Not quite there yet..

I've played this series since it's very first release, and I loved it. Back then, it was so fresh, compared to the SNES-like style of the Madden games still being produced. But every year, it just seemed to get worse.. I don't know why. But in this version, it is now officially to compete with Madden, the big two. And, this can be a threat to the whole series.

Now, the first thing I notice now, is that they got a partnership with ESPN. Well, that's pretty frickin' good if you want to get serious. But, then the audio started overlapping the intro. You know, where when someone is talking, but the audio is delayed, and makes it look like some horribly translated japanese flick? That is not the way to start an intro. Immediate press of the X button. You've failed there.

But, it gets a bit worse. The main layout of the menu screen is very, very bland. Your common ESPN-like layout. And those should just be left alone for highlights. And you don't get a very big choice of play, either. Practice, Franchise, blah blah. But, they dropped their Play-Editor. The thing that made this series great, has switched to Madden. Another loss there. And also, in the Create-A-Player mode, well, not to gripe, but, you can't even pick your players college. I had to re-create myself 25 times until I found Notre Dame. That's a bit of a problem.

Well, Franchise is okay. It's like Madden, pretty much, except when it's Draft time. It has an awesome area of you in the.. stadium-like place when they do their draft, and where you see the players come up to receive their jerseys. Except, sadly, you don't see that. That'd be good for your next game.. say you imported yourself from NCAA2k3 in NFL2k3, and watch you go and receive your jersey, and hold it up high. That would truly be the proudest moment in any Football Gamer's life. But anyway, it's cool how they featured the draft. You have big boards, that go down the picks, and you have 3 screens, and a little.. cell phone thing, I forget the name, that tells you picks that could help the team, or that they need. Neat.

Now, let's get down to the actual gameplay. I love it.. but, then again, I can't stand it. I dunno, here, let me explain.

You see, it actually feels like what you see on TV. It feels like you're actually watching a game. Except it's alot more detailed, and you don't have a side-view. But from the way they handle a bobbled ball, to the way they trot back to the huddle, it's all so real. That is the thing that makes this series so great, just the pure life-likeness of it all.

But, then again, I can't help but feel.. bored after one 5:00 game. There are interceptions galore, and it's even a bit hard if you put it at rookie. The difficulty levels are also something a bit weird, I think they always have been. Unlike Madden's though, which is also annoying, these just don't seem to switch off to hard.

Control
Well, here is another weird gripe. Although it's not much of a problem after a while, you can't help but use the analog sticks. If you try to back up from the D-Line, do NOT use the D-Pad. You'll easily, and hugely just turn around in a way that'll call encroachment. You have to slowly, slowly back up with the analog. But besides that, the handling is also a bit rapid, and uncontrollable at times, with the game's quick speed.
Score (1/10): 7

Sound
The good thing about NFL2k3 though, is that the announcer's aren't so robotic, unlike Madden. They even throw in some jokes, that can usually get a chuckle. The crowd is fine, although, there are times you can just flat out forget about them, as how mixed they are when someone scores.
Score (1/10): 7

Graphics
The best on a football game to date. The graphics on here, absolutely destroy any others. Like I was blabbering on about before, they're very life-like. Arenas, players, and crowd just look amazing.
Score (1/10): 10

Fun Factor
Sometimes, you just feel the need to play this game. Then when the 3rd quarter comes, you'll usually be a bit bored. The bad thing about this is, the game offers absolutely NO replay value. No cards. No hidden players. No record holders. Nothing worth coming back for. And that is this series only downfall.
Score (1/10): 6