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NFL 2K3 for Xbox
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NFL 2K3 for Xbox
102 reviews   4.11 of 5

Product Description

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Sound

sound is amazing. from the player chatter to the crowd noises you get the feeling that you're there. and the hits, no game has better sounds for hits. the commentary is football game commentary, although this years is better than most. overall i'd give it a 4.

Gameplay

the physics engine in the game is top notch, better than any other game on the market. most of the complaints you get are due to the dropped balls. although this is a bit excessive, in the nfl you don't catch a pass with three guys on you, and if you do catch it it's rare that you hold on to it, unless you play madden. this game takes precision. you have to hit the open man, and read the secondary. otherwise you drop balls and get picked. the run game is superb. you can hit the holes and gain decent yards, but if that hole gets plugged then you'll probably lose out. the game requires a more in depth knowledge of football. it's all about the plays you pick and then how you execute. you can't run back 20 yards and expect to gain 10. my biggest gripe would have to be the interface. to find all the options you have to go through too many menus. and play calling takes way longer than it has to. the extra modes are great. franchise this year is way better than in years past, and the situation mode is a blast. if your interested in a true sim like experience then it's nfl2k3 hands down.
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Sound

The sound is good at first. But then it really gets repetitive. The announcers did a good job but you will get really sick and tired of the "you can't coach that" quote (especially when you can). The crowd noises are lame & the fact you can't play music form your music list when your not in the game is disappointing to say the least.

Gameplay

Okay here I would of gave a 3.5 but I don't want to be one of those people who really over hype the game so I put a 3. Anyway here is where they could use a bit of work. I'll start off with the defensive line. You can't get a sack if your life depended on it!! I had the best defensive line of all young guys (4 or less seasons) that you could think of. Yet when I play a game ( and I fully played 4+ seasons without 1 simulated game) I could only remember like 4 sacks that I got. This is the biggest problem. Next problem is with the created players and the Pro Bowl ballot. I had a 3500+ rushing season with 41 TD's and I was 5 in pro bowl voting for running backs in my conference! Also kicking is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. I don't understand why is that when I'm kicking a 20 yard field goal it feels the same as a 50 yard one. The problem is the moving arrow when I'm kicking. Next year they should make the arrow move more the farther you kick and less the closer you are. I hit more field goal posts then actual field goals! Otherwise it's a blast everything is right with the rushing and passing. I like how then your offensive line sucks you do too. And when you got the best guys in the league even Ryan Leaf can have a 400+ yard passing day. The off-season is great too. I enjoy all the features and there is not a single thing I feel that missing. That is where I'm usually the most harsh about. Other then those problems above there is not major flaws at all.
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Sound

The sound is pretty good, still has some dreamcast crappy sound affects. Unlike Madden the fans don,t cheer at random times. I was really impressed by the player chatter. I heard them say once "you better go back to reicever slash", and "The bus stops here"

Gameplay

I will admit, they do drop the ball to much, but I love the way the turbo arrow works. If you hold down L and R you will do a power charge, and the bus is awsome with that. I read that the passes are to slow, but it is funner like that, because you can turn into a reicever and have time to react to catch it. The online play is great. People cant see your play online. Interseptoins happened a lot to me to, until I learned how to read coverages, and blitz. You can change peoples routes, and call blitz pickups at the line of scrimmage.
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Sound

Like any Xbox game sound is great. The whole stadium and crowd in surround is great and the sound effects of players getting tackled and barking out things is also great. Lovely stuff.

Gameplay

The special moves are much more effective than in Madden and there are so many more. I adore the power meter under your runner, it really does add another whole dimension to the gameplay. There are more defensive line moves and you must really work in this game to get a sack because the QB's are smart. You must adjust the gameplay sliders a touch though. I lowered the catching bar so its easier to catch (was a pain in the ass on the regular pro setting always gettin hit and dropping the ball) and lowered the running a tad and the blocking. I love the way this game plays, from the maximum passing to the studder step spin move you can move. I just love the over all feel of the game more than Madden. I am definently converting to 2K3. The franchise mode is just absolutely amazing as well. It's so incredibly deep that you may never go to work again. I hear people saying that you can't create your own team which is not true, you can make your own team but you can't design and create your uniforms and city. How many people really use that anyway? I'd say about 1 out of 4 if even that. I know I never did. Add in roster downloads and amazing lag-free online play and you've got the best football game on the market.
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Summary

