NCAA Football 2003

The old joke was first heard in the pressbox at Boise State University, way back in the days when the Broncos were still a NCAA Division 1-AA school.

"Did you hear Bear Bryant’s widow is moving to Boise? Yep, she wants to get as far away from college football as possible!"

The Broncos have since joined the ranks of Division 1-A (they were the ones that bumped Fresno State from the rankings in 2001), and if the widow of any legendary college football coach wants to avoid the game, they had better make sure that the town they live in has banned the Xbox (and all other console gaming systems).

EASports has kicked off NCAA Football 2003 for the Xbox and the game is sure to be an All-American pick this year. The program features great graphics and sound, as well as a terrific options package.

The game comes with 144 Division 1-A and 1-AA schools, 50 all-mascot teams, more than 200 fight songs and 30 cheerleaders. Of course there is the battle of the mascots (with each player on the field represented by the school mascot, which can be quite amusing ­ for a while), and you can scrimmage, build a dynasty as the head coach of a school, or create your own school and march them to the bowl championship.

The play-by-play is either delivered by the stadium announcer, or if you are lucky enough to have your game televised, professional announcers who can tick you off by touting the prowess of the other team. One game played had the human player’s team a two-touchdown underdog. Think that inspired the players? Maybe not, but it sure got the hackles of their coach to stand on end.

Graphically the game is outstanding. The animations, and celebrations, are excellent, though there is a bit of a breakdown in the passing dynamics. The ball comes out from under the hand of the passer, and that is particularly noticeable in the slow-motion replays. However, fullbacks and running backs bouncing through the lines, spinning off tackles and gaining that extra yard or two, is done to perfection. Tackling is also very well rendered.

Some of the receiving animations are truly awesome. Reaching out to bump up the ball with one hand before gathering it in is just one example of the excitement and true-life gameplay featured here.

The environments are also very well done. The PS2 offering of 989’s NCAA GameBreaker had the settings a little hot for some stadiums. Most notably was the blue turf at Bronco Stadium (Boise State) requiring some adjustment on the television screen. Not so with EASports’ game. The blue turf had texture and a dark rich color.

If the game presents too much of a challenge, you can adjust the A.I. for offense, defense and special teams. You can make the game as easy or challenging as you wish.

You can also edit rosters, redshirt players or create your own Jim Thorpe. As the coach of a team, you can compete for conference awards, and players can pick up individual honors at season’s end, including the Heisman.

EASports has tried to keep the control elements simple, but if you haven’t played this game before, give yourself 20 minutes or so to get comfortable with them. For example, there are seven different control elements for rushing the ball, including sprinting or lowering the ball-carrier's head, dive or slide, jump or hurdle, spin, juke, stiff arm and lateral. If you call the option, there are three things that can happen: the pitch is the primary move, but you can also fake the pitch or hand the ball off to the fullback on the triple option.

The game sound is exactly what one would expect. You will hear background chants from the crowd for the home team, and the crack of the pads is well rendered. Like 989’s game, players are not named, but rather called by number. Names on the back of the jersey consist of the player’s position and number.

NCAA Football 2003 is a crisply rendered game that sports terrific animation and appropriate sound. This game bounces off the tackles of would-be console contenders and sprints past the first-down marker toward the endzone. This is a wonderful game.

This program is rated for Everyone.

Gameplay: 9
The options menu will determine how you move through the game, but from the opening kickoff to the final whistle, this game features all the excitement and unpredictable trappings of the college game.

Graphics: 8.5
There are a few glitches in the animation that stand out simple because most of the game is so well rendered. The stadiums and cheerleaders are excellent, and the dynamic lighting effects bring the three-dimensional action to amazing life.

Sound: 8
While the sound is wonderfully rendered, most of what this game features is what you would expect. The game does step it up though with the wide variety of fight songs, and background noise.

Difficulty: Medium
The controls have been managed with ease of use in mind. While the control elements are similar to Madden football, if you haven’t played an EA gridiron title, give yourself time to get comfortable with the control elements. You can adjust the A.I. of the game, and have the CPU help you with your running and passing attacks.

Concept: 8.5
The game’s "create-a-school" feature and trophy room are both new to the title, and are nice additions at that. This program does feature a solid options package.

Multiplayer: 8
As with most games of this nature, the true enjoyment and unpredictability of playing style, comes to the fore when you tangle with friends. Up to four can play this game, and as it stands now, this game does not have an online feature.

Overall: 8.9
This is a wonderful, well-designed game that realizes the joy and excitement of the collegiate game. The animation is exceptional, and the options package is certain to give fans of this sport many enjoyable hours of total gridiron immersion.