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I'm a sports fan, so let's just get that out of the way now. I am not the crazy guy with the painted face, nor am I the guy holding the "I Love You Ichiro" sign. I'm what I'd call a "casually hardcore fan". I've been playing sports games since Atari baseball, and while I think that makes me something of a veteran, they come a long way.


NCAA Football 2003, by EA Sports, is the most polished college gridiron game ever. From the fight songs, to the mascots, to the official bowl games, or to the ease of running the option...it's all here. I skipped on last year's version because of certain gameplay quirks. After reading reviews telling of how things have gotten better, however, I had to check it out for myself. So down to the local game store I went, and now I'm here to tell you of my experience.

Graphics:

True Story. My dad was over, and he noticed the game playing on the tv and said, "Didn't Oregon State play yesterday?" Okay, it doesn't look quite that real, but just the fact that someone confused it for real tells you that EA is doing something right. The animation got overhauled with some great tackles and jukes. The fields look authentic, the players looked sized correctly, and everything is animated quite nicely. Why the heck can't other sports games look THIS good? The only flaw is the lackluster crowd, as I've yet to see a crowd that's ever looked real, but that's nitpicking to even mention that. I can't complain about a single thing graphically. Nothing. Zip. Nada. I find myself watching the replays just because they look that darn good.

Gameplay:

This is why I bought NCAA over Madden...I love the college game. In the pro's, everyone shoots for one thing, the Superbowl, and if you don't get there, then the season was a bust. In the college game they have the rankings, the bowl games, rivalries. EA spared nothing in this department giving you the coach's rankings, the media polls, the BCS rankings (although named the bowl ranking), and even trophies for the major rivalry games. You have all the end-of-year bowl games, from the Orange bowl to the Rose bowl, it's all here. Every game in college football is a big game since you can't just beat an underdog team, you have to wipe the floor with them. Lose a game and drop out of contention for the big bowl games, yet beat a great team and watch yourself rise in the ranks.

This game plays outstandingly, even with the funky GC controller. It's mix of classic Madden gameplay with tons of college flavor tossed in. Running the option has never been better or easier , as with just the push of a button you can throw a lateral that actually goes where its supposed to. One big change is that you don't have to hit a button to put up your pass icons, but you have the choice to take them down and run. That's the big difference between the college teams and the pro's. You don't see a lot of quarterbacks who run in the NFL, yet in college its not uncommon to have multiple 1000 yard rushing QB's. Some teams such as Nebraska run a strong option run offense and it's all captured here. The running game works and feels right, a first for me in a console football game. The passing is pretty much classic Madden with the changes mentioned before, you'd be suprised how something so little as the option can change gameplay so greatly, but trust me it does.

Is it gameplay perfection? Almost. The defense AI can be bad at times, with guys just letting the ball handler run right by without even trying to make a play. Again, I'm nitpicking. There's really not much to complain about here. It's that good.

All the play modes are in here, from Exhibition and Season, to the meat and potatoe's in Dynasty mode. The Dynasty mode is where it's at, but make sure you pick up a 4x memory card since Dynasty requires it. You'll pick yourself a team and handle everything from the scouting to the redshirting and scheduling, then watch your guys grow and flourish. Its a great addition to the game and fans of franchise modes will have a lot to love here.

Sound:

The fight songs are awesome. This game feels like the college experience. The commentary is the best yet, although you do hear the same jokes over and over again. Nice additions like when you're playing on an untelevised game you just get the PA announcer, but when you hit the bigtime you got Corso and crew doing play-by-play. Great stuff.

Overall Impressions:

If I sound like I like this game, it's because I do. It's just about the perfect sports game, and it's pretty much the perfect college pigskin game. They captured the feel and gameplay of the game, and that's where this one really wins. Other programmers should look at how EA does things with this series and implement such ideas into their own sports games. The world would be a better place. Overall, I recommend this highly for any football fan, and its a must own for college football fans. I've gotta run now, however, I've got a star recruit tailback out of Texas I'm trying to win over.