NCAA Football 2004

Like its powerhouse counterpart on the pro side, NCAA Football 2004 looks primed to own the college gridiron this season.

EA?s college football game was so good last year that it was hard to figure out what to wish for in the sequel. NCAA Football 2004 spent its off-season wisely, though, coming up with a sharp roster of updates. Leading the charge is online play for the PS2 version only, including voice-chat support for broadband players. The list of teams balloons to a whopping 350 squads, which includes 36 new Division I teams and 98 classic teams from the history of college football.

Continuing the historical theme, NCAA also offers a mode packed with classic moments from the last 25 years, so you can try your hand at winning the big game. The college atmosphere plays out more fully with remodeled cheerleaders, crowd sounds that ebb and flow more intelligently with the action, and even cut-scenes for ripping down the goalposts.

Some slick new camerawork really opens up the game, too. When you line up tight against the sideline, the camera tilts for a better view downfield, and when you fake a hand-off, the camera sticks momentarily with the ?ball carrier? before snapping back to the QB. In the playbooks, you?ll find more college formations (including Power T and Bunch sets) and more trick plays, like the triple option. You can also do mass substitutions, sending in the second-team offense or defense. The Dynasty mode offers more refined coaching and recruiting interactions, too.

In hands-on time with the preview versions, the game played very well with better A.I. for pass defense and punt coverage with more effective wedges. With Sega bowing out of the college-football market for at least this season, NCAA Football 2004 likely has the Heisman Trophy all locked up.

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