-- NCAA Football 2003 for PS2 - Difference FAQ --
-- by Jeremy Watson : e-mail:
[email protected] --
-- Version 2.0, 8/2/2002 --
How to Read this FAQ :
--> Note of Interest
*** Absolute Must Read
<Q> Most Asked Questions
<update> Changes from the last version
<update> Look for my Offensive and Defensive FAQ/Guides to show up
on gamefaqs.com soon!
--> Version 2.0 update <--
1.) Many people have e-mailed me to say that the onside kick bug I
reported earlier is actually not a bug, but part of the college and
NFL rule book. By rule, a team who kicks the ball out of bounds while
attempting an onside kick gets a one time 5 yard penalty and rekick.
I thought I knew most of the rules of football.
2.) As for the coin toss, apparently choosing to Kick is the same as
choosing to Defer.
3.) As for scheduling, its looks as though EA got it right, teams can
actually have all of their non-conference games at home or on the road.
So the option to switch home/away is true to life, good job!
4.) After playing the game a lot more, I have some new observations.
Check out that section and look for the <update> tags.
--> Version 1.1 update! <--
1.) Added dynasty feature, see team's national rank even if not in
the top 25.
<Q> --> So what is in this FAQ? <--
Basically this FAQ explains the differences bewteen NCAA Football 2002
and NCAA 2003 Football. I'll try to make it as complete as possible.
*** Features ***
NCAA Football 2003 continues to have the Dynasty mode we love from 2002.
The Campus Challenge returns as well in 2003 with only a few minor
changes (point values are a little different). You can still create a
profile and customize your audibles and playbooks for that profile.
One new feature is the Trophy Case which allows you to view trophies
that you've won, like the Heisman and National Championship. Other
trophies can be won for winning rivalry games like the Stanford vs.
Cal Axe and for winning Bowl matchups. This is cool because it keeps
track of your past progress.
Another new feature in 2003 is the option to Create a School. You can
decide on everthing from color, helmet style, name, location, stadium,
uniforms, pride stickers, and rivalries. Your created school can then
be imported into Dynasty mode. I thought this part of the game was
really well done. With 117 NCAA IA teams though, you might not use it
much.
More Fight Songs, I was surprised that pretty much every team's fight
song is included. This makes gameplay much better especially if you
are really into the team you are using.
Cheerleaders were added to 2003 and they are kind of cool. I don't
really think the addition makes them game that much better, but the
cheerleaders add to the variety of the game.
Detailed stadiums and uniforms. I just couldn't believe the detail
on the stadiums and uniforms. The helmets, jerseys, and staidum
atmospheres all look stunning. Don't be surprised if you think you
are actually in the game! This is the best new feature in NCAA 2003.
Rivalry Games and their trophies were added to 2003. Hardcore college
football fans will love playing the Ohio State vs. Michigan, Cal vs.
Stanford, Army vs. Navy, and other rivalry games. This feature is
selectable just like Exhibition, Season and Dynasty Mode. If you win
one of the games, you'll get a special trophy for your display case.
*** Dynasty Features ***
The Dynasty Mode in 2003 is almost the same as 2002, with some minor
improvements. If you choose to turn on the coaches contract feature,
(yes you can turn it off) you'll have specific conditions that your
team has to meet or you will be fired. Check marks appear next to
each accomplishment as they are completed. Average attendence and
television appearances determine how many recruiting points you'll
have in the off-season and play a role in your team prestige. These
numbers are displayed in Coaches Report Card screen. The BCS rankings
now include points for quality wins just like the real system. The
bowl game bids are now based on real life match-ups. In other words,
the winners of the Big-Ten and Pac-10 meet in the Rose Bowl (unless
the Rose Bowl is the National Championship)
<Q> --> What rank am I if I'm not in the top 25? <--
In the schedule screen, you can press select on any of your games
to see your team's national rank along with the team you are
playing's national rank. Other team stats are also shown here.
Recruting in the off-season hasn't changed much either. The points
that are available to you for recruiting are based on your fan base
and tema prestige. The amount of points used is determined by the
prestige of the player being scouted and his interest level. I have
to admit, I've had players with Low to Average interest commit to
my school in the 5th week. In 2002, you'd be lucky to get a player
with High interest. A nice screen showing you your commits for each
of the 5 weeks pops up at the end of the week.
