NCAA Football 2004 Review
If you're a hard-core fan, then you will certainly enjoy all of the new features that EA Sports has added to make an enjoyable game even better.
If you're not particularly interested in building a program or going through the tribulations of recruiting new players, NCAA Football 2004 offers several different options that will let you jump right into a game. The college classics option is probably one of the more entertaining features, but it's also one of the most frustrating. There are a dozen or so games in college classics that are basically re-creations of the best endings in college football history, such as Doug Flute's Hail Mary against Miami in 1984. As entertaining as these re-creations are, they can be pretty difficult to execute properly. The rivalry game option from NCAA Football 2003 returns in 2004, and again, you can select from a list of games with college football's best rivalries such as Army and Navy, Cal and Stanford, or Florida and Miami. Lastly, there's a mascot game option where you can head out onto the field with a team of nothing but your college's mascot as the players. EA Sports has actually added more mascots this year, so there's probably a much better chance that your favorite team (or mascot) is faithfully represented in the game.
As for the actual gameplay in NCAA Football 2004, those who purchased last year's game will find that a series of relatively minor changes have been made, and they ultimately help to improve an already great game. On the offensive side of the ball, the most prominent change is in play action, which now does a much more convincing job of pretending to hand the ball off to the running back. In fact, the camera will quickly pan over to the running back and make it seem as though he actually has the ball before panning back out so that you can see receivers running down the field. Run blocking has also been slightly tweaked, and it seems as though offensive linemen are generally better at pulling blocks than in the previous game. However, the passing game in NCAA 2004 can be a little suspect at times--you can complete some fairly ridiculous 12- or 14-yard passes in double coverage with some consistency, but throwing a quick 5-yard pass to a tight end or a fullback seems to be almost as difficult as throwing a 30-yard bomb. It makes sense that a fullback or a tight end wouldn't have the same catching abilities as a receiver, but at times the passing game gets a little ridiculous.
Defensively, the changes are a little less noticeable. Zone defenses seem to have been improved, with defensive backs and linebackers being more adept and staying within their zones and then moving around when a receiver or running back comes into that area on the field. More importantly, defensive backs react much more realistically to passes when in zone coverage and will often try to jump up and intercept the ball or knock it down when the ball comes flying through the zone. Tackling has also been improved, and there are now more animations, such as high shoulder tackles that take a while to bring a player down.
A few visual enhancements have also been made in NCAA Football 2004. The player models look a little more detailed, and the added animations give the game a much more realistic look overall. The detail in the stadiums and on the sidelines has also been increased. The Xbox version is probably the best looking of the three versions--some of the special effects, such as the reflections coming off of the helmets, are a little more prominent--but otherwise the visual differences between the three versions are negligible.
Surprisingly, the commentary and the overall sound have been improved as well. The commentary sounds a little more natural this time around, and it seems as though more lines have been dedicated for specific game-time events that the commentators wouldn't normally reference during every game. However, there are times where they tend to repeat themselves a little often over the course of a game, particularly when a big play is made. There's also much more stadium noise in the form of chants, though they sound somewhat artificial.
As with most sports games, the decision to buy NCAA Football 2004 comes down to whether or not you think some of the new features and upgrades are worth paying full price for. If you're a casual college football fan and you already own last year's game, then there really isn't a huge reason for you to buy the Xbox or GameCube versions of the game, especially since neither features online play. But if you're a hard-core fan, then you will certainly enjoy all of the new features--whether they're huge or small--that EA Sports has added to make an enjoyable game even better.
NCAA Football 2004 Quick Links
Summary | Reviews | News | Previews & Features | Images | Videos | Answers | Hints & Cheats | Forum
- GameSpot Scoregreat
Player Reviews
Critic Scores
- IGN 9 / 10
- TechTV 4 / 5
- Gaming Age A-
- GameZone 9 / 10
- Mygamer 9.6 / 10
- Kombo 8.5 / 10
- Armchair Empire 9.4 / 10
- Nintendojo 9.9 / 10
*The links above will take you to other Web sites and are provided for your reference. GameSpot does not produce or endorse the content on these sites.
Games you may like…
-
NCAA College Football 2K3
(GC) -
NCAA Football 2003
(GC) -
NCAA Football 2005
(GC) -
Madden NFL 2003
(GC) -
Madden NFL 2002
(GC)
Users who looked at content for this game also looked at these games.
See More Similar Games
