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EA Sports kicks off NCAA Football '99
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August 14, 1998 by Nash Werner |
From...
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(IDG) -- While EA Sports has dominated the console-football market for as long as anyone can remember, it never quite had a solid PC-football product...until now. NCAA Football 99 just released for the Playstation this month. With the upcoming release for the PC, EA will finally destroy the old "football on the consoles will always be better" myth. Right in time to kick off the college-football season, NCAA 99 will play host to new features, new plays, and, at long last, 3D polygonal players.
Are sprites really that bad?
Some fans could never quite get over the fact that NCAA Football 98 didn't go polygon. They opted instead to jump on the 3D high horse and make a big stink over a few silly sprites. Regardless, EA Sports has decided it's high time to go poly. And I knew that as long as it didn't sacrifice gameplay for the sake of 3D models, I'd be impressed.
Then late one Friday afternoon, it was here, installed on my box, already displaying big, juicy polygons. To be honest, I didn't miss a single sprite. Its huge 3D players (à la GameDay) running, diving, and even juking around my monitor brought pure bliss to the dozens that had sidled up to my desk to watch the pigskin fly.
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But enough about the looks; where's the beef?
Well, this bone's got some meat on it, EA Sports made sure of that. Crazy new features like the improved Dynasty Mode, new defensive and offensive moves, and customizable playbooks make for lots of beef.
Fans of NCAA 98 will recognize the Dynasty Mode right away. It's a simulation where you coach your way through four grueling semesters in an attempt to take your organization to one of the prestigious Bowl games. You'll watch freshmen grow up to be seniors, and then eventually the seniors will graduate and hopefully be drafted by the NFL. New to the Dynasty Mode are prestige points. This allows you, as head coach, to actually gain or lose points throughout the semesters. Gain enough of them, and you'll be approached by some of the greatest colleges in the nation. Lose enough, and you might get fired!
The PC version of NCAA Football 99 will be out this fall, and the
sooner it's released, the better. I'm going to need
something to do when I can't get my hands on
"sold out" Stanford or '49ers tickets. At least
there's the remaining baseball season to hold us
over until football season starts, but it's just not
the same...
