E-Mail This Article to a Friend Getting schooled EA’s in-depth NCAA Football 06 BY MITCH KRPATA
	NCAA FOOTBALL 06 PlayStation 2 + Xbox | Rated E for Everyone | Published by EA Sports | Developed by EA Tiburon

Didn’t sports games used to be about just playing sports? EA Sports titles are getting so in-depth and involved, playing them is like having a second job. And not one of those no-show jobs they give college athletes.

In this year’s installment of NCAA Football, you can forgo your social life to take part in one of two all-consuming modes, "Race for the Heisman" and "Dynasty." They have a lot in common, not least the sheer amount of time they’ll take to complete.

The hook this year is "Race for the Heisman." You create a custom high-school senior (you can even choose what position he plays), run drills for scouts, and see which schools offer you a scholarship. Then it’s a matter of playing — and winning — until you win the Heisman Trophy. After junior and senior year, you can even declare your player eligible for the NFL draft and import him into EA’s upcoming Madden NFL 06.

It’s a great feature for the football completist, though if you actually get your player through to the draft before Madden comes out on August 9, my hat is off to you. Also, despite the "dorm room" menu interface, the game is devoid of many of the things that make college football enjoyable to people with a developed sense of irony. There’s no coursework, which means you won’t be given the answers in advance of your mid-terms, or take a class called "Football 101" with grueling test questions like how many yards are there in a first down. There are no buffoon coaches getting caught at frat parties or insulting women placekickers, and, unless someone devises a "Hot Coffee"–style crack, no recruiting parties featuring strippers and Jell-O shots. However, if you’d like your team to try point shaving, I suppose there’s nothing stopping you.

One key difference between an NCAA-licensed game and those bearing the stamp of the National Football League is that college titles can’t use the players’ real names. So USC’s quarterback in NCAA 06 is "QB #11," even though he bears a suspicious resemblance to Matt Leinart. You can, of course, type in names of all the players on your favorite team, something that is in no way a waste of your time.

And the football gameplay? It’s great. The broad strokes — play selection, passing mechanics, kickoffs — should be familiar to anyone familiar with a previous installment of NCAA Football or Madden. As usual, the play has been tweaked in many subtle and a couple of significant ways. New this year are "Impact Players," who are noted on screen by the white halo on the ground below them. They can make big plays at the right time, something that takes a modicum of skill but depends more on luck.

Option plays require more finesse but capture the looser style of college football. Although the controls are daunting at first, there are a number of plays that allow your QB to run with the ball, dish it off to a fullback, or even lateral to another player once he’s past the line of scrimmage.

The coolest in-game feature just might be the "Pulse Meter," which replicates the rapid heartbeat of a player in a high-pressure situation. During a pre-season, non-conference game, the meter barely comes into play. But when you’re under center as the Ohio State quarterback playing Michigan at Ann Arbor, the meter maxes out and the controller leaps around in your hands like a caffeinated ferret.

Your reaction to NCAA Football 06 will depend on your opinion of college football. This is the complete package, produced to a high standard, but its intimidating depth and the lack of player names make it hard to wade in as a newcomer. There’s no doubting the game’s quality, but if you couldn’t give a dip about the Thundering Herd of Marshall, there’s no reason not to wait a few weeks and go pro with Madden 06.

Score: 7.5 (out of 10)