Madden NFL 2003 – XB – Preview

E3 2002

 

Drop those
dumbbells.  Stop running on the treadmill.  Put away the Thighmaster.  Why go
through all these ridiculous routines to pursue dreams of being a professional
athlete when you can experience the most authentic sports simulation ever and
lead a team to the Super Bowl in your own living room?  EASports looks to make
300-pound armchair quarterbacks out of everyone when they release Madden 2003
this summer for PS2, GameCube, Xbox, and PC.  EASports invited GameZone.com to a
sneak preview of the game at this year’s E3, and the drool was running like a
faucet. 

 

A few years ago,
Madden 2001 was a breakthrough in sports simulations.  Using the power of the
Playstation 2, 2001 looked to be unbeatable, and nearly flawless.  Last year,
2002 did the unthinkable and improved on 2001 in countless ways including the
Two-Minute Drill, Madden Cards, and Training Mode.  2003 brings a flurry of new
ideas as well as improvements on everything that makes the Madden football
franchise the best in the business. 

 

The biggest new
feature of Madden 2003 is the addition of Mini-Camp mode.  This mode simulates
skills-sharpening practice sessions in the pre-season and serves as both an
excellent tutorial system to learn the mechanics and plays of the game as well
as opportunities to unlock Madden cards that can only be attained in Mini-Camp. 
The defensive line is replaced by blocking dummies, the fields look like
training facilities, and players even wear authentic mini-camp uniforms.  Each
of the 8 major positions has four mini-camps devoted to it, each at different
skill levels, for a total of 32 mini-camps to complete.  Each of the 32 NFL
teams has one mini-camp featuring a star player on the squad.  For example, Rams
QB Kurt Warner is the quarterback in the All-Madden difficulty level passing
camp, and lord-knows-who is the punter for the expansion Texans’ rookie-level
punting exercise. 

 

Good news for
Playstation 2 owners: Once you have dominated the computer AI you can hunt for
new competition on-line and play human opponents across the globe.  Complete
with a chat room and lobby, the on-line playability of Madden 2003 opens up
countless numbers of opponents to test your gridiron gusto on.  Through this
service, you can also download updated NFL rosters as the season progresses and
players are lost to injury, traded, or just plain suck. 

 

EA has picked
through the game like a school nurse on children’s scalp getting rid of all the
bugs and improving old features.  Players spin, juke, and straight-arm with
extra gusto, cheerleaders perform half-time shows, and Monday Night Football
commentary team John Madden and Al Michaels work with a more advanced audio
engine to deliver the most realistic commentary of any game.  Crowds have
improved reactions, and even wear their team’s colors.  Bad calls by referees
are a design of the game (Patriots fans rejoice!), and can be overturned by
challenging the call.  Producer Jason Barnes recalls a moment in the office
where this came into play.  “I had just scored a touchdown when a coworker
passing by said ‘I don’t think he had both feet inbounds.’  Well, my opponent
challenged the call, it was overturned, and I lost the game.”  How’s that for
realism?  Other added features include a creatable playbook with customizable
receiver routes and offensive and defensive formations, rookie scouting reports
for Franchise mode, and better animations for players like Rich Gannon’s sidearm
toss and multi-player gang tackling.  As for the graphics?  They’re better than
ever, with more than 300 faces, a crisper interface, and a bevy of cinematic
camera angles. 

 

Madden 2003 looks
like it will be everything you need in a game.  It might be just about
everything you need in life.  Madden 2003 tackles PC, GameCube, Xbox, and
Playstation 2 in August.