Under-appreciated sibling

Each year during the gaming drought known as summer I eagerly anticipate one title. That title is not Madden Football, the game that historically kicks off the holiday gaming season. No the title I look forward to each year is Madden’s under-appreciated sibling, NCAA Football. The NCAA Football series has a long history of playing second fiddle to its big brother but last year’s version, NCAA Football 08, elevated the game to a new level. No longer was NCAA Football just an also ran but instead it was a top notch piece of video game football that held its own against Madden.

Unfortunately that was last year because for all the progress EA Tiburon made with NCAA Football 08 they seem to have taken two steps backwards with this year’s release. That certainly is not to say that NCAA Football 09 is a bad game, it’s just somewhat of a let down compared to last year.

Returns

Like last year’s version NCAA Football 09 comes equipped with more options than you can shake a fist at. The game has everything you would expect of a football video game including a few new additions. Returning from last year is the robust Dynasty mode which allows you to take control of your favorite school and try to win the national championship year after year. To keep your team on the winning side of things – or to improve them – you will want to delve into the extensive recruiting mode. There have been some tweaks to the system but for the most part it is handled exactly like last year’s version, which means that it is easy enough to get into for beginners but deep enough that hardcore enthusiasts will be able to get pretty deep into it. In fact there is so much that can be done in the recruiting portion that you could (if you wanted to) spend more time with that then actually playing football.

Also returning from last year is the fantastic Campus Legend mode. In Campus Legend you will create a high school senior and guide him on his quest to win the state championship, impressing scouts along the way and eventually heading to college. Depending upon your performance at the high school level and what school you decide to go to, you may have to work your way up to being a starter on the team, which means lots of practice.

Truthfully this is still the broken piece of this mode. Generally even if you go to a school as a third string player you can pretty much wrap up the starting job by week two and then your status as the starter at your position is never in question. Still, you can’t argue with Tiburon’s logic that you want to be playing games and not practices, so it really is just a minor issue. You will guide your player through his college career, eventually graduating to the pros (if you buy Madden 09). The mode is just as great as it was last year and is by far one of the most fun modes to play with.

Additions

So far the game probably seems like nothing has changed from the last year’s iteration but that’s not true. Tiburon has added some new features to the game modes, including a pair of new mini-games. The first is HORSE. The idea behind HORSE is a simple one: the first player attempts a field goal from anywhere on the field and if they make it then the second player must also make it or else they will get a letter, starting with H and eventually spelling out HORSE.

The second on is the Special Teams Challenge. This game is actually a ton more fun to play, the premise being that you can only score on a special teams play (field goals and punts). It is a blast to play but unfortunately a major game mechanic is broken and if your opponent knows how to exploit it then the game will be over pretty quickly. All in all the mini games, including old stand-bys the Option Dash, Bowling and Tug-of-War, are a nice little diversion but you probably won’t be spending too much time with them.

Something else you probably will not play a ton of is the Coke Zero branded Mascot Mash-Up. While the concept is amusing, school mascots playing an over the top game of football against each other complete with some insane acrobatic moves by the oversized muppets, the game mode gets boring really quick.

But there is a new addition that is sure to keep you occupied, especially if you have a group of friends who have the game as well. That addition is Online Dynasty. While I would have been happy with just an Online Season, the Online Dynasty is fantastic. Tiburon has taken everything about the Offline Dynasty and just put it online so you can play with up to 11 other players.