 10
Replay: 10
Average: 9.4
Overall: 9

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 12/03/02, Updated 12/03/02