By CNN/SI Producer Adam Levine

"NFL Gameday '99" pushes past the competition on the virtual gridiron.

(CNN) -- Back in the days of Sega and Super Nintendo, Electronic Arts ruled the football genre on both platforms. But in the next generation battle between the N64 and PlayStation, EA has suffered serious casualties to other third-party developers looking to scratch out a name in sports.

Electronic Arts' "Madden NFL '99" and 989 Sports' "NFL Gameday '99" are the latest PSX offerings this season for avid football players looking to take their team to Super Bowl glory in Miami.

Both games feature the usual fare of NFL licensing, statistics, rendered stadiums, touchdown celebrations, create-a-player options, and varying levels of difficulty. The decisive difference between the two titles rolls down to the action on the field.

It's in the game -- or is it?

Great statistics and eye-popping graphics are great, but when it's time to smash the football down the throat of your opponent, the levels of control and responsiveness over your virtual team are paramount.

Both games have great options that allow players to spin, hurdle, juke, dive, jump, stiff-arm and high step away from defenders bent on mashing you into the field. But "Gameday" excels at creating a sense of real control over players. In contrast, "Madden" plays slower and seems sluggish. "Gameday" seems to respond faster to your on-field decisions, especially during running plays.

The overall movement of all the players on the field and the location of the ball are easier to follow in "Gameday." Getting comfortable moving the ball on offense with "Madden" is more of a chore.

Nice pants!

The graphics in "Madden" and "Gameday" clearly improve over last year's versions. Both utilize polygonal and textured characters that look very clean. "Gameday" again seizes an advantage with sharper looking players and uniform colors.

EA Sports continues its football franchise with "Madden NFL '99"

The two games flavor the personalities of players with classic touches. Receivers in "Madden" crane their heads to pick up incoming passes. Tackles in "Madden" are great -- ball carriers are pulled down from all sides while their knees churn in vain. "Gameday" allows you to taunt the opposition with amusing touchdown celebrations and player rumblings after first downs and turnovers.

While both sample realistic football sounds like bone crunching tackles and exuberant crowds, "Gameday's" commentary and background music combine to create the sense of immersion in a real football broadcast.

The in-game commentary in "Madden" is, of course, supplied by the always entertaining John Madden and Pat Summerall, but their comments are poorly timed. "Gameday" gets a lively and well paced call from Phil Simms and Dick Enberg.

Are you ready for some more football?

Both games feature custom seasons, but "Madden" takes an extra and exciting step with a franchise mode. Players can play multiple seasons in which drafted, scouted and traded players grow up and eventually leave your team to make room for rookies under a salary cap.

Both games add other fun options to the mix. "Gameday" wraps up season play with a Pro Bowl contest and features a most valuable player award. "Madden" features a play editor allowing you to revamp any team's offense.

Any football game worth its weight in pigskin is best when played against other humans. The artificial intelligence in both games is an improvement, but sooner or later you will develop offensive and defensive schemes that allow you to consistently plow the computer.

Serious football fans might want to rent both games and challenge their friends before laying down the cash, but head-to-head, "Gameday" is the way to go for gridiron action that won't disappoint.