NCAA Football 2003 it is just as fine looking as Madden 2003. I love some of the new animations, especially the running back moves, which seem to be more effective this year. The players all animate smoothly, as expected, and their appearances are great, and they generally look like they should. Outside of the playing field everything looks great too. The crowd visuals look good, but there is still room for more improvement, and the mascots, cheerleaders, and coaches all look great.

The audio features are pretty good, but to fully experience this game's sound, you must have an Xbox since it offers Dolby Digital Surround Sound. PS2 and Gamecube owners can use the Pro Logic sound effects. The commentary is very good, the best so far in an EA football game but you are still going to hear repeats if you play the game a lot. Brad Nessler, Lee Corso, and Kirk Herbstreit are great commentators, and this is the time where I give my favorite line from the game. In past EA football games, Madden has always taken the crown for funny comments but this year Lee Corso gives him a run for his money with, "I haven't seen moves like that since my high school prom!" I like it, and he always seems to say that about my players so I am pleased.


The crowd noise is great and I think it is better than ever with NCAA Football 2003, as it gets pretty loud when you are winning at home. The in-game sounds are high quality, just as expected, but there is nothing overly spectacular there. Overall, the sound is very good, and I hope the commentary keeps improving.

The presentation and feel of this game are great and the college atmosphere is accomplished very well. You will see college students at the beginning of the game contributing the "If it's in the game, it's in the game" line and you'll be able to choose your favorite team, which basically makes that team the default in any mode and also makes that team's mascots/cheerleaders appear immediately when you go to a new menu. You will be seeing a lot of the mascots and cheerleaders in this game, which is a great touch, and your mascot grabbing his heart as if it has been broken when the opposing team scores on you is what college football is all about. Along with this, there are many other college-specific features to get excited about. You have the rivalry mode where you can play against a school's archrival to win the special trophies that are given out in real college football such as in the Virginia-Virginia Tech game, which goes for the Commonwealth Cup. You also have a trophy room, which can hold your rivalry trophies but also all the trophies you win in the season or dynasty modes. There is also the ability to play a mascot game, which lets you choose a team of your team's mascots or any team's mascots, for that matter. There is also a practice mode, which is good for beginners, and the create-a-player and create-a-school features are outstanding. Now I am not one whose sports games are made or broken by the create-a-player mode but this is one of the best that I have seen, and the create-a-school mode cannot be beaten.

The gameplay of NCAA Football 2003 is stellar, it does feel basically like Madden but it also feels like college football, and when I say that I mean that there are big plays, snaps directly to the running back, and of course, the option. You have to pick and choose your spots to use it, if at all, unless you have a team that is built for it.

The meat of this game is, of course, in the dynasty mode, where you take control of any Division I-A team (or maybe more than one, or maybe even one of the Division I-AA teams) and try to build it to greatness, or maintain its greatness in the case of Miami or Florida, or someone like them. You can compete for the Heisman Trophy or one of the other many awards, and have your top players become All-Americans. During the season, there is a lot to compete for: conference championships, a bowl berth, posting a good record to please the school, as you have a coach's contract, which will tell you what you must complete in, say, three years


In the off season, your players will improve and some will leave, but the biggest attraction here is the recruiting period, where you try to bring in some talent to stay or become competitive in the next few years. Let me tell you, if you pick Duke, and say, win the ACC and the Sugar Bowl, these kids still won't want to come to your school. I was able to get three solid players but the rest were marginal prospects, so it is up to me to make them play better than their ratings. There is so much to play for in college football and a lot of pressure riding on every game. If you lose one game, that might kill your National Title hopes, so you then have to fight to go to a respectable bowl.

NCAA Football 2003 delivers the best college football experience ever (and it will stay that way until NCAA Football 2004), and if you have the slightest interest in college football, you should enjoy this game. It might take some time for beginners but there are four modes of difficulty to work at, plus a practice mode, so I say that this game is for everyone.