NCAA Football 06: PlayStation 2 (PS2) Game Reviews


	Platform PlayStation 2 Genre Sports Developer EA Tiburon Publisher Electronic Arts ESRB E (Everyone) Released Q2 2005

- Still the best college football title, regardless of owning the exclusive license or not - Race for the Heisman mode is a great addition that will have you completely immersed in the quest to capture the trophy - Graphics not quite as good as the Xbox version - Rosters (including historic ones) for practically every college football program, no matter what the level, in the country - Good online play setup - PS2 analog controller perfectly suited for the game

- Way too long load times compared to the Xbox version (with its hard drive) - Pumping up the crowd with the crowd meter at home contests more of a novelty act than a useful, game-altering advantage - Long passing game takes a lot of time to develop

Review: NCAA Football 06 (Xbox) Review: NCAA 2004 (Gamecube) Review: NCAA 2003 (Xbox)
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NCAA Football 06

Score: 9.1/10

With back-to-back national football championships and a serious threat for a three-peat this upcoming season, USC is unquestionably the best college gridiron program in the country. They're so good, that they could probably win 10 games in the NFL this year. But as good a run as USC is currently enjoying, that's nothing compared to the dominance of the college football gaming genre that Electronic Arts has had with their NCAA Football franchise. Even though EA secured the exclusive rights to publish NCAA football games, they really didn't need to: There is no better college football game on the market today and when there was competition, EA's NCAA Football easily vanquished any and all opponents it faced on store shelves.

NCAA Football 06 is no exception, and instead of simply sitting on their exclusive license and not offering any new features EA did the exact opposite by coming out not only with a great playing, features packed title, but adding another one of the famous immersive modes, Race for the Heisman. If you had fun creating a player in previous NCAA Football games, it doesn't compare to the Race for the Heisman mode that's in NCAA Football 06. And if you actually play well enough to be honored with a Heisman Trophy selection, you can import your now-legendary doppelganger into Madden NFL 06.

In Race for the Heisman mode, you start by trying out in drills (at a position you select beforehand) under the watchful eyes of college football coaches. Depending on how well you do in those drills, you'll be offered a scholarship. If you don't like any of the schools willing to hand off a scholarship, you can go to the school of your choice as a walk-on.

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From there, you go through a typical college preseason (without the wild frat parties and even wilder football groupies) and proceed to hit the field in a four-year quest for the Heisman individually and a national championship for your team. Of course, you have the best shot at the Heisman if you're a quarterback or running back, or even a wide receiver, and if you rack up awesome numbers throwing, running, or catching the pigskin, you'll give

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yourself a shot at that legendary hardware and enhance your opportunity to enter the NFL as a first-round draft choice (in Madden NFL 06) and the shot at fame and glory as a NFL superstar.

It's a great mode that involves you in the game more than any other college football game that's come before NCAA Football 06. And it's not the only new feature added. There's the inclusion of the Impact Stick that can help you pull off jukes and hits that can make the difference between a five-yard run and a 50-yard touchdown. Along with the Impact Stick is the Impact Players, who are stars on the field on both sides of the ball that can use their
"impact" as a top-flight player to alter the game in their respective teams favor.

Who Impact Players are on your team can change from game-to-game depending on their previous game's performance, but they generally tend to be a quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive lineman, or cornerback and stay in the impact zone (which you can see by the pulsing white circle under their cleats) for most of the season. In short, if you've got an Impact Player or two, use them to your advantage. Conversely, keep a keen eye on an opponent's Impact Players while playing defense or stay clear of them while you're playing offense.

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