EA Sports has released its first football game of the year with NCAA Football 99. If you're into football, then this is the right time of the gaming year for you. Many software companies are bringing their own football games onto the market. EA will be following up NCAA Football 99 with Madden 99; Sony Interactive brought you NFL Gameday 99 earlier this week; and Sierra Sports is bringing out Football Pro 99 later in September. One thing that makes this game so different from the rest is that it's college football -- not as many people are into college football but I think it's nice for a change. If you're into new things, with some great graphics and gameplay to go along, I'd definitely pick this one up.

Graphics: (17/20)

I am not an expert in the graphics department, but I'd have to say this game looked very nice on with a Pure 3D 2 LX at 800x600 resolution. According to EA, the graphics are 3D polygon graphics and can run unaccelerated through EA's sprite engine. The game supports all new types of 3DFX cards including the Voodoo2. EA didn't have much to say about the graphics involved in the game, but I am very impressed with the realistic look of the weather. When I set it to snow, the snowflakes looked very real.

Sound: (10/15)

The sound was nothing to scream about, it was average at best. The tackle sounds were kind of cool, but overall they were not out of the ordinary for any football game. You could expect the same sort of sounds out of a game made by Sega. There really isn't any other word to describe them other than "Average".

Gameplay: (27/30)

This game was definitely quality. There are so many different choices to make before and during the game. EA is very proud of its new style of play called "Dynasty". In Dynasty mode you take control of a future team. You get to recruit the upcoming stars to replace the graduating seniors. You play as the coach and if you lose, you could get fired. The point is to make a dynasty out of your individual college team. NCAA Football 99 offers 123 different stadiums to play at and 112 different Division 1A college teams to play in them. There are also 80 classic teams featuring the "best of the best" which can be used to replay the greatest games of all time. In NCAA you can choose to practice, or go for the National Championship. If you're going for the national championship you can play in every major conference championship game and participate in the Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl, and the Sugar Bowl since EA got the exclusive rights to use them. The game is full of choices, and it makes it so that every game is different if you choose it to be. It's things like that which keep football fanatics watching games their whole lives. No two football games are the same in real life, so why should they be on the computer? NCAA Football 99 has brought realism to the computer screen.

Fun Factor: (21/25)

NCAA Football 99 is certainly fun, but then again I'm not really a huge football fan. I cannot say this game is for everyone, because it really isn't. If you're a college football fan you will surely enjoy this one because it is one of the best I have seen. If you're a football fan, I'd say try it out, I doubt you will be disappointed. It is just as good, if not better, than any other football game I've seen. If you're only "kinda" into football, then I'd probably stick to a pro football game. In my mind pro football reaches home a bit more then college, so it's probably going to be a bit more fun.

Overall Impressions: (7/10)

I think overall this game is great, EA did a very good job. However, as with any game specific to a certain sport, the game tends to lack playability unless you're really into that sport. If you're looking for a college football game, I don't think you will be able to find a better one.