Madden NFL 2003 (PC) - UK Seller NP

Electronic Arts' American games often pass quietly by on the release schedules of retailers, and most don't receive a great deal of media attention. However, consumers know what they want and they know a good game when they see one. EA's Madden series has been running for over a decade now and the company ha finally released the 2003 version on European shores in time for Christmas.

With a primary focus on in-game graphics and gameplay, this latest incarnation of the series, particularly for PC, claims to be the best looking, sounding and playing football game ever, as long as you can find a good USB control pad. Just a selection of the new visual overhauls include new signature player animations, new cutscenes with high-poly cheerleaders and additional emotion-based bench scenes, more than 300 realistic player faces, and a more cinematic approach to camera positions.

Underneath the sexy new visuals, however, the usual, familiar gameplay mechanics are still to be found, albeit with a few updates themselves. A faster and more realistic game presides, with players following through, making hits on players without the ball and generally presenting a more finely tuned passing game.

The audio department has not been overlooked either. The great John Madden himself, along with fellow Monday Night Football star Al Michaels, takes care of the commentary via a new audio engine, which delivers appropriate commentary based on current game situations and player/team statistics.

All in all, this is a John Madden Football game. It was the first popular NFL experience to grace 16-bit platforms and is still considered by many hardcore sports fans to be the definitive American Football sim.

Platform:   Windows 98 / 2000 / Me / XP / 95

PEGI Rating: Unknown

Media: Video Game