NCAA Football 2003 Review
If you want a football game, it’s all here. From the in-depth school creator to all of the little challenges this game will keep you occupied, and give you your football fill. And the best part is, its never on off-season.
NCAA Football 2003 is a great looking game. All of the players move fluidly, they look quite a lot like they do in real life, and the environments are realistic, as well as the weather effects. Even the people in the stadium look average, and the stadium itself is usually shown in full-detail of its real self. Also, the cheerleaders are, hrmm, “realistic.”
As far as sounds good, this game is above average. While the announcers do repeat themselves frequently, it doesn’t get as annoying as some games, because what they say isn’t that stupid. They will give the occasional diss to your or your opponents team or a player. All of your college fight songs are included, it feels like you’ve got the band playing for you in your living room. The grunts and groans of sacked quaterbacks and tackled line-backers are just how they should be. Just loud enough and just enough of those bone-crunching noises for you to know that the dude in the red and white really smacked that guy in the black and green.
This title allows many hours of replay value, as you can play exibitions again and again, take part in seasons, create schools, create every play on your team, beat challenges, and even practice. You can sit for hours trying to get that perfect play even more perfect, or simply pick which color side-burns Marcus Ian, fullback, will have and which side your damn team logo will be on their damn jerseys, dammit. Its endless.
I think NCAA deserves such a high originality score because there aren’t that many other NCAA football games out there, or NCAA games at all (isn’t there four different ones in all?). It also incorporates many things you’d think of to be in a college game, its just crazier than the Maddens. For instance, the opening sequence is usally different and always includes someone with a painted face yelling “It’s in the game!”
Just what’s in this game? A lot of football and if you are struggling from PSSD (Post Super [Bowl] Stress Disorder), as the AFL calls it, you might as well pick this game up. It definitely doesn’t feature any NFL teams, or much anything from the NFL in it at all, but I think it is subperb to Madden 2003. Why, you ask? The answer is simple. Would you rather hang around three big old fat guys talking about teams full of 30-year old guys with kids, or around 20,000 screaming college students with painted faces, stomachs, huge banners, all screaming, screaming, screaming for that team with the 20-year olds who party every night.
Visuals: 8.5
Sound: 8.5
Originality: 9
Replay: 9.5
Overall: 9