Electronic Arts hopes to satisfy the feverish college football community with NCAA Football 09.The series' features -- picking a home team and trying to win a championship in the much-heralded Dynasty Mode, and living the college dream while taking a player through drills and preparing him for the NFL big leagues -- are still here. However, this year's addition offers lots more.

You'll love the visual detail this game has to offer.

Let's discuss the gameplay. EA created a new Break Away Engine that lets you make a more aggressive move to the end zone. You use the analog stick to steer a player in multiple directions with each move, whether they execute a stiff arm or pull off a juke to throw off a defender. This gives you better handling of their movements, keeping you on your toes as you try to eat up extra yardage. We haven't seen this Engine in action long enough to determine its effectiveness, but if EA Tiburon can pull it off, it should spark up the gameplay.

In addition, the cutback lanes are wider, making it easier to set up passing routes. Arm tackles let defenders try and jar the bar loose from the quarterback's grip, creating an incomplete pass or, if you catch it in the right spot, a game-turning fumble. Members of the defense can also pursue players with the ball more attentively, rather than missing a simple tackle. There are also pump fakes, so you can fake out a defender and make him leap in the air while setting up your real pass. Play call bluffs and formation-specific audibles are also available, further deepening the gameplay. This means you can set up unplanned plays on the fly, which can throw off even the most dominant teams. Even the almighty USC Trojans won't see them coming.

Dynasty Mode makes a return in NCAA Football 09, but EA Sports finally realized that it's better to play with friends. The mode now has online access through Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Up to 11 friends can join you on a team to seek out a championship over the course of 60 seasons. You can also collectively set up your team's activities, including Fantasy Football Leagues, recruiting and game scheduling. Furthermore, you can hop into online matches to see where you stand in the collegiate rankings.

Along with being able to manage your team and earn the school's support with each victory, you'll also have the power to develop a loyal fan base by building your team's prestige rating, which adds more fans to your games. This feature, Dynamic Attendance, isn't just limited to home matches. Some of these people will even follow you on the road, dealing with hostile crowds while providing their support. However, if you develop a losing record, they'll leave you behind in favor of more winning causes, such as lacrosse.

"Hi, mom!"

Along with the fans, cheerleaders and team mascots will get more into the action. The squads perform routines with each successful score, and players can now interact with mascots in the end zone. Jumping up and down, high fiving and other actions are available. Unfortunately, we're not sure if you can interact with the other team's mascot. Besides, do you really want to smack around a guy in a duck costume in front of his own fans? That's not smart.

Offensively and defensively, there are a couple of new features to help keep players focused on the field. If you begin to lose your confidence over bad decisions during the course of the game, you can regain it quickly by taking the Quarterback Quiz, answering questions quickly in a matter of seconds. On defense, you can make a kicker nervous before a game-winning field goal by calling an Ice the Kicker timeout. If you time it just right, you can even call it after a play's gone off and the ball successfully goes through the uprights. That'll rattle him.

Along with the other traditional gameplay elements, NCAA Football 09 looks sharper than ever, as you can tell from the screenshots. The player detail is astonishing, especially when you zoom in on their reactions under the helmets. The sound should remain true to form, complete with separate college fight songs, roaring crowds and running commentary.

College football mania kicks off July 15th for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and will also come out for Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2 and Sony PSP. Be sure to check back for the final verdict, just as soon as we're done attending the opening weekend tailgate parties. Ah the joys of college life.

Related Links

NCAA Football 09 Xbox 360 Game Guide

NCAA Football 09 PlayStation 3 Game Guide

EA Sports