For most of the
sports loving public, the launch of the NFL season means preparing Sunday
barbeques, trying not to let bookies break their legs, and drinking copious
amounts of cheap beer. For the more domicile sports video game player, the
month of August yields different results: looking through bloodshot eyes after
the midnight hour, massaging sore thumbs after marathons of gaming, and drinking
copious amounts of cheap beer. The cause? The annual release of Electronic
Arts’ long time Madden football franchise. This year’s release, Madden 2003,
has a lot of weight to shoulder as it follows video football’s consummate
product, Madden 2002, and the excellent NCAA Football 2003, also from EA.
Madden 2003 is
basically a tune-up of Madden 2002 with a few extra features thrown in. The
addition of new tackling and receiving animations, mini-camp mode, and
create-a-playbook are nice, but do they add enough to a game that’s little more
than a re-hash of an older game?
The Madden series
has gained its popularity through its gameplay and has always been one of the
best sports simulations throughout its multi-decade existence. The complexity
and authenticity can sometimes be daunting, but to the football purist they are
sheer delight. Madden 2003 continues the tradition, but plays almost exactly
like Madden 2002, which is actually a good thing. Basic gameplay can be picked
up quite easily, and with a few hours of practice the more difficult actions
such as calling audibles and hot routes will become second nature. Madden
veterans won’t be disappointed with the small additions the developers at
Tiburon have made. A new defensive coach’s cam takes away some of the chaos
that playing defense can cause. More in-depth audibles are available for
linebackers, linemen, and the secondary to adjust to pesky shifting offenses.
No other sports game allows you to do as much as Madden 2003.
Most of the game
modes have been carried over from 2003, and the two new game modes, mini-camp
and on-line modes, add even more depth. Football 101 is an incredibly helpful
how-to session taught by the girthy guru himself. First, each play is broken
down to layman’s terms, then Madden runs the play as an example pointing out the
key elements and appropriate timing, and finally, players try repetitions of the
play with the chance to earn tokens and perfect gridiron strategy. Two Minute
Drill pits players against the clock by throwing them on their own 20 yard and
giving them two minutes to score as many times as they can. Franchise mode is
still the backbone of Madden. Taking a team through pre-seasons, regular
seasons, and off seasons is the next best thing to playing in the NFL. The
managerial side of the Franchise mode can be just as important as the play on
the field. Recruiting the right players or creating your own and giving them
the appropriate playing time will pay off in the future as these football
fledglings can develop into hall-of-famers. You can even import a draft class
from EA’s NCAA Football 2003 and continue the professional career of your
college star.
Of the new
features, mini-camp mode boasts the most reasons football fanatics should
immediately run out and buy Madden 2003. Mini-camp provides plenty of
entertainment for the hardened Madden pro and the green-thumbed novice. Almost
all of the primary football positions, offense and defense, are featured in one
of eight drills designed to improve players’ skills through simple repetitions.
Some of the highlights include the defensive back ball-swatting drill and the
precision passing quarterback drill where QBs must throw passes through floating
rings to receivers running various patterns. Players are garbed in their
appropriate off-season apparel, and the mini-camp locations look great. All
eight mini-camp drills have four difficulty levels for a total of 32 drills.
Each of the 32 NFL teams is represented in one of the drills and credit is given
where credit is due. For example, Kurt Warner of the Rams helms the All-Madden
difficulty precision passing drill, Michael Strahan of the Giants gets the
All-Madden nod for the defensive tackle drill, and the expansion team Texans’
punter launches punts in the Rookie level punting drill. Completing a drill
successfully will unlock higher difficulty level drills and opportunities to
test out newly honed skills in specially set up game situations.
Madden 2003
retains much of the great look Madden 2002 had. The graphics and animations are
slightly upgraded from 2002 with the addition of gang tackles and other
animations. One of the main complaints of Madden 2002 was the mannequin-esque
appearance of the players. This year, the faces of players look a bit more
realistic and less like the Lego men of Madden 2002. The only time the graphics
have problems is when players occasionally morph into each other after the
completion of a play. Luckily this doesn’t effect the actual play on the field
and only blemishes replays.
The first thing
you’ll want to do when you get a copy of Madden 2003 is head straight for the
settings and turn off the pathetic excuse for a soundtrack. Gone are the days
of Mos Def, Black Eyed Peas, and any hip-hop that’s good. The new lineup
consists of Coors Light rockers Andrew W.K. and Bon Jovi. Yes, Bon Jovi. It
was a terrible choice for EA to stray down the path of Top 40, and
commercializes the game a bit too much.
Fortunately, the
audio portion of Madden 2003 isn’t confined just to the soundtrack. The
commentary team of Al Michaels and John Madden, this year’s Monday Night
Football team, is stellar. The commentary engine continues to improve each
year, and this year’s version is so lifelike, it’s frightening. Crowd reactions
have also been revamped. Bad calls are booed, bad playing is booed by home
fans, and even stadium specific chants such as Cleveland’s Dog Pound can be
heard. While the game looks amazing, it’s really the sound that solidifies
Madden 2003 as more of an experience than a game.
Madden 2003 is
rated E for everyone.
Gameplay: 9.5
Madden continues
to live up to its hype. Nearly flawless gameplay in one of the most complex
sports means ultra-realism and endless fun. The Playstation 2 version is the
only version that allows online play.
Graphics: 9
The players move
almost like their real counterparts, the field and stadiums look fantastic, and
the overall presentation is exceptional. Not quite as vibrant and crisp as its
Xbox and Gamecube counterparts.
Sound: 8
Should be a
perfect 10 because of commentary and stadium sounds. Should be a lowly zero for
the soundtrack.
Difficulty: Hard
The game is
overwhelming without any video football experience, but once you become a
football phenom, Madden 2003 becomes a game of chess with overgrown pawns.
Concept: 8
Mini-camp mode and
practice mode are wonderful features that help Pee-Wee pigskinners become
gridiron greats.
Multiplayer: 9
The bragging
rights involved in Madden are epic. And some of the contests are so legendary,
you may be able to give your grandkids an earful. Up to eight players are
supported with two multitaps. The Online feature was not ready at time of
review.
Overall: 9
While there seems
to be some intangible lacking that Madden 2002 possessed, the addition of online
play and Mini-camp are simply awesome. This game is a must for Madden
fanatics.