Schedules are now customizable. You can schedule 3-4 non-conference
games. The teams avaible to schedule seem to be based solely on
availability of schedule. Take on tough teams to build prestige or
go with cream-puffs to get the easy win. It doesn't seem to matter
whether these games are home or away (there are no restrictions).
You can still import some NCAA IIA teams into Dynasty mode along with
your created teams. So many options!
*** Gameplay ***
Pass defense has always been a problem in EA's football games. NCAA
2003 addresses this problem by making the coverage tight as ever.
DBs will now get miracle bursts of speed it order to make the play.
This results in a lot more INTs and bat downs. The CPU still
occasionally get the deep ball though, but not as much and makes the
running game all the more important. Also if you switch to the
defender and make a INT yourself, the game recognizes this and you'll
see "User Pick!" on the screen.
The running game is much improved. If you play on All-American, the
strengths and weaknesses of your OL and DL really show up. The
running game is no longer just a tool to set up your pass plays. I've
had entire drives based completely on the run. Breaking tackles is
easier, I've actually run over people and stepped on their back on
my way to the score. The juke and spin features are no longer
impossible to pull off and the CPU uses them beautifully. Some
people say their are more fumbles, but I think the amount is the
same as 2002. If your player is fatigued or the field is wet, there
are obviously going to be more fumbles. You can actually run the ball
in 2003 and it is important to winning since passing is much more
difficult.
Coaches Cam on defense is a great learning tool. You can press R2
before the snap on defense to look at what you defense in doing.
Man to Man coverage is represented by an arrow while Zone is shown
with a colored circle. L2 just zooms out and lets you see the entire
field without giving away youor defense. This really helps you see
what each defense is doing and is similar to the same feature on
offense.
Auto adjust is a settings when turned on (default) which
automatically adjust your defense based on the offensive formation.
This can help prevent players out of position at the snap. You still
manually control these shifts using the following before the snap:
Initial button Secondary Button Result
_______________________________________________________________________
Triangle Left or Right Coverage normal
Triangle Up Coverage play off or deep
Triangle Down Coverage tight or bump and run
L1 Up DL normal
L1 Down DL pinched
L1 Left DL left
L1 Right DL right
R1 Down LBs inside
R1 Up LBs normal
R1 Left LBs left
R1 Right LBs right
<Q> --> What about gamespeed in NCAA 2003? <--
The gamespeed is about the same as 2002. I've noticed that players
move side to side way too fast, but you need this in order to play
good defense. Play on All American and the speed of your players
is very well represented. The CPU gains a lot of speed on Heisman
especially when covering the pass. This was a problem in 2002 as
well and can still be fixed with AI slider adjustments.
Spin moves and Juke moves are much more effective as player
momentum will make you miss tackles. One on one tackles are broken
much more frequently in 2003. Blowouts are much more common
especially when playing a weaker team. I haven't really had a close
game yet, not that it can't happen.
The kicking game is more difficult and really penalizes you for an
early/late button press. I had two 10-15 yard punts because of a lack
of concentration. Missed extra points are more common especially in a
windy game.
--> Observations <--
The commentary for television games is a little improved. EA just
added some additional lines to keep the games fresh and increase
replay value. Milestones are now announced such as 100+ yard rushing
days or 1500+ yard rushing seasons. I love it when my WR catches
4 TD in a game because the guys in the booth really make fun of the
other team. Also when you are running for the score, the announcer
says stuff like: "He's to the 20, 10 , 5, touchdown!"
Injuries are much more common especially on turf. Make sure you have
3 QBs, 2 of mine got hurt and I had to play QB with a WR. If your team
has turf for their home stadium, expect a lot of minor injuries
throughout the season.
Substitutions and fatigue are more important. You can change these
settings, but the default subs your players in and out more frequently.
<update> <Q> --> How difficult is NCAA 2003? <--
I have now played over 30 games on All-American and 10 games on
Heisman while trying to develop strategies for my upcoming FAQ. I've
noticed that it is so easy to run on All-American once you learn a
few plays. You can dominate entire seasons by just handing the ball
off. This is must different than that in NCAA 2002, when you had to
have at least some passing game to beat the CPU.
