NCAA game finally catches up to pros

From the Sega Genesis to the present, every college football game that has ever been released has been vastly eclipsed by the large shadow of the sweetness that is the "Madden" series of NFL games. Finally, a college game has been released that brings the genre closer to the uber-game status reserved for such titles as "Madden," "NHL Hockey" and "Excitebike."\nA key component to this equation is special features -- you can play a season, set up a dynasty (even with IU), play a single game or set up a rivalry game. Every school has a rival, and all of the trophies are given out, from the Old Oaken Bucket to Paul Bunyan's Axe.\nIn addition to creating players, the game is just like "Madden" in that you can create an actual team. You get to select every factor, from where the campus is located to what type of team it is, from "powerhouse" to "academic school" to "whipping boy," among others.\nIn beginning a season as IU, I noticed that William & Mary was not one of the teams in the game (there are all 117 Division I-A teams, plus the Ivy League and a few other Division I-AA notables). That problem was easily remedied by creating the team. (In case you are interested, you have an option of putting blue turf in your stadium, just like they do at Boise State. Don't ask why I know that.)\nWhile the features are nice, what really makes this game great is the realism. Every stadium is meticulously recreated, from IU's Memorial Stadium to Kent State's Dix Stadium. Players have grass-stained uniforms by the end of the game. If you are not careful with IU's kicking game, you will miss extra points. The programmers even thought to add the school fight song for every team in the game.\nAnother great feature in the season mode is that, if the game you are playing is not on TV, the contest's announcing trio of Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Lee Corso don't call the game -- you only hear the P.A. announcer and the crowd. That's just a brilliant touch, if you ask me.\nSo if you love college football, or just find it to be an activity around which you schedule your tailgating, "College Football 2003" is a worthy title to own.