Just got NFL2k3 for PS2. DISAPPOINTING!

[EvilMog]

I just have to let any of you footballers out there know that this game isnt that great. The ESPN stuff is DAMN awesome though. The graphics dont seem that great either. The animations are ok I guess but they are just blah. All the player sizes look close to the same too. I want some JUMBOS damnit! The game is too much like the old dreamcast games. All the sounds are similar to that too. The control feels off too. Especially on D. It feels sluggish when changing players after the snap. The damn game never wants to pick the right guy I want on D also. I WANT THE GUY CLOSEST TO THE BALL!! Is that so hard? The running game also sucks major ass. NONE of your players moves seem very effective at all. The sidestep works ok but the stiffarm,highstep,spin are mostly ineffective. Now I know I'm sounding VERY harsh on the game and I dont really mean to. It still is a nice game but Madden just feels better gameplay wise. The commentary on NFL is superb and the cool ESPN stuff just makes the game feel NFL like but the controls and gameplay are just too off for me. I'm going to eat the cost of this game and go buy Madden. Maybe I can sell it for $30-$40.

Wish the game felt more like 2k1 on DC. That played great.

I really dont understand how videogames.com gave it a 9.6. maybe MAYBE I could see an 8.6.

[gamevet]

Funny thing though. I was at Gamestop today, and played Madden 2003 at the store. It felt just like 2001 and I swear, I was seeing the same in between play animations. What made it even worse, is that I marched the team down the field, without any resistance from the cpu player.

I'm hoping that 2k3 is better than you describe it to be, because I was hoping to pick it up, instead of Madden.

[EvilMog]

If Madden 2k3 is the same as last year I'd STILL get it over NFL 2k3.

[Error]

Madden 2003 has some strange quirks. There are times when I call a play (and I distinctly recall pressing the button) it wont accept it until I press again. Also, if you have your PS2 set to 16:9 ratio for any particular reason the game is automatically set to it, with no way besides going into the system menu to change it.

[Tommy Tallarico]

I really didn't like 2K3 either. It lost a lot of the arcade feel that I loved about 2K2, and I felt Sega tried to hard to make it into Madden. Although I understand the move, I want a more of a loose feel to my football games. All in all, I'd probably buy Madden 2003 instead.

[Melf]

I can't believe the passing game could possibly be any worse than in 2K2. Getting double, triple, and cuadruple coverage no matter where I threw the ball got tiring, as did not being able to sack the QB or even get anywhere near him more than maybe once per game, while the CPU had a field day with my offensive line.

The commentary has to be better too. 2K2 had the single worst commentary I've ever had to hear in a sports game. Constantly berating the QB (both mine and the CPU's!), repeating the same lame jokes ("if they threw in the towel, they'd probably miss!" ), and fucking up every other play had me shutting of the commentary 1/2 way through the second game.

I also hated the way the AI always knew when to set its defense to a pass play but went catatonic whenever you used a running play.

All in all, after WSB 2K2 and NFL 2K2 on DC, I've had more than my fill of Visual Concepts. Very much an overrated developer, IMO.

[Videodrone]

ummm...nope...

[Clash!]

The people in Madden look like Cartoon characters. Their heads are huge, and look to inflated.

[MrKasualUltra2000]

i guess my current sole sports game will remain in rotation. NBA2K2.

[StriderKyo]

Can't go wrong with NBA. VC can't be overrated, if only for that game.

And Melf, there's nothing unrealistic about the safety coming over to help on a pass - there should be 2 or 3 guys there when the ball arrives, if they're in pass coverage. That's what I love about 2K's passing game - it forces you to learn the routes, timing, and touch to get the pass there, in addition to reading defenses. It comes alot closer to approximating what a real QB goes through than Madden, imo.

As for the sacks, I didn't notice anything unusual - you hold onto the ball 4-5 seconds, you should be getting pressure. The only thing I didn't like was how the ball wouldn't leave your QB's hands unless the passing motion had gone all the way through. Madden 2002 was so much more ridiculous the other way - I'd play as the Giants against say, the Packers, who have a great O-line, and 5 guys on my D would have at least 2 sacks. If a team gets 4 sacks total in the NFL, they've had a good day.

I'll be playing the Xbox version of 2K3 tomorrow with friends, and I'll post impressions.