Only complete and total close minded fools would believe that "Madden 2004" is better than "NCAA Football 2004." If you would like to be close-minded, then go ahead and listen to my friend Tye go on and on about the game. But know this: "NCAA" is clearly the better game this year-and I'll tell you why.
Hell, where do I start? You must know that I play both games religiously and kick the living hell out of everyone in the office-along with U football safety Anthony White-on a regular basis.
Not only that but Tye, the "Madden" apologist on the other side of the argument, has barely played "NCAA 2004," so his argument is total garbage.
I love both games, but it's obvious which one is better.
I understand that the "Madden" series totally revolutionized videogaming, but I don't care. That's like saying I would take Michael Jordan against Tracy McGrady in a one-on-one game, just because Jordan set the standard.
It's not happening.
It's a new day and "NCAA 2004" owns "Madden."
If anyone is going to cry about player names, just remember that there are fools on the Internet who type in every name and post it as a memory card file on the Internet.
Basically, every single player on my game is named and it took me little effort to do it. So there is no argument that you are just playing with players who have no names, just a number signifying who they are.
The atmosphere between the pro game and the college game is like night and day. It's sad to say that when I am playing "Madden," it is as if I am at a funeral-at least compared to "NCAA."
Playing "NCAA 2004" almost feels like a real game. Yes, I know this sounds extremely dorky, but I couldn't care less.
"NCAA 2004" really separates itself from "Madden" in the gameplay department, as "Madden" is so jerky and horrible that I almost want to throw up when playing it.
Is there any way to play defense when you are controlling a safety, since the receiver catches every single deep ball?
It gets pretty sad when Santana Moss is jumping over Charles Woodson's head to catch a fly pattern.
In "NCAA," it is a very even battle-and the corner can pick it off easily with the right technique.
The running in "Madden" is downright awful, since it seems the running back is a pinball just bouncing off defenders, without any animation occurring.
In "NCAA," when you hit a defender, you break the tackle or you go down-you just don't bounce off unrealistically on a 90 degree angle.
The new playmaker mode in "Madden" is sweet, but it is just a gimmick and cannot make up for excellent gameplay in "NCAA."
Out patterns in "NCAA" are not as difficult to guard, even though it is still difficult, but not even close to "Madden."
In "Madden" you have no chance to break on the ball before it's already in the receiver's hands. I don't suck at "Madden," but I know where it lacks in gameplay versus "NCAA."
I don't have the space to keep going into the gameplay sector, so let's move to the offseason.
I think both games do a great job in the offseason mode and cancel each other out. "Madden" incorporates the mini-camp mode very well, and the owner mode is just plain great.
"NCAA's" recruiting mode is absolutely amazing, as is the incorporation of Sports Illustrated.
But in the end, it's all about the gameplay and not the icing that EA puts on its games.
By just noticing the difference in the way the players move on the field, one can totally see the incomparable fluidity of player motion in "NCAA 2004."
"Madden" just calls for fly patterns, and the game seems like it was made for the player to play with Falcons quarterback Michael Vick and no one else.
Playing with him takes the game to a new level, but it's cheap, so expect to have many fights over who gets to play as the Falcons.
Playing "Madden 2004" just gets boring after playing "NCAA 2004" for so long.
Anyone who comes to me with any argument about why "Madden 2004" is better than "NCAA 2004" deserves a slap in the face (unless, of course, you are bigger than me).
Play me in either game and I will smoke you-even you, Savoy. You've got nothing on me. Let's play again and you'll see how I do it.
akudiya@chronicle.utah.edu
