NCAA Football 2001 - PlayStation

The third incarnation in the series, this game straddles the fence between a realistic simulation and a fast-paced action game. College football fans will have a blast as it allows them to play as any one of the 140 1-A or 1-AA college teams (with as many stadiums) on its way to reaching the coveted Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, or one of 17 others.

New this year is Advanced Player Control, or APC, giving players even more control (and subtleties) to the action. This includes controlling any one player (you choose who you'd like to control before the ball is snapped), finding open field and calling for the ball, and so forth. This gives the player more control on the field, but doesn't take away from the fun factor.

The game offers up a Practice, Exhibition, and Season modes, and the Dynasty mode has been beefed up to allow gamers to review and recruit players at the junior college and even high school level to enhance their rosters. The Situation mode is a collection of scenarios for you to battle through, such as coming back to win a game after a bad quarter or a lousy half. There's also a new mode, dubbed the Bowl Game Playoff mode, which is essentially a do-or-die, go-for-broke game for those who would rather work their way up the ladder, elimination style, toward the National Championship.

Though these additions may sound like a lot has been added to the game this year, after a few hundred snaps and a dozen or so games, it really feels like past NCAA games with a little more flair. If you enjoyed the previous versions in the series, then no doubt you'll like this one too. It's college pigskin done right, and there's nothing wrong with that! --Todd Mowatt

Pros: Advanced Player Control adds new subtleties to the action Bowl Game Playoff mode allows players to create elimination-style competitions for the National Championship Cons: Plays much like prior versions