After playing the Madden series of football sims for the past several years (as it has been the industry standard for true football fans forever), I wanted to see if the reviews of NFL2K3 on the Xbox had any merit, in hopes that a valid competitor to EA Sports had truly emerged.
I am afraid I was very let down. After spending some 30 hours in the latest Madden 2003 to observe its nuances, I was hoping for something more from the only serious competing sim out there and unfortunately found another arcade-style game with more thought put into the EPSN franchise appearance than true football gameplay. While dressing the game up with the ESPN front end and whimsical color announcers was refreshing, the 3D rendering of the stadiums are not very good, the players look like they are actually floating on the field of play rather than touching the grass/turf and the animations of the different positions are very cartoonish. Many a fellow player of football sims has commented on how complicated Madden is and many a reviewer has intimated that the game should be more user-friendly without needing a degree in the game. This however, is what truly sets Madden apart, miles apart, from any of the pretenders on the market.
It is clear why EA's Madden remains the only choice for the serious football enthusiast. The 3D modelling is superior, the total control of each play, the gaming environment and the depth of simulation control is far beyond that of Sega and everyone else.
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Sound

NFL 2k3 takes adavantage of all the Xbox's sound capabilightys. The announcing is one again great, play by play never gets behined, and the color comentary comes in when it needs to. Not too much, but it doesn't leave you asking for more.

On field sounds are also good. They are starting to get names on the field so it doesn't sound like they're just shoving it in there. Statements such as, "Looks like the Bus ran out of gas!" Obviously refer to Jerome Bettis. Insted of "You look like you could need help, get it from someone else," that was in Madden last season.

Even the stadium sounds are great. This is really what the Xbox is capable of, greatness.

Gameplay

Gameplay is NFL level. Maybe you guys are used to Madden's easy childish gameplay? The 90% completion percentage? The 8 yard gains on the ground against great ground stoppers?

NFL 2k3 has taken the NFL, and put it in a vedio game. Yes, the REAL NFL. The 60-65% completion percentage, the drops, the hole falling apart on draws, that NFL. People whine and whine about passes dropped, watch the NFL please. A lot of the incompletions in the NFL come off drops. The NFL is getting tougher with harder Defneces each and every season. Defensive Backs are hiting, and Saftey's are getting fined for their jobs.

2k3 takes the ground game and makes it great. Finnese backs better have the speed to cut out side or you're in trouble. Power backs will pound, do not try to race them on an outside toss. How often do you see Bob Christian of the Atlanta Falcons get 7 yards on a weak side toss? Rarely if ever.

Passing is realistic, you get about 60-65%, maybe 70% if you play a good game. You HAVE to learn to get set in the pocket, to look for the open reciver, to wait for the play to develop. How hard is that? If there is no one there, throw it away, or run if you have a solid scrambling Quarterback. Not hard. Maybe some people are used to Madden's gameplay where you can launch a ball into double coverge and the "be the hero" WR jumps up and makes the great catch.
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Sound

Average

Gameplay

Ok People....There are 2 ways to play NFL2k: The right way and the wrong way. The wrong way is to play on normal speed w/the difficulty settings left where they are....This makes all the bad things people write about the game true..such as dropped passes if your receiver gets hit - or no running game - or not stopping the cpu run. Well! If you just set the game speed to Fast and lower the difficulty sliders(They are set at about 50% by default - but you need to put it at about 25%)
THE GAME IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT WHEN YOU DO THIS. My Receivers were getting nailed after catches and holding on 3 out of 4 times. I could stop the cpu running game quite a bit..Point is, if you dont like this game after getting it --- PLEASE CHANGE those settings and you will be shocked and amazed how differently it plays.

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Sound

sound is awesome and the 5.1 dolby digital is probably best sound i heard in any football game.

