If football is a game of inches, then NCAA 2K3 comes up just short on third down. Which is not to say that there isn't much to like about Visual Concepts' new college gridiron game, but ultimately it still falls behind EA Sport's NCAA 2003 in the pantheon of college football games. It's hard to point to one glaring area where 2K3 really lags far behind its collegiate counterpart. Rather, the game suffers from a number of small Joe Paterno-sized problems that ultimately drag it down.

This game is a wasted effort by the good folks at Visual Concepts, however. They've certainly done a lot of good things here, starting with the crisp (and occasionally stunning) graphics. The player models are amazingly realistic, complete with painstakingly replicated uniforms.

And, it's not just what the players are wearing that is so visually stunning. Some of the guys are cut like they are WWE rejects, which is probably not all that realistic since this is supposed to be college, but it looks amazing. Biceps flex during stiff-arm moves, and you can see forearms tighten when tackling someone, not to mention the always-humorous "eyes-rolling-back-into-the-cranium" animation after a hard hit.

Also showing off Visual Concepts' graphical ninja-skills are the environmental details that go a long way towards capturing that elusive college feel. All of the icons of college football are here, from the diagonal slashes in the Notre Dame end zone to the burnt sienna-clad cheerleaders of Texas. These details really give the game that youthful collegiate feel.

Where EA's NCAA series really excelled was the "dynasty" mode, where you can manage your program over the course of several years. You got to recruit new talent, red shirt incoming talent, and basically do everything but buy your incoming freshmen new SUVs with booster money. That model is pretty much replicated in NCAA 2K3, with the coaches having the option to 'encourage' prospects to commit by visiting them. It's a real blast to mold your team over the years and can be quite challenging to get the talent you need if your team has not been to bowl game or nationally ranked. This mode keeps the replay value very high and is quite fun if you love managing the minutiae of your games.

But, despite these many high points, NCAA College Football 2K3 is ultimately brought down by its spotty gameplay. While there isn't really one major issue that dooms the game, there are plenty of issues that place it well behind NCAA 2003.

The most glaring deficiency is the pass defense, or lack thereof. The defensive backs are apparently just out on the field to get some fresh air because your wide receivers will be open nearly every play. You can play with the AI sliders, but even with a greenhorn freshman throwing the ball on nearly every play, you will be hard-pressed to throw up any interceptions.

Conversely, your running game is still sort of messed up, an issue that has plagued Visual Concepts' games from day one. Blockers seem to let tacklers go for no apparent reason, and running inside the tackles is often an exercise in frustration. But for me, college football games are often judged by how fun it is to run the option; a uniquely colligate offensive system. And, unfortunately, I found it darn near impossible to run the option in this game. It either went for an 80-yard touchdown (rarely) or ended up pitching it into the ether for a fumble.

A nice reception.
Another gremlin that seemed to rear its head during running days was some pretty serious slowdown. When the screen is crowded with players, the framerate will often slow down to a molasses-like speed and then suddenly speed up. It makes cutting back and juking often frustrating and fruitless. The GameCube should have enough under its hood to make slowdown a thing of the past.

All of these minor issues add up to a college football game whose gameplay just does not compete with its competitor. NCAA College Football 2K3 is not a bad effort by any stretch of the imagination, but still does not give the consumer any compelling reason to buy it over EA's NCAA 2003.