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Platform: Xbox Genre: Sports Publisher: Electronic Arts Developer: EA Sports ESRB: E (Everyone) Released: Q3 2002 Support AE! Buy Games Here:
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NCAA Football 2003Score: 8.9 / 10 |
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Pros: -
Nobody offers the same amount of extras for the fantasy league fanatics
that buy football games -
Challenge from CPU artificial intelligence is improved - Can import graduating players into Madden 2003 for NFL draft
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Cons: -
Some minor annoying issues from last season’s game engine remain -
Lack of actual player names (for obvious reasons) makes it difficult to
gauge players abilities without a scrutinizing study of your roster - Actual football gameplay still not as complete as NFL 2K series
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Related Links: Review: NCAA Football 2003 (PS2) Review: NCAA Gamebreaker 2003 (PS2)
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"One area the game is really stellar is the challenge given by the CPU artificial intelligence."
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Football
gamers who bought an Xbox were treated to three good NFL football titles
last year (Madden 2002, NFL2K2, and NFL Fever 2002) even though
Microsoft didn’t release their system until November 2001. However,
because of that late-year release and with the college football season
nearly over at that point in time, the Xbox missed out on college
football gaming as publishers decided to wait until 2002. This season
Xbox-owning college gridiron fans have two choices, including the long
running Electronic Arts entry, NCAA Football 2003 (Sega Sports’ NCAA
Football 2K3 has also been released). Despite some minor gameplay
issues, NCAA Football 2003 captures the true electric atmosphere
surrounding college football and is chock-full of so many goodies and
extras you won’t be disappointed as you set your sights on the virtual
National Championship.
To
me, a football game earns high grades for its on-field gameplay and its
challenging artificial intelligence, not on the amount of extra features
like create-a-player and a dynasty mode. That was my biggest criticism
of last year’s Madden. While it by far outdid its Xbox competition in
the amount of extras, it wasn’t quite up to NFL 2K2’s more genuine
on-field gameplay. But NCAA 2003, which uses the same game-engine which
powers Madden 2003, surprisingly improves the gameplay in all but a few
areas to become a true champion of the video game college gridiron.
College football is markedly different in its rules than the NFL, and NCAA 2003 has it all part of its package. In college ball, there is no two-minute warning, a liberal use of option plays, field goals are harder because the spot can be on either side of the hash marks, a catch is considered good if a player has only one foot in bounds, and offensive ball carriers are down on contact with the ground, not necessarily on contact with an opposing player. These are some of the totally contrasting rules that come into play while you are playing NCAA 2003, so Madden veterans who haven’t played a college title in a while may want to brush up on their NCAA official rulebook before they start a dynasty or season.
Like
I said, I am more scrutinizing of the gameplay of a title. I’ll start
by looking at areas of NCAA 2003 that reflect on its actual gameplay
before delving into the excellent features that are packed into it. Last
year’s Madden gave me some serious problems learning to pass
efficiently. In NCAA passing is a much easier task. Maybe it has
something to do with the fact that I played a lot of Madden 2002 and I
am now more comfortable with the game engine’s passing, but I really
don’t have any criticisms of NCAA 2003’s passing attack. The most
necessary skill to learn is the art of touch passing. Because of the
pressure-sensitive nature of the game’s passing, you must learn to hit
the corresponding receiver button harder or softer depending on how open
your receiver is.
The
running game has seen the biggest improvement. Last year the game engine
was plagued by the treadmill effect, where your running back that had
hit the line would run in place if there wasn’t an lane to burst
through. In NCAA 2003 however, that problem has been rectified by
borrowing from Sega’s 2K series. Now if the running back gets in the
above predicament, he will attempt to squeeze through the line instead
of staying stuck running in place. It helps make the running game much
more realistic than it had been before. Another problem that hasn’t
been changed is the inability to set your quarterback off on a scramble
or bootleg without crossing the line of scrimmage first, unlike its
competitor NCAA 2K3. This can really be aggravating particularly if you
are in a game situation when you only need one of two yards to get a
first down and you want the option of using your signal caller to
scamper for the necessary yardage.
But
because this is college ball that isn’t always a problem because of
the inclusion of the option plays that college football is known for and
the NFL is terrified to use because of the high risk of turnovers. This
was one of my favorite facets of NCAA 2003. By calling a option play,
you run your quarterback along the line until the time comes to either
have the QB keep the ball for a rushing attempt with the ability to use
a fake pitch (using the black button) or really pitch it to a trailing
running back (using the left trigger). It takes some skill to pull the
pitch off because if you do it with any little bit of mistiming you will
fumble the ball away.
Compared
to Madden 2002/2003, the punting and kicking game is much better handled
through the use of the improved kicking meter. But the skill of booting
successful field goals still has a learning curve due to college
football’s rules that the kick will take place on either side of the
hash marks if that is where the ball was downed the previous play. This
requires some angling techniques that take some getting used to. Also,
while punting isn’t hard to do, returning them is a different matter.
Almost always if you are attempting to return a punt, before you can
even get started, the coverage team is in your face, ready to deliver a
crushing tackle. Pressing the “Y” button is supposed to allow you to
call a fair catch, but every time I tried to call one, for whatever
reason it never worked for me. I do like that there is the occasional
muffed punt, which adds to the realism of the game.
