NCAA Football 2003

NCAA Football 2003 is the first to kick off this season, and there?s no doubt about one thing: It?s an excellent game.

While NCAA 2003 is based on a retooled version of the Madden engine, it deftly defines its own identity with a deep set of features that captures the feel of the college game. Along with basics like all 117 Division 1-A teams and stadiums, you?ll find 28 bowl games, over 200 fight songs, cheerleading squads for each school, and even 50 mascot teams. You can also create your own school and exhaustively spec out details ranging from its playbook to its logo to its fight song.

Unlike Madden 2003, NCAA unfortunately doesn?t allow you to create your own plays, but it does provide new ones, including WR splits and option variations. The exciting, realistic gameplay benefits from well-staggered difficulty levels and off-season A.I. upgrades that improved the running game and defensive pass coverage.

Along with practices and season play, the sharp Rivalry mode lets you battle through classic fall matchups and earn trophies like the Old Oaken Bucket or the Stanford Axe. But for true college fans, the heart of the game will be the remarkable Dynasty mode. Over the course of 20 seasons, you assume responsibility for every detail of a program?s success, including recruiting, redshirting, hiring and firing coaches, winning games, and racking up prestigious bowl bids. New this year is the custom-schedule feature: Although you can?t change your conference or traditional matchups, you can fill in the other blanks with whatever teams you like.

The three versions of NCAA are virtually identical?you?ll have to peer through a magnifying glass to spot the few minor differences. The main points involve graphics, and the Xbox version clearly looks the best, sporting the crispest details, richest colors, and best lighting. Those familiar jaggies crop up occasionally on the PS2, and the GameCube?s visuals have an odd blurriness at times. The only other notable difference is that the GameCube version doesn?t control quite as comfortably, but that?s mainly because the controller layout isn?t as suitable for sports games.

Across the board, the graphics are slick with a graceful, lifelike style to the animations and great detail in the stadiums, uniforms, and more. The audio also scores big with rousing crowd cheers and marching bands, while the three-man commentary is both instructive and entertaining. It does start to get repetitive fairly quickly, though. Lastly, excellent controls deliver a highly responsive feel and a huge roster of cool moves, including a new defensive ball swat.

NCAA College Football 2K3 and NCAA GameBreaker 2003 were still in training camp at press time, but this NCAA?s game is so strong that you can safely make it your number-one pick. Even if one of its competitors turns in stellar performances, NCAA Football 2003 is the kind of fine game that sports fans will be happy they bought.

Note: This review is for the Xbox version. Check out the PS2 and GameCube reviews for more scores and screenshots.

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