Sega Genesis
Released in 1996 by EA Sports
Grade: B
If you insist on playing college football on Genesis, this is your best bet. It moves at a nice pace and its game logic is balanced compared to its predecessors.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the fourth and final edition of EA’s college football series on the Genesis. Here’s my summation of the series:
- Bill Walsh College Football: It has passing windows. Skip.
- Bill Walsh College Football 95: This has some distinct charm, but the action is slow and games are repetitive. Prepare to throw a lot of long bombs.
- College Football USA 96: The action is faster here. Games are all offense. Long bombs are reliable and running backs can’t be brought down.
- College Football USA 97: The offense is dialed back nicely from 96, especially in the running game. This is the most balanced, playable game in the series.
Praises and gripes
Important note: This game has two difficulty settings. On the easier setting, the CPU quarterback routinely throws hopeless incomplete passes that look like they slip out of his hand. The fact this happens so often (or at all) is a real head-scratcher. So, when you read this review, know that I’m playing on the higher setting and ignoring this broken easier setting.
This game is another re-tweaking of the Madden engine, which always has logical controls, effective graphics, players moving with momentum, and AI that creates plenty of action on the screen.
Players here move quickly, and the difference between players is very clear. Some guys can glide all over the place, some seem to trudge through mud.
The running game feels about right for once, even with EA’s trademark spazzy offensive linemen, who rarely form clear running lanes or a passing pocket. Rushing plays are not too overpowered, but they’re worth using. It helps to have a quick running back, as the slow guys are often mauled before they can get going. The college-style option plays are intuitive to run.
The passing game is fairly fluid, but I suppose the standard is low in this series of games. QBs usually need to drop way back or roll out before throwing. Receivers are usually standing still when the ball reaches them, and you play a catching mini-game against the defenders to see who comes up with it. This makes up most of the offense in this game. On the flipside, it’s oddly difficult to hit an open receiver 10 yards down the field; it will fly past him. That’s out of whack, that you have better luck throwing 40 yards into a crowd of defenders than you do throwing 10 yards to an open man.
There are other, more minor oddities, like passes that are batted around in the air five times and then caught by a lineman, or plays where the QB throws automatically no matter what buttons you press.
Overall, it’s still pretty fun and it’s the best college football game on Genesis. If you don’t need your 16-bit football to be of the college variety, check out Madden NFL 95 instead.