Madden 2003
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: EA Sports Developer: Tiburon Media: GCD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Sports
Graphics & Sound: Reviewing Madden has to be one of the hardest things for any reviewer. Think about it, how do you review a game that has been at the top of its game for so many years? When I first popped it in, I was blown away by the quality presentation of the game. Unlike previous years where things were laid back and just 'cool', this year's version is alive and does an awesome job getting you in the mood to play. Instead of falling back to the 'pumped up' standards like Limp Bizkit and The Chemical Brothers, EA has pulled together a soundtrack that may seem like an unlikely selection, but works extremely well with the game. There is nothing like running through tackling drills in Mini-camp while Bon Jovi's 'Everyday' or Audiovent's 'The Energy' plays in the background. The soundtrack is not the only thing to get an overhaul. After a five-year partnership, the team of Summerall and Madden has been replaced by the team of Al Michaels and Madden. Some long-time Madden vets will scoff at this move, but its one for the better. After last year's snore-fest in the booth, the new team has a fresh feeling too it. Comments still get old after a season or two, but with the new blood in the booth, it is not nearly as annoying. On the field, Madden 2003 looks just as great as it always has. Players and stadiums look just as good as they did last year with only a few minor touchups. Coaches are a little more animated and no longer have that constipated look on their faces and players are as animated as ever. EA Sports even went in and threw in some fun features like a half-time show and players grabbing the camera and shaking it after a win. After spending many an hour with the PS2 version, I would have to say that the GC version is a little cleaner looking, but other than a brighter game, I noticed very little difference.
Gameplay: It does not get much better than this, guys. As always, Madden 2003 presents one of the best football experiences around. On the offensive side of the ball, things have never been better. The progress the passing game has made is excellent. In past games, trying to throw the ball was more of a chore than a weapon. Even when playing with the Rams or Eagles, receivers never seemed to get to the ball, and when they did it was usually a dropped ball. This year, things have a different feel. I still saw my share of dropped passes, but not nearly as much as before. The running game has also gone through a few improvements as well. This year's newest feature is that players 'get skinny', meaning that instead of getting caught up on players when trying to go through the line, your backs turn their shoulders to find a few extra yards. Overall, I noticed that this edition is probably the most balanced one yet. Those who do not know the difference between a touchdown and a dunk, the Football 101 feature is for you. After selecting your team, John Madden walks you through each formation and explains the ins-and-outs of the game. This is a great way to not only learn how different plays work, but it also gives you a good feel on how the game works. After gaining the basics, you can then move on to the Practice feature which allows you to run your Offense or Defense against any team you want as much as you want. Players can also try out the Situation or Two-Minute drill modes to gain experience in getting out of those tight situations football is famous for. One of my favorite additions to the game is the Mini-camp feature. Essentially, this is practice mode for more experienced players. Mini-camp mode lets you travel to different training camps and run special drills based around particular gameplay elements. After completing each of the practice drills, a situation mode is unlocked allowing players to use the skills they just learned in real game situations. I am normally one to skip mini-games, so the prospect of football based mini-games did not interest me. The thing is, I probably had more fun playing the Mini-camp mode than playing the real game - it is just that much fun, it also does not hurt that they actually improve your game. Once again, Madden 2003 is a memory card eater. Weighing in at a hefty 59 blocks, those who haven't invested in a new memory card are in for a lot of file deletions.
Difficulty: I have always had two big problems with EA Sports' games - the difficulty jump between levels and the cheapness of the AI. Madden 2003 offers four difficulty levels; Rookie, Pro, All-Pro and All-Madden. For the most part, the levels play exactly how they should - Rookie is easy while All-Madden is really freakin' hard. The problem is that the curve between difficulty levels is unbelievable steep and the levels do nothing to help you transition between levels. Again, I found the AI to have more than a few spurts of cheapness just to make the game hard. Nowhere in the game is this more noticeable than the computer's passing game. Some of the catches the computer's receivers are able to make are downright unbelievable. Running catches, behind the back catches, one handed-triple coverage catches - if the computer is throwing it, it is more than likely that it will be caught, especially on a third or fourth and long situation. I also noticed a few instances of imaginary penalties being called against my team. For example, after stopping the computer on a crucial down, I had the computer call a face mask penalty on a waist tackle. To make matters worse, after I challenged the play, the penalty was upheld! I understand it was probably there to give the game a little extra challenge, but come on guys lets get real.
Game Mechanics: As always, one of the best things about EA football games is that you can have as much or as little control in the game as you want. For players who would rather just coach, they can just pick a play, snap the ball and let the computer handle everything. Alternatively, you could also micromanage your team and control every move of every position; it is all up to you and your play style. I have become so used to playing football games with the PS2 controller, I was not sure that if I would get the same response or comfortable feeling from the GC controller. The controls are easy to settle into, but I still do not think that the GC controller lends itself to football games. This is mainly due to the lack of buttons on the controller - there are more actions than buttons, resulting in some things (such as calling a time out) requiring two buttons instead of one. This is not a bad thing and is doable, but when it comes to tight situations, it is easy to forget. Madden is football - there's no easier way to put it. Even those who may be reluctant to buy this year's edition because they have last year's will find the new Mini-camp mode and the gameplay features more than enough reason to pick it up.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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