NFL Fever 2003 Critic Reviews

A terrific game. It does have a few flinches along the line of scrimmage, but once the ball is snapped, this game executes extremely well.

"NFL 2K2" will be online for players to go at it via broadband connections, but NFL Fever 2003 is going to be my choice this year because of both the online support and the energy level combined with realism.

It feels just like last year's version with online play added.

While it's clear that Microsoft Game Studios isn't quite ready to overtake EA or Sega on the gridiron, there's no denying that they've made it a three-man race.

Astoundingly close to toppling EA's mighty "Madden" and Sega's "NFL 2K" franchises... It offers near flawless online play.

Whether each play is successful or not is therefore something for which one rarely feels wholly responsible, although the overall sheen ensures that your suspension of disbelief can easily compensate.

This game dances down the sideline between football sim and football arcade game, and it scores.

It's a living, breathing example of the Xbox's graphical prowess and a lesson in accessibility for novice gameplayers as well as the more experienced.

NFL Fever 2003 continues to look good, sound great, and play fast, resulting in a solid yet slighly unrealistic arcade football experience.

Microsoft needs to balance out its AI challenge level, correct some gameplay issues and boost its features in NFL Fever 2004 if it ever wants any chance of beating out the Madden and NFL 2K series.

EA's and Sega Sports' 2003 football offerings are both making bigger leaps over their 2002 counterparts and both deliver a more complete NFL experience than Microsoft's in-house developed football game.

A rehashed version of last year's game is about all you'll find in this latest installment of a still-promising game.

Fans of last year's game won't find much more than a roster update and a few minor gameplay tweaks in NFL Fever 2003, while new players will find in it a fairly entertaining, though unrealistic, game of football.

Solid graphics and lovely character animations.

But the Defence phases and the length of a match (count a good 40 minutes with all the tactics selection screens) prove to be a bit tedious and repetitive and will demand perseverance from the player.

It's a fun, impressive football game but doesn't compare to the likes of "Madden" or "NFL 2K3."

It’s more lethargic; full of AI cheating, slowed down gameplay and ultimately causing frustration.

NFL Fever has more or less stayed the same, which means that it has actually lost ground.

If realism is really your gig, Fever is not the best choice, with Sega's "NFL 2K3" having more balanced gameplay.

There's still no excuse for an unbalanced throwing game and slightly twitchy AI routines that should have been cleared up in the intervening year.