Maybe it's because I'm not the biggest fan, but every time I play one of these football
games from this console era...they all seem identical to me. Like, you could seriously
put Madden on one TV, and NFL 2K3 on the other...and if you took away the interface stuff, if it
was just the gameplay? I couldn't tell the difference. I mean, could you?
It's no wonder there's only one game in town these days. These NFL games...it turned into
a game of inches. 90 percent the same, 10 percent different. And just slightly different,
at best.
Which, in a way, kinda speaks highly of NFL 2K3.
So this thing was released in 2002. And it actually got a lot of positive reviews. In
fact, it was to the point where a lot of people were saying the NFL 2K series was neck-and-neck
with Madden, that EA's series wasn't the clear and decisive winner anymore. And when you
play this game, you can see why. For its time, NFL 2K3 is an awesome version of Madden.
But to be fair, it does do a few things differently than Madden.
Specifically, Dan freaking Patrick.
So from the moment you load this thing up, it's ESPN city. In fact, if you didn't know
any better, you might think you forgot to switch the input. That you were still watching
SportsCenter, 'cause it's all over the freaking place. It's got those awful-looking, red-and-yellow
ESPN graphics, from the early 2000s. It's got Dan freaking Patrick. I mean, for better
or worse, NFL 2K3 uses the ESPN license to the fullest. It really went for the presentation
of an ESPN broadcast.
And at the very least, that makes it different.
Of course, not much else is different. Certainly not the core gameplay. Like I said, there's
no way of telling NFL 2K3 from Madden. It's, just...identical. The same perspective, the
same core mechanics...the same game. Where they differ, to the extent that they do...is
the details. One being that...holy crap, this game is way harder than Madden. The AI here
is all-pro.
Especially on defense. Like, in Madden, it's generally pretty easy to score. I didn't score
once in this game until I turned the difficulty down to rookie. Picking up yards in NFL 2K3
can be brutal.
Which, if you're a hardcore football gamer, that's probably a good thing.
So expect to get picked off a lot, and sacked. It's also pretty hard to break tackles, so.
I hope you like the short game. Tough defense, five-yard gains, it's like...f*cking, NFL
2K...1974. This is ridiculous. And even though you do get a better handle on the game after
a while, make no mistake. This is not an easy game to get into. It's definitely for more
hardcore players.
There's a lot of nuance and control here, great stuff for sim fans.
Kind of a headache for me, though. I'm more of a Tecmo Bowl guy.
You know, the presentation is about more than just the ESPN stuff. This is actually a really
pretty football game, especially on the GameCube. The animations and player models are a step
above what you might expect, for their time. The game moves very smoothly, which is important
for a sports game, especially. Now, on the negative side, the environments are definitely
the weak part. The stadiums are a lot less impressive.
But in general, great presentation. The game looks and sounds really good. Actually, this
was mailed to us by our good friend Daniel from Palm Coast, Florida...and he actually
sent All-Star Baseball 2003 with it, which I also recently reviewed. And both of these
games...way better looking and sounding than I remember, from sports games from a decade
ago.
I mean, I was genuinely surprised by that.
Of course, my expectations were, like...zero point zero.
With these old-ass sports games.
You know, if you like really deep simulation sports games, and you've never played this...even
now, I'd recommend at least checking it out. It's kind of insane how in-depth this thing
went with its management options. And if you're the kind of person who likes spending hours
on those aspects of a sports game...NFL 2K3 still has something to offer GameCube fans.
It was that good for its time.
Of course, only the most hardcore football fans and simulation buffs need apply, but
if that's you...you might want to grab a clipboard, send some scouts. Check out NFL 2K3.
I'm telling you, this old vet can still play.