Madden NFL 2003

defensive formation and if you are so inclined, call an audible play (you have 5 different audible plays that can be called without changing your formation). Running plays are the easiest to perform; once the ball in snapped and then handed off, you take control of the half (or full) back and try to turn the run up field for yardage.

Passing plays are more complex – you take control of the quarterback once the ball is snapped and you are given a choice of receivers. With the general improvement of the computer AI, passing has become more difficult as the defensive backs and safeties play more aggressively and rarely give more than a step of space (if that). For game pad users, the pressure that you depress the pad with can actually change the type of pass – a hard press will result in a bullet-pass, but a light feathering of the button will give a floating pass (which is preferred when you’re passing over a receiver to avoid the coverage). Normally, one wouldn’t think that the passing speed would be very important, but in this game passing too hard on a dump pass or a short out will result in a drop ball as the pass is rifled hard into a receiver not expecting it. The one thing that you have to pay attention to, when passing is trying to scramble for some inexplicable reason, the quarterback will shuffle until you pass the line of scrimmage, which is a real pain in the ass when you are trying to turn it up field and a linebacker is licking his lips waiting for the hurler to tow the line.

On the defensive side of the football, it starts much like the offense – starting with the preferred formation; you can select a specific defensive play (the plays differ on who will rush, who will fall back into coverage, who will delay or fall into zone coverage…). The formations read like a menu: 4-3, 3-4, 46, Nickel, Dime, Quarter, and so on and so on. Each formation has its own advantages and weaknesses (stuffing the line might keep the run bottled up but it leaves you prone to being burned by the pass), which most football fans will know and understand.

The improvement of the computer AI is really felt here – if you tend to blitz too often, the computer will start relying on short out patterns that will burn you for a ton of yards. Before the ball has been snapped, you can order either line shift or a line backer shift which enables you to exploit a coverage weakness (or try to overload one side of the offensive line). Once the play begins, you can choose to control any specific player and try to prevent the opposition from having too much success.

During the in-game action, the only complaint about the AI has got to be the really strange substitutions that you will see; for some inexplicable reason, the computer seems to love taking the starting quarterback out of the game for a breather – this can be remedied by turning the auto-substitution off.  

The special teams play is a tad confusing the first few tries, but with some practice using the Mini-Camp drills help explain things and get you on the right path. My only complaint is the lack of team-special formations and plays – the playbooks are completely identical from team to team, and they completely lack those specific plays that teams love to bust out. (I miss my Razor-Red plays, and Convoy 66 runs.)

The visuals of Madden 2003 are first notch – all of the players look pretty darn good and look much like actual football players in their motions and physical ticks (flinching of the defensive linemen, the pacing of the linebacking corps, the motions of the wide receivers as they leap and reach for passes). The only complaint about the visuals is the grainy textures that are visible in the close views of the players (i.e. blocky looking facemasks). The sounds are excellent -- very much like the boom mikes listening to real games. The best sounds though are reserved for the home crowds – there’s nothing more impressive than the chants that you’ll hear in-game. (IN—COM—PLETE in Denver, and the volume and intensity change depending upon the point of the game and the intensity of the situation; that’s UBER-COOL!)

All in all, Madden 2003 is the best football game that I’ve ever played, and is highly recommended for both the casual and hard-core football fans.

- Tazman

(October 7, 2002)