Not sure if you played last years NCAA or if you remember Madden from last year, but, as is always the case with EA games... it builds from last years version.

Graphics have improved quite a bit. The guys look more realistic then last year. Jerseys look better, helmets look better, grass looks more realistic, etc. Crowd is also slightly better, but I honestly don't care too much about them. They also improved on little things like dirt on the uniforms, some new static graphics on the sidelines (like heaters or fans depending on the temp), etc.

A sub-set of graphics is the player models. They move a lot more realistically then ever. If this is a sign of things to come, then Madden could be pretty awesome. Tackles are a lot more realistic with players actually wrapping to tackle. You can also have multiple players hit a ball carrier at once for a gang tackle of sorts. Blocking is also much improved. Players actually hold there blocks instead of bumping the guy and releasing him. Don't get me wrong.. they will release him eventually (otherwise is holding), but it give you an additional second or two to make your move while the block is being made. The other thing they improved on is the ball carrier's movements. They now take hits more realistically and do not drop like a brick every time they're hit. If they're hit hard they fall hard, but if it's a wrap tackle... they fall realistically in the direction of the tackle, so if you tackle him from behind, they fall a yard or two forward b/c of momentum rather then in the past when they kind of fell straight down. They also have new motion captures for fighting off tackles on offense. In the past there used to be 2 or 3... now there's at least a good 5 or 6. From pushing them away with their free hand to lowering their shoulder to spinning off of a weak hit... it all works really well.

Gameplay is pretty much the same. As much as I liked 2k3 last year I still think that the EA sports games have the best control hands down. Same still applies here. Gameplay is nice and tight and everything you'd expect out of EA. They added some new features like Hot Routes. I guess they took a hint from the popularity of that feature in 2k3. I still like the way EA handles player switching, especially in the secondary. If Sega improved on this they would 100% have the best game out there. EA still does it the best and it shows in this game.

The coolest feature in my mind is the Create-a-School feature. I'm not a huge fan of any particular college, so, I created a school. Westchester University (the Westchester Wolfpack). I even created myself (WR), you (TE), Rick (CB), Eric (OLB), Rocco (SS), and Jason (DE). I then started a Dynasty, put myself in the Big East (dropped Rutgers) and started to play. Right now I'm 2-0... but I've played scrubby teams like Buffalo and Army. Should be fun when I go up against the likes of Miami and VT.

Anyway, you create everything from the school name, location, fight song, uniforms (create 4 different uniforms.. home/away, and two alternates), logo and colors, stadium design and colors (end zones, etc.), and so on. It's really cool... and for someone like me who doesn't really follow one specific team.. allows me to play with a team I created. It's actually scary b/c when one of you guys does something good.. I actually yell at the TV with your name. Example.. a WR was open on an out route, and Rocco stepped up and knocked the ball down. I was actually yelling at the screen... "YEAH ROCCO... GOOD PLAY BABY". Kind of scary. The one thing that at first stunk was that there is no color commentary when you create a school... you only have the PA announcer. At first I was like.. aww, this sucks. But after a game or two it's actually really cool and makes the game more realistic... as if you're there. All of the stat overlays etc. still exist... there's just no play by play from the "TV" guys. What is cool is they do say some of the easy names... so they do not say my last name, but when my TE makes a catch.. they say "catch is made by [Steve's last name], 10 yard (or whatever it is) gain on the play". Pretty sweet.

Anyway, that's my long short review. Any questions, let me know!

Originally written July 21, 2003