agrall, are you thinking it's worse than 2002 version? I don't get how it could have gone backwards. Can you give some examples on how it got worse?

Actually I didn't even try NFL Fever 2002... I needed a new NFL gaming fix, and hoped this would do it for me... So far, I'm just not impressed with the gameplay... Both Madden and NFL2k series felt better...

Ah I see! I guess I'm a sucker for the arcadey feel of it, but like I've said before I also like how the engine doesn't seem to cheat (at least as much as NFL2K used to). I just rented EA NCAA today and I find it to be really sucky in gameplay and graphics. It's weird how you get used to one type of game and then try and switch and it's impossible to get used to something else. I'll keep trying EA NCAA though, maybe it'll grow on me. I'm thinking I'll go with 2K this year though if I keep hearing bad things about Fever (maybe I'll breakdown and rent it first).

OK I spoke too soon on hating EA NCAA gameplay, I'm definitely warming up to it :D Wow the graphics sure are stinky though, I think the original NFL2K had about the same quality of graphics. Inexcusable IMO.

I bought Fever for kind of the same reason as you. I'm definitely buying Madden for the PS2, but I wanted to buy a football game for the Xbox that I could play online. Having never played Fever, I decided to give it a shot and that was a mistake. Maybe I just suck, but the "Rookie" difficulty level is too easy and the next step up is too hard. Plus, I love that defensive linemen tangled up with one your offensive linemen can instantly free themselves and tackle you when you try to run by them. This one is going back.

I have defintely noticed that one!!!!

picked up fever 2003 yesterday and at first i hated it. Being bred on madden the looser / arcadey play style came close to killing it for me. No hurry up offense (if there is please someone tell me how to run it) and lineman that magically bounce off your lineman in order to tackle you infuriated me at first. But after a few games, I began to realize this was closer to blitz than madden and once i realized that, the game grew on me. Not a very realistic game of football but very fun none the less.