NCAA Football 99 - PC Review - Gamecenter

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NCAA Football 99

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Blow the Whistle
The player AI is the second strike against the game. Overall, players act and react as they should, but there are some faults in line play that can be easily exploited once you learn how. (See the Tips section for an example.) Receivers also don't behave as you would expect. In practice, when I throw a pass to my best receiver (95 out of 99 catch ability), he always drops the ball on certain plays. NCAA Football 99 I set it up so he is wide open when the ball is perfectly thrown, yet he still drops it every time. However, in a game, when he is triple covered, he comes down with the ball more often than not--it's an improbable ratio of success.
There is no third strike against NCAA 99; however, there are several fouls. These include the inability to minimize the game without crashing; a confusing interface at times (when creating dynasties, for example); a poorly written manual that doesn't list all the features; the inability to reconfigure controls; erratic team rankings; the computer not automatically selecting the last defensive player chosen at the start of each play (particularly irksome if you don't like the position that is automatically selected for you); and the inability to save a game in Tournament and Dynasty modes (although you can save elsewhere).
Still, NCAA 99 gets a slugger-like rating because of the many features it does well. If you have a Voodoo Graphics-based card, the 800-by-600 graphics are awesome. Players move realistically with accurate turning, backpedaling, play faking, tackle breaking, and cutting; and when players meet, they actually look and feel like they have weight. In fact, each player is noticeably different in body shape and size. You can choose from several camera angles, including the unusual upper deck, press box, and helmet cams. Plus, NCAA 99 has the most impressive replay feature I've seen in a long time. I especially like the auto replay, which appears after big plays and focuses the camera on the star player (like a cornerback who makes an interception). Team logos, stadiums, fight songs, and crowd cheers are all sharp and authentic.
Coaches can organize their playbooks as desired to include hundreds of plays from 11 formations. Clock management plays, such as spiking the ball and taking a knee, are also available. Play selection is easy and includes the ability to bluff (or balk as they say in baseball) your play call and flip plays. I was also thrilled with the play practicing feature, which is often missing from football games.
On the Face of It
NCAA 99 has a great interface with menus that use either a keyboard, mouse, or gamepad. Controlling players is easy, allowing for all the jukes, spins, and moves I expect and want. Players can also use these moves in the 40 great historic matchups included with the game. I was so impressed with NCAA 99 that I actually expected the band to march onto the field at the end of the 1982 Stanford vs. Cal game. To top off all this goodness, the recommended install requires only 2MB of hard drive space, which means NCAA 99 rates the equivalent of a stand-up triple.
NCAA Football 99 is to college football what Mark McGwire is to home plate. OK, so maybe I should forget baseball analogies; but even with a hurricane-aggravated hangover, I promise that this game is lots of fun to play. If you're into college football, go to a real game (leave your PC at home), then spend the rest of your Saturday playing NCAA 99. There isn't a more rewarding collegiate experience you can have on a computer--and that includes earning a computer science degree.
Tips
-To call a hurry-up offense, hold down button 3 (C) at the end of a play while the clock is running; this gets you a no-huddle play. Hold down button 1 (A) at the end of a play to spike the ball with no huddle. These aren't mentioned in the manual.
-Visit Doug Pierce's unofficial NCAA Football 99 Web site. This is a great fan site and a place where you can pick up NCAA team rosters. Copy the roster file to the Save directory to see player names in the game.
-An AI problem with the offensive line can be exploited when playing the computer. Choose the nickel defense and the base formation. Play the middle linebacker and move him a few feet closer to the line of scrimmage (but not too close). The opposing center will always block another player, and you can rush through untouched. Don't forget to speed burst and dive for maximum effect.
-To punish human weenies for trying the above tip on you, either keep a running back in to block, or, better yet, simply run a quick handoff (left or right) or pitch play. When the defense is in the nickel and the middle linebacker is blitzing, running plays are very effective.

If you liked this type of game, you might want to check out Quarterback Club (N64) or Madden NFL 98.
Make it public: Discuss this game on Gamecenter's message boards.

Hugh Falk currently owns a TRS-80, TI 99/4A, Apple IIc, Vic-20, C-64, X-64, Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, two networked PCs, and several old game systems. His goal is to someday load them all into a balloon and use the heat they generate to circle the globe. Agree or disagree with the review? Let us know.

Facts

NCAA Football 99
Electronic Arts
Price: $50
Pentium-166, 16MB RAM; 2MB disk space, 4X CD-ROM, Windows 95, DirectX 5.2a-compatible sound card, 16-bit, 1MB DirectDraw 5.2a-compatible video card
Recommended: Pentium-200, 3D graphics accelerator with Voodoo Graphics chip

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