There are dozens of little touches that will really make you feel like you’re at the game. If you happen to enjoy watching the replays, you’ll notice tons of small nuances that really lend credence to the entire atmosphere. You’ll see coaches cheering, players jumping up on the sidelines out of excitement and cheerleaders dancing with enthusiasm. Even those annoying guys in the yellow “Event Staff” shirts (you know, the guys who’s only purpose is to make sure you’re not having any fun) are present on the sidelines, as are the cameramen and the cheerleaders. Sadly though, the cheerleaders aren’t featured more prominently in the game.
Playcalling still utilizes the “radial dial” system in that you actually have to move a cursor over the play you wish to call, highlighting a play results in the route being shown on the center of the screen. I like this system and all but it really becomes a hassle during the multiplayer endeavors, mainly because you can see your opponents plays right on your screen. It simply makes it far too easy for your opponents to see what you’re doing on your next drive, all you have to do is look at the play and call an audible in order to adjust. At one point it became so bad that my friends and I agreed that the D would pick the play first and then turn around so that the Offense can pick their plays. I realize that the system worked on the Dreamcast because the VMU allowed you to call your plays in secrecy, but the PS2 has no such device to allow for concealment. As a result, single system multi-play is pretty pointless and inane.
It’s a shame too because multiplayer in this game is just awesome, and that includes the online aspects. Without a doubt, the online play of
NFL2K3 surpasses its competitors, and that includes
Madden. This is realism here, none of those 400 yard passing games, just pure unfiltered realism. The best part is that the people who play online tend to be more professional and adult than those who play
Madden. This means no going for it on 4th and 15 in the first quarter. It seems like this game appeals to a more niche audience of hardcore football fans that like to play the game by the rules and it’s evident by the game’s online community.
Last year’s game had too much of an arcade-like feel to it (read: players who can turn on a dime) and it really turned off a lot of players, including myself. Though a lot of the unrealistic characteristics have been worked out, some of the more nagging ones still remain. Pressing the tackle button still causes the defender to magically fly at the ball carrier with amazing speed and worst of all, he’s able to fly for five or more yards. It doesn’t matter which way you’re facing either, it’s almost like the ballcarrier is a magnet for defenders, just press the tackle button and you’ll be hurdled towards the ball. Other than this minor miscue, I’d say that the rest of the game is pretty damn good.
As far as football games go, the AI is pretty adept at stopping your team. They’ll pick up on subtle strategies so you’ll be forced to mix it up from time to time. This means that you can’t run on first down too often because the AI will eventually pick up on it and stop you for a large loss. They
did have a hard time picking up on the longball though, I was able to burn them for a large gain with the hail mary plays on nearly every occasion. The AI playcalling was also a little suspect at times, on 3rd and 15 I encountered a few running plays that brought them far short of the first down markers. I only played the game on the default ‘Pro’ setting though so I doubt this will occur on the more difficult levels.
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