NCAA Football 2002

"College Football at its Best"

After playing Madden 2001, I was wondering if College Football would be a good buy. After all, the game seemed like a lot of the same, but fortunately, EA added enough difference to make it worthwhile. The game feels like college football, and it is different enough from Madden 2001 to make it worthwhile.

Graphics 9/10 - Looks a lot like Madden 2001, with some adjustments. The graphics were perfect a year ago, and now they're simply great. The player models are wonderful, and the stadiums are great too. This is a simply marvelous game to look at.

Game Modes 8/10 - While the game modes are almost identical to Madden 2001, the dynasty mode for college football is wonderful. No trades, no signing, unpredictable players leaving and staying, and so much more makes the dynasty mode a new flavor, and wonderful new game mode adapted for college. The only thing that could have made the dynasty is the option to switch out of the BCS format, which I have lovingly renamed to the BS system. Other than that, the modes are standard, and about the best you should expect out of a football game, but nothing really new or exceptional.

Gameplay 10/10 - The gameplay is the greatest part of NCAA Football 2002. The game actually feels like a college game as opposed to a pro game. You have more trick plays, options, new formations, more mistakes, and everything you'd expect out of college players. The controls are excellent, and you can tell the diffrence between playing in rain and dry conditions. The passing game is accurate to what you'd expect from college players. You experience a lot more fumbles in the game than in Madden, after all, it is college. While the gameplay isn't quite perfect, a few tweaks to the slider bars, and you should get it right to the way it should be. The gameplay is the game's strongest area, and it will not leave you disappointed.

Overall 9/10 - Easily the best college football game I've ever played, and I've found the game much more enjoyable than Madden 2001 as well. The game is a joy to play, and with a wide variety of teams to try, and options to unlock, you should never get sick of the game.

A great game for the college football fan, and a good one for the football fan in general. This game is going to keep me even more interested through the coming college season, go Blue!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/01, Updated 09/01/01