Control-wise
NCAA 2003 has some problems on defense when tackling players. Your
opposition consistently finds ways to shed your defenders and break away
for gains of yardage that by rights they shouldn’t be getting. And on
offense, receivers are still assigned by only a yellow letter relating
to a controller button instead of being color oriented as in NFL Fever
and the NFL 2K series, which makes deciding who to throw to much easier.
But putting those two instances aside, NCAA 2003’s controls are
responsive and easy to use. And even though its not anything that EA has
authority over, but having my players assigned as “QB 7” and “LB
56” and not knowing who that player really was, created the need for
really studying my roster and learning the skill levels of my key
players.
One
area the game is really stellar is the challenge given by the CPU
artificial intelligence. This game pushes you and makes you sweat to
win, especially when it comes to contests against ranked opponents and
when squaring off in a rivalry game. The game is tough and when you are
able to beat one of these ranked opponents or rivals you’ll get a
strong sense of accomplishment, believe me. Its difficulty level even on
the lower settings is one of NCAA 2003’s biggest upsides. One minor
disappointment, however, is the lack of online support for Microsoft’s
soon-to-be unleashed Xbox Live service. This game would be awesome
online, but EA is only supporting Sony’s online service right now. But
maybe next year if Xbox Live has established itself, EA may reconsider
online support for its Xbox sports titles.
Now
that I’ve addressed the gameplay aspects of NCAA 2003, let’s examine
the bread-and-butter of EA’s line of sports games: the incredible
amount of extras and features that will keep even the most extreme
fantasy league maniac totally satisfied. To start with, there is a
dynasty mode that allows you to recruit players for your program and set
off in the quest for the national championship over multiple seasons.
Your primary goal during a season is to break into the Top 25 poll which
gives you a excellent chance at a bowl bid and if you can manage to lose
only one or no games, you will probably get a chance at playing for
college football’s Holy Grail, the National Championship.
There’s
a full complement of statistics, rankings, standings, and player awards
for each year of your dynasty. There is full control over your roster
and the depth chart. Before the season starts you can even redshirt
young impact players to give them some seasoning so that they will be
ready the next season to take over an important position from a
graduating starter. Speaking of graduating players, if you have Madden
2003 you can import them for availability in the Madden NFL draft. If
you want, you can create your own players and aspiring deans can even go
as far as creating your very own school, down to the stadium name and
designing the uniforms.
Collecting
points during the course of a game by attaining specific goals like
throwing four touchdowns in a game or getting an interception allows you
to accumulate points to buy pennants that give you power-ups or opens up
team stadiums or classic teams for you to play. The mascot game is an
eclectic touch, giving you the opportunity to play a game with a roster
full of team mascots versus an opposing team of mascots. NCAA 2003
can’t be touched by its competition in the extras department. EA has
made that part of their game package second to none.
The
game’s graphics and sound are an above average mix, although in some
instances they can slip. NCAA 2003 perfectly captures the audio aura
that fills the college stadiums of all 117 Division I-A programs with
team-specific chants and over 200 team fight songs, and the crowd reacts
to the action on the field with loud cheers if you are home and make a
great play. They sound great although they can be a little on the
repetitive side. The announcers Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, and Brad
Nessler show up only for big games, and they actually do a good job
calling the game and many of their remarks are fluidly interjected and
hit the mark with what is happening on the field, especially Corso. So
you better be ranked in the Top 25 or playing a traditional heated
rivalry game, like Florida versus Florida State if you want to have the
national spotlight shined your way with NCAA Football 2003’s lead
announcing crew.
Otherwise,
the only announcing you’ll hear will be from the stadium’s public
address announcer. I tried out some games with my alma mater, the lowly
Temple Owls (hey, we have a strong basketball tradition though). Playing
my home games in an authentically replicated nearly empty Veterans
Stadium, it was a disappointment having only the PA announcer calling
the game action, but it only motivates you to build a winning program
with the dynasty mode.
Also
included are 50 team mascots and cheerleaders (both male and female).
While the player animations of NCAA 2003’s players are rendered
photo-realistically, the cheerleaders aren’t exactly up to the same
standards. These are supposed to be good-looking athletic individuals
that are part of a cheer squad, but are anything but. Anybody still in
school with desires for dating a cheerleader will think twice if they
get a good look at the cheerleaders on NCAA 2003’s sidelines. However,
this isn’t anything that detracts from the top-rate animations that
you’ll encounter with your team’s players.
Personally
I’ve always preferred the football gameplay of the NFL/NCAA 2K series
to the Madden/NCAA series of the last two seasons. But NCAA 2003 was an
enjoyable experience and is a solid title for diehard football fans
everywhere and may rekindle a little of that old college pride in you.
Online Xbox Live connectivity would have made NCAA 2003 unbeatable, but
even without it this game really captures the excitement that is major
college football. With the incredible amount of options at your
fingertips and years of EA’s college football game designing know-how
behind it, NCAA 2003 receives its fair share of votes in the battle for
this year‘s best Xbox college football game crown.
-
Lee Cieniawa (September 14, 2002)
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