Look no further than Sega Sports' NFL 2K3 if you're seeking a more than worthy alternative to the established Madden football franchise. The game's superb graphics alone are enough to draw in any fan, but its in-depth gameplay realism and ESPN broadcast presentation easily rank this as the finest football game Sega has released to date.

Thanks to its smarter-than-average artificial intelligence, NFL 2K3 sports a somewhat steep learning curve that requires sound football simulation instincts. Knowing your team's strengths and weaknesses will ultimately be a big help if you hope to win at the game's advanced levels. Be prepared to mix up your play calling and make adjustments instead of thinking the same old reliable plays will get the job done. Of course, practice mode is always there if you need to work the kinks out of your game plan and master the multitude of offensive and defensive sets at your disposal.

Graphically, sports games don't come much better looking than NFL 2K3. Among the highlights: player animations are amazingly realistic and lifelike, and a wide array of facial emotions appear that are relative to game scenarios; stadiums are painstakingly re-created to take on almost postcardlike feel; and replays access a wide variety of angles to put you right on the field or in the stands.

One area in which NFL 2K3 easily aces Madden is its game commentary. As part of the game's ESPN broadcast presentation, announcers Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe call every bit of the action in varied detail. Their comments are far removed from stale Maddenisms, offering worthwhile play breakdowns, player assessments, and quips that don't make you wince in disgust (at least not too often). Stevens and O'Keefe, along with the crowd, will let you hear about it when you bite it on the fi

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First the good. I play with the Eagles and the player face maps are incredible. Freddie Mitchell looks like Freddie Mitchell, not the token black face in the game. A lot of detail was put into the player and animations, and they good extremely good. Some more work could've been done on the stadium models, though.

The ESPN license has done WONDERS for the game. There's some sense of professional presentation for the game, but I have a beef with Dan Patrick in the beginning. Hey, why can't his lips MATCH THE WORDS HE'S SAYING?!?!?!?!?!?! That comment aside, the commentary for the game is awesome, stepping up more than last year's, as the game has a ESPN Sunday Night Football-esque feel to it. I wish that they would bring up a screen showing how long an injured player is out without me having to go into the menu screens during a game to find out, but oh well.

There are plenty of modes to keep most people busy (not as many as Madden), but the Franchise mode is easily the deepest of any football game. Scouting reports of players, NFL Combine, draft, free agent signings, it's all there for 30 seasons worth of coaching decisions. It makes me wonder how long I'm going to keep that high priced offensive scrub on the right side (WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE).

Another gripe with the game is the instruction booklet. This piece of paper is missing a few explanation tips, such as special moves for the defensive line (if there are any) and maximum passing.

That said, with all of the issues I've named here, this is the best football game going for a couple of reasons. First, gameplay. The gameplay is just straight challenging. those who have played Madden and play this game thinking it's just as easy are in for a world of hurt. Yeah, sure, you can get 200+ yards running on rookie, but what about Pro? One thing the 2K series has going for it is its steep steep learning curve. Some people have a problem with this; I like it a lot. It challenges you to learn the game and the little things needed to survive, and then thrive. It challenges you to practice (there's your replay value right there - don't spend it wasting time unlocking cards you're probably not going to use anyway). Those who play Madden know that Madden's difficulty isn't as steep as this one (and before Madden-heads answer back, yes I have played Madden 2003 and returned it because of gameplay issues, and yes, I know about tweaking the AI sliders, as you can do in this game, but Madden's higher difficulties don't make me feel like I've learned anything, other than more money plays).

Second reason, the ESPN license. This gives the game an authentic feel, with replays and commentary that is second to none. AL Michaels is good for Madden, but Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe are untouched as far as commentary. The entire game feels like it's come straight out of the ESPN offices. Replays are more rampant, especially after big plays. the split-screen replay is one of the best, and my personal favorite.

All in all, Madden and 2K3 are very close, with each having its own drawbacks and advantages. If you want the best pro football game today, get 2K3 (and don't listen to people saying that 2K3 is still too arcadey. Blitz is arcadey. 2K used to be, but now it's on a par with Madden). However, if you want to best FOOTBALL game, pro or otherwise, it's EA's superb NCAA 2003.

