This is College Football

Published July 29, 2008

For better or worse, EA's NCAA Football series will always be tied to its older brother Madden. Despite their many similarities, NCAA® Football 09 does more than any of its predecessors to distinguish itself from Madden, as it injects every aspect of the gridiron game with the raw athleticism and fervor found only in college athletics.

Poor Hurricane.

Amateur Skill Be Praised
This embrace of the amateur athlete is best illustrated on the field. Whether you're throwing your arms up in dismay as you watch a ball glance tantalizingly off the fingertips of a marginally open receiver, or you're laughing with glee as you trick a linebacker into over-pursuit allowing you to cutback for a huge gain, the common gaffes and occasional breathtaking display of daring ability are as they should be.

While this was also true of previous versions, NCAA Football 09 bears a noticeably more authentic likeness to the amateur skills of the players it simulates.

Imagine the thrill and tension of facing a player-controlled school as your BCS bowl invitation hangs in the balance.

College Play Notes
Beyond that elusive but all important amateur play style, NCAA Football 09 takes a cue from its remarkably versatile cover athlete, Darren McFadden, to inject the gameplay with a host of game-making new features.

• Constant control: With the new "Breakaway" engine, NCAA Football 09 frees up each player from the constraints of animation routines. Put combo moves together (such as juking left followed immediately by a spin), and even affect the nature of your move mid-animation. Want to pull short a juke to the left or send one even more abruptly to the right? Just crank the left thumbstick in that direction during the move.
• Quarterback Quiz: There's nothing like tossing a bone-headed interception for shattering the confidence of your quarterback. With the new Quarterback Quiz, you can regain some precious composure by correctly diagnosing which play the defense used to pick off your pass.
• Formation audibles: Calling an audible at the line in past games would send your players into new formations, often forcing players to play out of position. Now, you can access a series of plays specific to your current formation, giving you the opportunity to freelance with confidence.
• Coached up: Timeouts offer more strategic weight than simple time management. Coach up your team during the break to place an emphasis on your O-line's blocking or your receiver's breakaway ability. This will give your team a quick boost to their respective ratings following the timeout.
• Ice time: Coaches have been icing kickers for years. Give that opposing kicker a few more moments to shake in his cleats and psyche him out of what might have been a makeable kick. Of course, turnabout is fair play. 

Gimme that!

Peopled Dynasty
Brushing off the efforts of an A.I.-controlled small-town team may give your ego a boost, but what if that upstart college program was controlled by a fellow player capable of striking fear into the heart of your high-ranked team? Imagine the thrill and tension of facing a player-controlled school as your BCS bowl invitation hangs in the balance.

You can do just that with the new online Dynasty mode over Xbox LIVE®. This new mode supports up to 12 players all playing simultaneously through their Dynasty mode. This is Dynasty, not Season mode, so you can take the risk of playing a lower-tier school, delighting in your glory as you build your chosen school into a perennial powerhouse.

Roster Downloads
Want to insert a bit more authenticity into your game? Have a friend who's labored over real-life rosters and added the names into the game? Have you tracked down a buddy on a forum sporting rosters for your entire conference? Download and apply the rosters right off Xbox LIVE by entering their Gamertag, or from someone on your Friends List.

Stadium Playlists
Add a personal touch to your home stadium with the new Custom Stadium Sounds feature that allows you to taunt your opponents with music pulled directly from your Xbox 360. Want "Eye of the Tiger" to rock your home stadium when you score a touchdown? No problem. Select single songs or whole playlists to play when triggered by a specific play, such as a touchdown, made field goal, or even a penalty called against the opposition.

Just your average Saturday afternoon in college football.

The preceding addresses many of the game's exciting new features and refinements, but if it wasn't broke from last year's version, EA wisely didn't fix it. You can still take control of a single player in Campus Legend and build them up from high-school superstar to Heisman contender, shape your college program in Dynasty mode with an exceptionally detailed recruiting system, and engage in Ranked and Player Match games on Xbox LIVE.

Likewise, you'll still enjoy the dulcet tones and sharp-witted commentary of College Gameday alumni Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, and Chris Fowler, all while gaping at the extraordinary detail and atmosphere that brings each team's home stadium to stunning life.

NCAA Football 09 continues the tradition of perfection through refinement as all the little additions and improvements add up to make for a game, that while similar in spirit, stands head and shoulders above its predecessors.

Article by Ryan Treit