Average Customer Review: ( 48 customer reviews )
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Although NCAA 2003's gameplay is eerily familiar, I decided to purchase it because of it plays so beautifully out of the box. One thing that I noticed right away is the ability to break long runs up the middle (I play on All-American mode). This was sorely missing in the previous EA Football titles. Running plays outside are no longer sure 10 yard gains. The passing defense AI has been much improved to increase the number of interceptions (the defender will catch a majority of balls that come right to him whereas last year's version made every secondary defender look like Rickey Dudley).

As far as the features go, NCAA is basically building on what they know works. The Dynasty mode is terrific as you can take over a team, compete in BCS rankings and even recruit players during offseason. There is also the new Mascot game and the Rivarly game. I'm not big on features but the gameplay definitely hooks you in and the features make you come back for more.

I haven't played Madden 2003 yet but by all accounts, it should be a great game. If you're planning to get just one football game this year, you should wait until Madden comes out and see which is better. Madden features create a play option and special practice modes. For me, I chose NCAA 2003 because of the varied gameplay (running option plays and all the different schools with different styles of play). This is the most complete football game to date (at least until Madden 2003 comes out).

10 of 12 found the following review helpful:

Football FinesseAug 06, 2002
By Jacob
I purchased an XBox when they first came out and was disappointed when NCAA 2002 never made it to the shelves for the system. So I had to settle with Madden 2002. While I'm not a pro football fan, I still enjoyed Madden a lot. When I found out that NCAA 2003 was going to use a revamped Madden 2002 engine, I felt a little hesitant in buying it, but did so anyways. Boy am I glad I bought this game. There are a lot of differences from Madden 2002 that make this game the best football game I have ever played, period. First of all, it's a college game. Rivalry modes, mascots, fight songs, cheerleaders, trophies...EA Sports definitely nailed the school spirit aspect of college football. The added option play as well as the 5-2 and 4-4 defenses are a much needed and desired college bonus. The AI is real smart in this game. This is a true simulation so don't expect to score a lot of points (at least in the harder difficulty levels). Expect pass coverage to be well pulled off and realistic (unlike Madden's Spider-sense cornerbacks). Expect the rushing game to be a lot easier than previous games as well. In fact, it's a little too easy, probably my only complaint about the game (well...I have one other, being an Auburn student/fan and there not being any fight song, but that's another story...). Running up the middle can get you on average a good 5-6 yards each time, even when the defense calls a jam-middle or under-smoke defense. The commentary is awesome and not near as repetitive as NCAA 2002 or the unbearable Summerall/Madden duo in Madden 2002. If anything, the three-man commentary team is one of the game's greatest aspects. And the graphics are what you would expect from XBox and EASports. Realistic grass stains, smooth lighting, realistic cheerleader and player motions, and so on. Overall this game has few bad qualities and should be in every gamer's library.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

NCAA Football 2003 ReviewDec 16, 2002
By T. Miller "fat miller"
You can't go wrong with NCAA Football 2003. Besides having amazing graphics NCAA Football 2003 has great gameplay. You can choose from 6 different types of gameplay such as: exhibition games, Season, Dynasty, Rivalry Games, Mascot Games, and practices. Also NCAA Football 2003 has many other features such as: Create A School, And Create A Player. With Create A School you can choose everything from what your mascot will be to what kind of surface you will be playing on. When creating a player you choose every ability that is a neccesity in football down to what ur player will have on his wrist. With great entrances from your team, great stadiums and everything down to the mascot taunting NCAA Football 2003 is a must for anyone with even a remote interest in college football.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Great gameNov 10, 2002
By Ben Strouse
This is teh best college football game. The franchise is great. You can make you team go from unranked to #1. The trophy room is cool. You display all trophies from bowl games to hiesman in there. There is a mascot game where you can play as a team of mascots. After a season you have to recruit players. Like real life the best players want to go to the best school. If you are a great team you will get all the good high school players. Anothe great thing is that you can save the draft class leaving then if you have madden(which is a good game) when you finish a season in teh draft you can draft the players from NCAA Football. I reccommend You get this game.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

THE BEST EVER, MAYBE NOT, BUT DAMN GOOD!Aug 01, 2002
By Joshua W Babbitt
I was not sure I was going to get this title. The Madden NFL game comes out in a few weeks, and the gameplay is virtually the same. But as usual, once I saw it on the shelves, I had to have it.
To start with, the reason this is a must have is not because of the graphics, the game play, the improved AI, or anything like that. The reason that this is a must have, is based on one little word. DYNASTY! Not the TV show from the 80's, but the complete control over your own university's football program. You become the recruiter, and head coach rolled into one. It is a far cry from TECMOBOWL for the Nintendo.
Lets begin with the graphics. They are magnificent. Similar to the PS2, but much brighter and cleaner. The stadiums, fans, and faces of the players are phenomenal.
Second, the game play. Improved defenses, and more realistic movements make it a top notch game, and also make the replay factor more enjoyable.
Third, the creation and dynasty process. This is the real deal. Not only can you do seasons and so many other neat things like Mascot games, you can completely create everything. Pick your College, design the uniforms and the stadium, and because of the dynasty mode we touched on earlier, completely be in control of your roster. Or so you atleast thought. The recruiting process is a lot of fun, but can be tough. Let me first let you in on some clues. Do Not Just go after top 100 players. You will end up with all walk ons. Do go after the players that want to play at your school. This will add depth to your team. Do Not waste recruits. Try and get as many as possible. 3 star players can be as good as 4-5 star players in 1 year. read the comments the coaches are making about each guy during the recruiting weeks. See if the kid has potential by what they are saying. And Lastly, DO NOT send all the coaches out for each recruit. It is not necessary.
All in All, this is a great game for any football fan, and for the die hard NCAA gamer, it is a must have. I only gave it 4 stars instead of five, because I thought somethings could have been improved with the XBOXs capability. I thought players cutting when running should be a little more defined, and I thought they missed some of the conference changes. Like USF not being an independant anymore. But great game nonetheless!

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