EA Sports NCAA Football 2009

ESRB Rating: E for Everyone

NCAA Football 2009 brings the excitement of college football into your living room. With a focus on the college atmosphere, this newest addition to the long line of great college football games by EA concentrates on bringing the sights and sounds of college football to the game.

Hear the roar of the crowd, see the cheerleaders perform, and watch the mascot celebrate a big play.

And don't think this is all just eye candy. In NCAA Football 2009, the college atmosphere walks onto the field. You will feel the rush of playing on the road in a packed stadium when you try to preview your play only to see blurred lines where your receiver routes should be.

• Home Field Advantage. Plays become blurred, quarterbacks lose their composure, and kickers are iced with a time out when you play in one of the big stadiums.
• Wide Open Gameplay. This year's NCAA Football focuses on the wide open gameplay of college football by providing huge cut-back lanes, over-pursuing defenders and pump fakes that actually fool the defense.
• Online Dynasty Mode. It has been every NCAA Football fan's dream for some time now -- finally, play against your friends in an online dynasty and show them who is really the king of the gridiron.
• Fluid Motion. The new engine allows graphics to be changed mid-move, so you can now break out of that spin move to stiff arm a defender or just hurdle over them.

NCAA Football 2009 Debuts on the Nintendo Wii With Wii All-Play

• Wii All-Play. An entirely re-envisioned control system allows friends and family to play on an even playing field even if they are not a football fanatic.
• All-Play Playcalling. Simplified playcalling based on the player's skill level lets people unfamiliar with football get into the game or even turn the playcalling duties over to the head coach.
• Battle of the Mascots. Play as your favorite team's mascots and show the other guy who's boss.
• Celebrate with your Miis. Battle it out for Mii fans and gain a boost on the field.

NCAA Football 2009 is out and it is easy to say that it provides the best college football experience of any video game. EA Sports spend time throwing in all of those finishing touches to really round out an already great game.

The stadiums are really alive in this years version with more realistic fans and sidelines with players doing different things, cheerleaders, and cameramen. After you score, you can showboat it alone, run over and celebrate with your mascot, or head over to your teammates to give them a high five.

The gameplay is similar to NCAA Football 2008, but it is much more wide open. Big plays are everywhere. Run a crossing route, break a tackle, and take it to the house. Call a sweep and watch your halfback actually make it to the corner. Throw it deep and actually have a shot at coming down with the ball -- unlike last year when the 'go' route was really the 'do not go' route.

And this wide-open gameplay extends to the computer too. Its much harder to stop the computer AI than last year's version, which gives a new level of challenge whether you are in all-american mode or heisman mode.

NCAA Football 2009 Delivers a Jaw-Dropping Graphical Experience

On the Xbox 360, the graphical jump from 2008 to 2009 is just as high as the leap made from the Xbox 360 debut version of 2007 to the 2008 version. Players snag the ball out of the air, put their hand on the ground to keep from losing their balance, slide between tacklers, and tip-toe down the sidelines.

Between the pre-snap animations of players moving up to the line of scrimmage and then backing off to the high-caliber animations of catching the ball and running with it, you really feel like you are watching a real game.

The Wide Open Gameplay of NCAA Football 2009

College football is about big plays and momentum shifts, and NCAA Football 2009 has put those big plays into the game. From spread formations to cutback lanes, this version of NCAA Football is about taking it to the house at any given moment.

But this big play ability cuts both ways. You'll no longer be laughing when the computer calls a screen and then throws it deep to the wide receiver -- instead, you'll watch the computer's halfback slide through your defense with 300 pound linemen leading the way.

The playbooks have been revamped, so you might find your favorite play missing. But there are plenty of new plays that can become new favorites. Among the new play types are 'mesh' plays which feature wide recievers running crossing routes while other recievers cross in the opposite direction creating a shield to knock defenders off their coverage.

The Best NCAA Football Game Yet

It might not be the most complete game on next-gen consoles -- we still don't have medical redshirts and spring games -- but it does stand head and shoulders above previous versions. The smooth breakaway engine gives unprecidented control over your runner, the animations provide realistic gameplay, and the big-play action provides the authentic college atmosphere.