14 of 15 found the following review helpful:

Better than Madden.Aug 20, 2002

Sega has done it again. Delivering another great Sports game, which beats the competition in Graphics, Sound, Presentation and
Gameplay. I played both Madden 2003 and NFL 2K3 before I made a purchase, and I must say that EA is falling off. Ever since Sega
came out with NFL 2K and NBA 2K back in 1999, EA was caught off guard, and they still haven't come up with anything that can beat SegaSports. First is the graphics: the players in NFL 2K3 look and move much better. The Sound: Madden gets very repetitive
after a few games, 2K3's commentators are dead on accurate, with
new lines and more new lines. The Presentation: Sega has now acquired the ESPN License, now you get halftime reports, weekly reports of the other teams, it feels like I'm really playing in a real NFL season. Madden's Presentation is the same old stuff.
The gameplay tops Madden in almost every way, the running game is perfect, the passing is perfect, the control of the players is very realistic. Madden does have a better franchise mode, but they have had many years of perfecting this, this is 2K's fouth season,, I'm sure they will perfect their franchise mode for years to come. But I'm not all into the franchise mode of any Sports game because I have other games to play.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:

After a season on pro levelOct 02, 2002
By sporkdude "sporkdude"
I'm going to say it outright; I waffled between NFL 2K3 and Madden 2003. It came down to this. NFL 2K and NFL 2K1 were great on the Dreamcast. The last Madden I played was NFL 2002 on the PC. Absolutely terrible. Even though EA is the greatest gaming company in the world, I just couldn't buy Madden for the PS2.

So, anyway, I pop the game in, and despite the extra long loading time, and the annoying front end, the graphics are tremendous. By far the best for any football console game. The players look lifelike, and during a walk back scene after a play, a friend of mine who doesn't play video games thought that it was a real televised football game for a second.

Of course, graphics mean so little when it comes to playability. NFL 2K and NFL 2K1 had great playability, in this game I found it lacking. There are two big things that irk me, and destroyed a great game: too much randomness and too many little flaws.

You might be wondering what I mean when I say randomness. What I mean is that it's hard to gauge how well you're doing when the AI is just wacky. For example, about every fifth game, the running back cannot be stopped. I shift the defensive lineman, crowd the line on 4-3 defense, take a man off coverage to plug up a whole, have three guys wrap their hands around the half back within two yards of the line of scrimmage, yet somehow the HB busts through for ten yards. This happens, constantly. When this does happen, the game is hopeless, and I either have to accept the loss, or reset the game. What about the other 4 games? I play dime defense, and I easily stop the run.

How about the flaws? One flaw is offensive rushing. It basically comes down to one question. Do you want to establish the run, or do you want to try to win? Another flaw is the problem of switching to a man in coverage. Often times, when switching to a player, it seems like it switches to a player that is in no position to cover, while I'll swear there is guy who was closer, had the correct momentum, and could have easily hit the receiver. This happens about one-third the time. Guess what? There are four downs. I was screwed. Couple that with the fact that if I nudge (not tackle, but graze him) a player while he's out in pattern, it's automatically pass interference. Also, sacks are just rare. Interceptions outnumber sacks 4 to 1.

The most annoying flaw? Couple this with the player switching and PI bug mentioned above, and it's this: when the computer feels like passing, it will win. The best way to stop a drive? Give it a 2nd and short. It will try to rush the next two downs, and that's the best way to stop it. Not quite a grand simulation.

Other things annoyed me. The long, long, learning curve for one. Another is the extensive amount of plays. Both of these take some getting use to, so it's not too bad. Field goals are a little tough, especially when you're struggling for 30 yarders while the computer is kicking 50 yarders anytime it wants.

So, how did I do in a season? I played franchise mode, which was neat. Being able to sign a player (I got Chris Carter) is cool, but I'm not a fan of the little micromanaging that needs to be done, like negotiating contracts, or signing backups.

Anyway, I was the Packers, pro level, and I finished 6-10. I was first in passing offense, and first in overall defense. I was dead last in rushing. I had one sack, and I was sacked 10 times (about 9 of those times were due to the fact that I had an empty backfield). Farve through two times as many interceptions as touchdowns.