I also noticed that certain types of pass plays are pretty much
always money if you throw the ball right. I have more on this and
other offensive strategies in my up coming offensive guide.
The QB position is allowed much more freedom to run the ball. I ran
the ball 5 times in a row with my QB before the CPU adjusted and
assigned a LB to follow me. With WR downfield, I picked up 20-30
yard gains quite easily. In fact I make it a habit to roll out any
time I can.
<Q> --> What about the load times, ie slowdown seen in NCAA 2002? <--
Load times are decent. I have seen absolutely no slowdowns of any sort
that I saw with NCAA 2002. The play calling is quick, the movement is
precise and rarely do I blame a bad play on the controller quirk.
Cosidering the amount of data and detail in the game, this is amazing.
Good work by the QA guys at EA.
<Q> --> But what about bugs, come on there has to be some? <--
Actually I haven't run across many. There are a few however.
1.) Sometimes when you switch you play it doesn't show that it is
switched on the screen, but when you break the huddle it actually is
switched. This was a bug in previous NCAA 2002 and Madden 2002
versions.
2.) Players run through the goalposts. This is most apparent when
teams enter the stadium to start the game or are celebrating a TD.
<update> <Q> --> Does the CPU cheat? <--
You could say yes or no, I've had games where I completely shut the
CPU down on defense and dominate them on offense for the entire game.
I've also played games where the CPU seems to get great blocking or
a wide open WR whenever they need it. I take this as part of the
football experience. When you raise the difficulty, these events
are more frequent. I guess this is how EA programs the game to
become more difficult.
Don't get mad if you see a CPU RB break you best defender's tackle,
or if your goto WR is always at least double-teamed.
<Q> --> What about money plays? <--
I haven't found anything too money yet. Some plays will work all the
time against one team and then get stuffed by another. I guess it
depends on who you are playing against. One message board said
something about Hitch and Go which I tried. It does work pretty well
as long as you have time and a decent WR. I wouldn't call it a money
play because I can stop it defensively. Against the CPU, you'd have to
expect that you can get pretty much any play to work eventually.
<Q> --> Slider adjustments? Are they needed to make the game real? <--
I've played quite a few games on All American with default sliders,
because that is how most tournaments around where I live are played.
All American default sliders really show the difference bewteen a
good team and a not-so good team. This leads to a lot of blowouts both
in the win and loss column. The statistic simulation is realistic
and the gameplay is good, but probably could be better with a little
tweaking.
Heisman level does give the CPU quite an advantage in the speed area
and makes passing quite difficult. This is why my friends and I play
on All American and use sliders to make the game more realistic. This
is similar to NCAA 2002, so most players will be used to this.
<Q> --> Is this game worth getting? <--
I am a tough critic of games and been playing them for years. NCAA 2003
is really a wonderful game. It has so many options and the programmers
actually listened to complaints about gameplay in 2002. Granted you'll
still have to tweak the AI Sliders to your personal liking, but that
is too be expected. EA has to the make the default sliders interesting
only for tournament play (human vs. human). NCAA 2003 is a major
improvement to the series and sets the bar for Madden 2003 to surpass.
<Q> --> What is the best new feature in NCAA 2003? <--
Stadium and uniform detail is the best feature in NCAA Football 2003.
It actually makes you feel the college atmosphere. Each my team's
coach, Pat Hill (Fresno State) even looks like the real guy! The
green V (central valley) is on the helmet and the WAC patches are on
the uniforms. I even saw the Humanitarian Bowl patches on Stanford's
uniforms when I played them in the Humanitarian Bowl.
The 2nd best feature is the addition of fight songs. This makes
your favorite team stand out in the game. You can even select your
favorite team when you first start the game and your menus will
reflect this team. This gives a very personalized feel to the game.
It is a interesting thing to implement in a game with many menus.
Finally the Create a School option rounds out the new features in
NCAA 2003. I liked this feature although I probably won't use it.
There are 117 NCAA IA teams to play with. There was a lot of effort
put into this feature and it is fun to play with.
