A perfect & well-rounded football simulation for those looking for a long term commitment. I can't stop playing it!!
User Rating: 9.6 | Madden NFL 2003 PS2
I have been buying the Madden football game since the '97 version and I always keep coming back to this one. While the franchise has been getting better and better with each new year, it was with the graphics engine change in the 05 version that sort of seemed like a step backwards. Bear in mind that I am basing this review off of the PC version. In the 2003 version, the helmet mapping and the surface textures seemed more realistic and more attractive as well as the sideline & field detail. The knock on 2003 has always been that actual gameplay didn't realistic enough: ie the running game. I have found that with some tweaking of the AI (human and PC) and the penalties, a realistic balance of offensive & defensive gameplay can be achieved. With a powerful enough of a PC, you can crank up all of the audio, video, and detail settings and have a masterful football simulation to play with. Also be sure that you have patched your copy of the game as well in order to insure that all works as designed. I just recently un-installed my copy of Madden 2006 and went back to this one. Even though the 2003 version is getting really outdated compared to its newer brethern, there is still something to be said for gaming satisfaction and total immersion into the experience.
