Sports Video Game Review: NCAA Football 2006

NCAA FOOTBALL 2006
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Release date: Available now
Retail Price: OVERALL
EA Sports realizes that not everyone has the luxury of experiencing life as a college football superstar, so the company's latest installment of NCAA Football is all about putting gamers on the field and in the dorms. NCAA Football 2006 brings more of what gamers dug in previous titles, and adds new features and tweaks such as the highly touted "Race for the Heisman" single player mode, which takes you from the high school practice field to the Downtown Athletic Club in Manhattan as a finalist (if you're lucky). EA also cleaned up many of the pitfalls of 2005's version, such as the excruciating high number of dropped passes and the inability to establish any kind of running game between the tackles. The improved game balance and new features make NCAA Football 2006 arguably the best in the series.
Rating: 4½ sore thumbs (out of 5).
GRAPHICS
Player models have been tweaked to look skinnier than players in Madden, which helps reflect the young age of college football players, most of whom haven't fully filled out yet. There have also been a lot of additions made to the animation in NCAA 2006. "Impact players" unlock Matrix-like moves when they're in the zone, which is a nice addition. Also, gang tackles, pancake blocks and other new animations have been added, further refining the game's look. The lighting differences between a smaller stadium, such as Sacramento State's Hornet Stadium, and Michigan's "Big House" are phenomenal. The base engine remains pretty much the same, though, so don't expect quite the same level of visual polish as in the Madden games. A new College GameDay-like pregame show has been added, starring announcers Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso. While new commentary from the trio helps with the audio presentation, the actual character models for the three look rather rough. I expect the presentation to improve dramatically with the next generation consoles, the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, which arrive later this year and next spring, respectively.
Rating: 4 sore thumbs.
FEATURES
The race for the Heisman plays out much like a football role-playing game, as you take the role of a fresh-faced high school recruit looking to break into the big-time in college football. When you first boot up the game, you're actually dropped immediately into creating a character for the race for the Heisman.
You'll select from one of eight different positions, including quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and even defensive positions, like linebacker and defensive back. From there you'll run a drill that will determine the starting attributes of your created character, as well as generate scholarship offers from interested schools. This doesn't really matter, though, as you're able to walk on to any school you please to take over the starting job. From there, the race for the Heisman plays out like dynasty mode, without the recruiting and coaching decisions. You'll play up to four seasons of football while attempting to generate eye-popping stats that will attract the attention of Heisman voters. Throughout your time in school you'll accumulate trophies to view in your dorm room, as well as get fan mail. There's even a picture of your girlfriend that you can view on the computer. The mode can be fun for those who seek individual glory, and it's a nice twist on the standard dynasty mode.
A couple new wrinkles have been added in the dynasty mode, the most significant of which is the inclusion of in-season recruiting. Week by week, you can allocate a percentage of your recruiting clout to pursuing top high school players. Over the course of the season, recruits will cut their lists of prospective schools down, and if you can make it to their final three, you can invite them on campus for a visit. You'll want to pick a weekend where you play (and hopefully beat) a marquee opponent. If the kids dig your team and their parents like your campus, then you might be able to pick up a few blue chippers before the real bulk of the recruiting happens in the offseason.
Rating: 5 sore thumbs.
GAME PLAY
NCAA 2006 is a much smoother version than its predecessor. The fluidness of the blockers as they create holes for running backs and passing lanes for quarterbacks is the best I've seen, including Madden. There is no longer a "tip drill" on defense, which was almost circus-like in NCAA 2005. Defensive players are still able to tip the ball and create turnovers off of them, but they are now more infrequent. "Impact players" are the biggest addition to gameplay. Just like real life, you have players that step up and make plays on a consistent basis. Players you can count on, that sometimes goes into "the zone" randomly and are able to make an impact even without you controlling them. Online play is included on both platforms. You'll need to create a log-in on EA's servers, and there you'll be treated to the usual array of features, including ranked ladders, lobbies, news, periodic tournaments, and more.
As far as the differences between the two platforms, the PS2 version has superior control over the Xbox version because all of the buttons are more easily reachable. But Xbox is faster to load.
Rating: 5 sore thumbs.
FUN FACTOR
From the new mini-games -- such as the Pass Skeleton, Oklahoma Drill, Option and Rushing Attack -- to the Mascot game -- which allows you to play as your favorite team's mascot -- NCAA 2006 is filled to the brim with enough fun to keep you going until NCAA 2007. While a bevy of nifty new features has been added to NCAA Football, the best aspect of the game is probably its re-tweaking of the usual NCAA game balance. The actual nuts and bolts of playing a game of NCAA 2006 make it feel just right, and for veterans of the series, playing will evoke warm memories of NCAA 2004. Combining that great gameplay balance with all the new features added over the past two years results in a game that every college football fan should have in their library.
Rating: 5 sore thumbs.

EDDIE BROWN/THE BEE