NCAA Football 2004

"The Best NCAA Football Keeps Its Crown"

Once again, EA Sports outdoes itself with its spectacular NCAA Football 2004. I was lucky enough to grab one on July 16, a day before it was supposed to release. NCAA Football boats more I-AA teams, more fight songs, classic teams and situations. It brings Sports Illustrated covers, an improved Dynasty Mode, more extras, and overall improvements to what was in 2003, a wonderful game.

Sound: The fight songs in this game are as great as they were before. They added a few more songs, but as a University of North Texas fan, I really would have liked to hear our fight song...I mean, they have Middle Tennessee State's song, and they've gotten nowhere close to the New Orleans Bowl. To step off of my soapbox, the commentary in this game is an improvement on an already great commentary setup EA had last year. The crunches, grunts, yells, cheers, and everything are all there. It really needs more music, I'm sure there's enough memory on the disc.

Control: Just as smooth as ever. I can't say enough good things about how well this game plays. You'd swear they built this game around the cube's controller. Do I have
anything bad to say about this game's control? No.

Graphics: In comparison to Sega's games, this one wins. Period. I wouldn't mind more detail in the stands and on the players, but I can get over that when the game animation is SO fluid. The player animation just flows. The helmet reflections are well considered, the turf has plenty of detail, and the visual layout of the menus is smart. No complaints here.

Gameplay: EA went the extra mile with the EA Bio, SI Covers, and the Old Spice pitch. Seriously, the moneymaker in this game is Dynasty Mode, and from what I've read and seen, the Dynasty Mode is just so close to flawless. In all honesty, more fight songs would be great, and the NCAA wanting to cut out the goalpost tearing was a little backwards. All in all, great game.

Buy/Rent? If you liked NCAA 2003 and you've got some $$ around, BUY THIS GAME. If you're new to football games, buy it; you'll thank me. If you're new to football as a whole, rent this game...this game might get you into football.

This game shines in every department. Graphically, in terms of sound, control, and gameplay this game is nearly flawless. But where's my UNT fight song?

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/17/03, Updated 07/17/03