MEMBER PROFILE FOR Grand Prix 1
Average Overall Score Given: 10.00000 / 10
Total Forum Posts: 1
Reviews
Madden NFL 2003
Overall: Madden is simply a better simulation of real football than anything else - including Sega 2K3.The overall appeal is for hardcore football fans - fans of the actual sport - not fans of football video games. The players look real and proportioned, the speed relative to the field size is correct (a player runs 40 yards in - you guessed it - about 4.5-5 seconds, unless they are a lineman)
The gfx are equal to anything else - alot of subtle flourishes in movement, the high step, etc. I've heard some say (very stupid reviewers) that the juke isn't realistic, yet I saw a juke on Monday Night Football tonight that looked like it was the juke motion captured for the game. The spin isn't something you see very often in real football, it could probably be replaced with the shoulder drop.
Sound is well... it's mostly Al Michaels with the MNF woman on the sidelines (you never see her) and Madden's usual idiotic comments - which after watching a real MNF game tonight - is just about right.
At least MNF lost Eric Dickerson and Dennis Miller - thankfully they are not in Madden 2003.
Smoothness is fine - as it should be on the Xbox - tv transitions seem much much less intrusive than Sega 2K3 - which seems determined to bash you over the head with the fact it has the ESPN license.
Thankfully 2K3 doesn't have Joe Theismann, but I digress.
Season mode and roster changes, plus player creation and practice mode still set the standard - the mini camp is new and somewhat fun - winning Madden cards from Topps or whomever makes the cards isn't what I buy a game for - more sim - less unlocking Mario brothers idiocy.
Here's where Madden 2003 outshines all others, esp. 2K3 - the historics. The old teams actually have correct uniforms - unlike 2K3 which messes many of the uniforms up - although neither game have the actual rosters - just made up ones with stats that may or may not have reflected that team that year - go figure. If the All Star 70s team in EA NBA can have Doctor J - why can't Madden 2003 have Walter Payton? Who knows.
Gameplay: Here is where the game is best. The proportion in speed to action. From the time the ball is snapped to the time the whistle blows almost exactly matches a real NFL play. Sega 2K3 is about 25% faster than the NFL on tv. Also, Seka 2K3 players look like parade floats and not real players. But back to Madden...
The DBs are smart - the WRs sit down in open spots when the D plays zone, the time it takes for a DL to beat an OL and pressure the QB, and the amount of space opened by OL for the running game are all the best and most realistic on the market.
Scrambling with the QB, the way players hit and gang tackle - these are all improvements over previous versions. The physics are now quite interesting, a player with forward momentum is much more likely to break a tackle than one moving laterally to the tackler, unless a stiff arm is used. Tips seem quite good and cornerbacks breaking on the slant and quick routes is just as good as NCAA 2003. Plus you can import draftees from NCAA 2003 - you could quickly digress into a complete fantasy season by 2006.
Graphics: As I stated earlier - the reflective surfaces, and esp. the grass textures - are the best. There are no 3D crowds, but so what. Somebody said the feeling of size in stadiums is better in 2k3, this is wrong - Stadiums, esp the big screen - works much better in Madden.
It isn't perfect, but again, the proportions of the players is so much better.
Audio: Sound - beyond the commentary - is one big criticism. The "Let's Party Hard" i Coors song plus a bad Bon Jovi ballad had me turning music off immediately. Bring back the rap. Put the theme song to the Sopranos on - anything else.
Michaels commentary is the most realistic of any - beats Lee COrso any day.
Suggestions: Free agency could be alot more realistic - agents could pimp the players and players could holdout. But at least players get worse if you bench them and get better of you give them PT - a big plus.
Overall Score: 10.0 / 10
