NFL Gameday 2003
|
NFL Gameday 2003 images more below... |
Review of NFL Gameday 2003
Some of the things that showed lack of attention to detail have been fixed (e.g. David Akers is now back to being a lefty). The AI still does not pre-select special-teams for 4th down plays. The commentary doesn’t remind you of it, so you need to be cognizant of the downs to remember to choose a kick or punt play or risk turning the ball over on downs. The controls are still not the same as the other major football titles, so you have to remember some of the subtle differences if you play more than one brand’s game.
There is definitely an improvement on playability, but not anything dramatic. There are some nice improvements like one-handed receptions/interceptions and gang tackles. Otherwise the game play is solid and easy to master. The play selection screen is a little too busy and high-contrast. It’s easy enough to make the play selections, but could use a simpler layout. The display is so busy, it’s hard to quickly identify the key factors, such as down and distance and time remaining. Once you do get to the action, then it’s nice. The quarterback has mobility and can rush if he needs to, but you need to press the button for QB scramble to allow for the moves such as stiff-arm, spin and speed burst. Otherwise, the game will try to pass to the receiver with the corresponding button.
On defense, there is an option to call an audible. This is helpful if your opponent goes to a no-huddle offense. Getting the defender closest to the ball requires remembering the correct button, but other than that is easy to get to the player and tackle him.
There are several different modes. Preseason has arcade mode and standard gameplay. Season mode is for playing a 16-game season. General Manager mode is where you do whatever customization you need to do. If there is a trade in real life, and you want to put it into effect, you can only do that from GM mode. This mode is also where you can modify the starting lineups and create custom plays.
One new feature is the ability to play online with others over the web using the new network adapter for the PS2. Since this is a Sony game, there is no way to use a USB-ethernet adapter to get online. The features seem pretty robust, but as I have not gotten the adapter yet, I can’t give an accurate report.
The graphics are excellent when compared to last years effort. The player movement is very fluid and realistic, but still has a way to go to catch Madden of NFL2K3. The polygons are pretty detailed, so the players don’t appear to be robotic. Also, the player’s sizes are proportionate to their real-life counterparts which is a real plus in the realism department. Once again, they have done a fantastic job with the stadiums; even getting the Illinois stadium for this one-year stint while Soldier Field is being remodeled.
Another nice touch is the movement in the stands. There is a tremendous amount of detail to the fans in the stands. They have individual movements in their seats as you get closer to them, you can even see their facial expressions. The game allows you to pan around each stadium to see the 360-degree view all around.
The sounds are good, but nothing special. The fan noises are timely and what you’d expect to hear from a football game. They added a person to the booth, Ian Eagle, to join Dick Enberg and Dan Fouts. This helps to add variety and color to the various canned phrases, but I’ve never heard of him and he sounds a lot like Fouts, so he’s not anything special. They also have a sideline reporter with some canned phrases to report after halftime.
OUR PLEDGE: We promise that we have fully played 'NFL Gameday 2003' before writing this review. The scores given above are our honest opinion and were not influenced in any way by the manufacturer or distributor of the game.
This review was written by Tom Downey © Absolute PlayStation
Have You Played NFL Gameday 2003 ?
If you have owned 'NFL Gameday 2003' long enough to have formed a solid opinion on it, then click here to write your own mini review of NFL Gameday 2003.
Alternatively, if you would like to read what other gamers who already own NFL Gameday 2003 think of it, click here to view all of our reader comments and mini reviews of NFL Gameday 2003.
Want To Know More About NFL Gameday 2003 ?