Madden NFL 2003

Game Info

Publisher: EA Sports

Developer: Electronic Arts - Tiburon

Platform: PS2

Genre(s): Sports, Football

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: August 13, 2002

Intro:

There is no real intro to Madden NFL 2003 at all.  The EA Sports logo pops up with a voice-over that says "EA Sports.  It's in the game.", followed by a virtual football player who says the same thing.  The main menu then comes up, overlayed by a save message.  It's an effective beginning which keeps the player in mind.  The player wants to play football, not watch it. EA gets them directly into the game.

Getting Going:

The main menu features all of the various playing modes:

• Play Now

• Game Modes
• Features
• Settings
• Inside EA Sports

In 'Play Now', the player will choose his teams, the logos he'd like use, and then the game begins.  Load screens feature the controls menu for ease of use.  The Game Modes screen brings up a new menu:

• Mini-Camp
• Online
• Franchise
• Tournament
• 2-Minute Drill
• Football 101
• Practice
• Situations

In Mini-Camp, players will get on Madden's bus and travel to various locations to perform drills and game situations for trophies and a number score.  Doing well in Mini-camp will give players extra skills during the game and the opportunity to earn rewards makes these mini-games feel more like play than practice.  Franchise mode is the "story mode" of Madden NFL 2003.  Here, players can select their roster, build a playbook and draft players with the help of their scouts.  They can play through 30 years of their franchise, building it as they go.  Football 101 teaches novice players about plays and what to watch for. 

Fun: 
Although I'm not a sports game fan in general, I've run into many gamers whose only interest is in sports games such as the Madden NFL franchise.  For them, the game is fun.  For me, it's not.  If fun is defined, for the purposes of the challenge, as a game that gets players emotionally involved, then I imagine that hardcore sports fans feel very emotionally involved with Madden NFL.  It's a natural extention of the season and a great opportunity to get in on the action.

Visuals:
The crowd is a distant sea of movement; more shapes in the distance, than form.  The field, however, is well-defined and the players vaguely recognizeable.  You won't be able to pick out the face of a favorite player, but the familiar numbers and names on the jerseys can be easily read.  Play animations don't look too canned and care has been given to make this feel like a Monday Night Football game.  The weather is listed before the game begins and stats are put up on-screen for easy reference.  Plays are marked well, as are the receivers during a play. 

Sound:
All of the games are announced by the dream team of Madden and Michaels.  Perspective of the game seems to be one of a coach who is calling plays and watching the game play out.  Commentary of play choices and the results are given clearly by Madden and Michaels throughout play, in keeping with a live football broadcast.  The only thing missing is names.  While a name is occasionally used for a player; more often, the player's number is merely announced, instead.  The name is on the screen during a play, however.  Load screens carry with them a rocking musical soundtrack with all songs receiving credit for song and artist.

Intelligence:
Nothing about Madden NFL 2003 is given to the player.  Players choose plays whether they are receiving or defending.  A slot of time is allotted for play choices so the player can't wait all day.  If the Quarterback holds the ball, he gets sacked.  If the ball is thrown too soon, it might be intercepted or fumbled.  What the game may lack in graphics compared to more recent games, it makes up for in game design that sticks to the theme and the apparent goal of making the player part of the game.

Immersion:
The theming and pacing of Madden NFL 2003 effectively draws players into the football world and makes them part of the game.  It doesn't make them feel the pain.  It doesn't give the player an authentic football player experience.  What it does do, is use the sound of the crowd and the commentary alongside real game events such as penalties and flags to put the player in a familiar setting while making them a part of the action.  In doing so, Madden NFL 2003 uses symbols above the recievers which makes it easier to play, but slightly less immersive.  I didn't feel this could be avoided, however.  There really isn't another way, in the heat of action, to intuitively know which button to push to reach a given reciever.

Cameras:
The camera moves with the action, with very little control from the player.  However, it manages to give that angled overhead third person view that lets the player feel like they are watching their favorite team play, while still being a part of the play action.

Controls:
The controls are simple and fairly intuitive.  Menu buttons are displayed over receivers for easy decision-making at crucial moments.  Load screens display the controller menu for quick updates, as well.  The game plays smoothly and never feels as if it fails to do what the player intended, even if the play doesn't succeed.

Ideas: 
I didn't really have any until I wrote the immersion section.  What if the player could experience football from the point of view of a real player?  What is it like to be Brett Favre?  To hear the roar of the crowd or the fight song?  What is it like to do the Lambeau Leap?  What's going on in a player's head during a game and what does it sound like on the field?  What does it look like during the rush?  The sheer volume of players on 32 teams would make pleasing the player somewhat difficult.  How would one choose which players to include?  But, a first person football game, perhaps with the sound of the real football player "talking to himself" in your ear, would add a new dimension to the Madden football franchise.

Memory:
I'm not going to become a Madden franchise fan just because a game is richly designed, but I do find it's becoming easier to recognize design choices and good design in games as I play through the ones I don't like.  Madden NFL 2003 is richly themed and well attended to.  It brings to mind the constant failure of movie-based games.  After all, a football game is as familiar, if not more, to fans as any movie.  Yet, EA manages to find every important element of the game's experience and include that in the game and the player's experience.  If, as John Romero says, "Design is Law", then player experience is key.  It seems movie-based games could learn from games such as Madden NFL.