Here's irony for you. I started off 3 and 3, then I started to learn the game and got a whole lot better, so I started losing. Huh? Well, let me explain. I started to learn how to spot open receivers, figured out how which plays work, actually got a little rushing going, learned to totally stop the run, learned how to play defense pretty well, and usually got off to a lead. This meant that the computer would start passing at almost every down. They'd exploit the bugs mentioned early, drive down, and score, and keep doing this. They're two minute offense is unstoppable. Out of the last 10 games, I lost 7. Four of those losses were due to this and I lost them on the last drive of the game. Onegames I lost was due to unstoppable running back. I maybe lost two legitimate games out of the seven. Not fun at all.

Other things annoyed me. The camera angles are not very well done. Even the far camera angle cuts off the sides of the field. Also, you cannot design your own plays. What's up with that?

Lastly, they have the most annoying thing in sports game. Level adjustment bars. How bad is that? I don't go to a golf course and choose to tee off where ever I want. I don't widen the hole to make putting easier. I don't pick up the ball and throw it twenty feet farther just because the course is hard. I play the course as is. If the course is screwed up, I just don't play it. It's the same way with sports games. Also, adjusting tackling or speed changes the game completely, and when you have to revert back when playing another opponent, it will mess me up completely.

Okay that was the bad. Here's the good. It's still a good simulation up to a point. The feel of passing is unbelievable. It's not like other games, you actually have to survey the field (unfortunately, the camera angles don't allow you to do it perfectly). Granted, there are way too many interceptions, it's still the best feel, as opposed to previous games where you knew Steve Young to Jerry Rice would always work.

Two player is pretty fun, since there's no computer cheating to screw you up. Finally, it's a smooth game. You rarely see the phantom catches or tackle, and players don't go through other players. It's safe to say it's a very polished, crisp, well made game. You can see that a lot of time and effort was put into this game.

Would I recommend it? Probably if you'll play a lot of two player (I have not tried the online version, though I heard there a lot of cheaters who pause right before they are about to lose). If you want a good game where you can just sink you're teeth into it, just go out and buy a used Dreamcast with NFL 2K. It'll probably be cheaper.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

10 Stars.. GOOD GAMENov 23, 2003
By j. woods "akaal11"
I bought NFL 2K3 in October 2003, and i think it is By Far better than Madden 2004. I had played Madden 2004 before, and it was ok, but one on one open field tackling was near impossible, and Some players seemed like they were covered in grease. Also Strategy actually makes a difference in this game, unlike many of its predeccesors. Here are hte Pros/ Cons

Pros: -Online Capable
-Player's stats improve year to year depending on their performance, so bad players can get good, with work.
-Scouting, you scout college players, and you get to draft them.
-You can sign free agents off the free agent wire.
-Strategy of play calling makes a difference.
-Impressive player creating and team creating program
-Customizable difficulty settings, from 3 year old easy, to extremely hard.
-Difficult kicking, unlike Madden games

Cons: -It has froze up on me once or twice
-Create a team mode only has 10 premade uniform styles

This is an excellent game. If i had to pick NFL 2K3, or Madden 2004, id take NFL 2K3. And apart from all that, 2K3 is only $9.99, unlike Madden's $49.99. The main reason i love this game is because it is actually challenging

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

Sega keeps getting betterAug 21, 2002
By Michael Kelly
First off, let me say that if you go with Sega or Madden, you're getting a good game of football. It's really a win win situation.
The important thing is to look at the differences and decide which one fits your football personality.
2k3 isn't full of fluff (I'm sorry, but I want to play football, not collect Madden cards doing mini games), just solid football.
Virtually all of my complaints about previous versions of Sega's offering, both big and small, have been remedied. The franchise mode is deeper than ever, with enough to satisfy lovers of text-based sim games such as Front Office Football. Of course, I'm not claiming the Franchise mode is as deep as a dedicated text-based game, but it definitely has all the major ingredients.
When it comes to on the field play, the difference between Madden and Sega is such that your preference will be based on your personality. I always feel like Madden plays like you're on ice and looks very cartoony. Perhaps this is realistic physics, but 2k3's play feels more natural and real to me.
In short, 2k3 is a great game that I personally prefer over Madden, but either way you go, you can't go wrong.

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