Gameplay

Gameplay wise the most realistic, fun and challenging game on the market. It has everything that madden and fever has to offer and much more. This game is not for the average football flunkies. so if u are then to stick to madden and fever because this game is for true hardcore football enthusiates. Don't play or buy this game if ur a madden or fever fan because u will not like it. only hardcore 2k fan will understand what i'm talking about. This game is not easy but people who've been playing the 2k series since the dreamcast days will be able to pick this game up and play with great ease. one gripe i have with game is the stats. when u simulate the season in franchise mode the stats seem way to high for players. i've seen over 5,000 yards passing for a season and 2,000 rushing and over 30 ints in one season. so i think vc needs to fix that for future 2k games. One other thing that bothers me a little is the way the runners move. I think they could have made the runners run alittle more fluid like madden. but like i said before very minor flaws.
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Summary

This game has an awful lot of potential, but after playing it for over 50 hours now, I can honestly say that it comes up just a little bit short when compared to Madden. Football games should be rated based on gameplay first, then graphics, sound, etc. NFL 2K3 is a lot of fun to play, but it can also be quite frustrating. I agree with the previous reviews on the many flaws in the passing game (or lack thereof considering the receivers can't take a hit and hang on to the ball ever!). The number of interceptions in this game is completely ridiculous and the fact that you can't sack the QB or stop the computer from running on you all day is just mind-boggling. Other than these few, but major flaws the game is great and it makes me excited about the possibilities for NFL 2K4 if Sega decides to fix these blatantly obvious quirks we've all been complaining about.

Sound

Pretty much the same as last year and that was very good. New commentators with a recognizable name would be nice for next year.

Gameplay

It's just flat out hard to play on "Pro" level for most (for myself and others according to what I've been reading). Since XBox Live will require us to play on "Pro" this is a big dissappointment for me since I cannot complete many passes on this level. Interception 2K3...Uh, I mean NFL 2K3 provides a lot of fun, but it also provides a lot of frustration to go along with it. NFL receivers dropping passes after taking a hit that even a high school player wouldn't be phased by is just so ridiculous it makes you want to rip the plugs out and throw the whole X-Box out the window. When the passes are not being dropped, they're being intercepted. It's extremely difficult to get an effective passing game going on "Pro" level. The fact that you hardly ever can sack the QB or stop the run (and I mean any Running Back) when you're playing the computer is also frustrating. Another thing that definitely needs to be changed for next year is the play calling screen. It's awkward to navigate and your opponent can see the very play you're about to run every time. The play calling system needs a complete overhaul. Other than the flaws I have mentioned, the gameplay is fine. If Sega is smart, next years installment of the 2K series will be a product of thousands of hours of gaming by they're own staff to see what needs to be done to make the gameplay better. I wouldn't spend much time changing anything else because all of the other aspects of the game are almost perfect. NFL 2K4 should beat Maddden and his cartoon looking mini-men easily.
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Summary

Awesome! There are huge differences between this game and other football games. Your taste may differ, but this game is great for me. I think it's very realistic and arcade enough to be fun too. Some reviews below are completely bogus. Yes the manual could've been better. As a matter of fact, Sega even has a 2.0 manual available for free download at their site. Swim moves on the line? Left and right trigger after clicking in on the right stick. It's in the manual perhaps you just can't read. Max Paissing I agree is not defined anywhere and I have not been able to use it either. That does not ruin the game. Scripted? You must just suck at the game since it's not easy. I often beat the computer by 2 or more scores. The computer never does anything predictable and truly never seems to pull any bogus rip off plays.
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Sound

The sound of this game is thunderous on my surround sound system. Awesome!!!!!!!! Next year I want more music added in between plays to really pump up the volume.

Gameplay

Call me Dr. Frankenstein!!! Like I said, I have created a monster. Upon playing this game you will notice that Sega has left the tweaking up to the player. Some may think that this is tedious, add maybe it is, but the rewards are plentiful.

First off, I have set this game to the "fast" speed bc the framerates seem a hell of alot smoothier and the game has a higher octane count while doing so (this may be the most important adjustment). It's as if the game was suppose to be played on this setting and they made the default speed the "normal" speed for Madden lovers (too slow).

Secondly, you'll need to set the catching, blocking, coverage, pursuit and tackling sliders to the left (by almost half) for the best football game ever played!

Lastly, I have enhanced some of this years great players to match their human-counterparts. Donovan Mcnabb, Charlie Garner, Priest Holmes, Michal Vick, etc. Try increasing Mcnabb's running ability, agility and tackle breaking skills and have the time of your life. I am in love with this game!!!!! It has almost destroyed my relationship with my wife. It's that crazy!!!
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