NCAA Football 07

To the general public, Madden is EA's top football franchise. But we've recently found NCAA Football to be consistently more entertaining and a better model of the game overall. Fortunately for those with a PSP, that's the case with the portable version as well. It's a more robust and enjoyable showing than Madden offered, and a generally solid game of football.

The actual gameplay is much the same as what you'll find both on current gen consoles and the Xbox 360. Controls have been tweaked somewhat to push sprinting and laterals to the shoulder buttons, and the face buttons quickly juke and dive while carrying. There's an option to jump the snap, which can give defenders a slight edge or incur a penalty, depending on your timing. Special teams get more detailed and trick plays, and defenders even have a cool third-person pressure option to derail a kick. Finally, a good analog stick kicking control has been implemented, making an already good control scheme even better.

The most noticeable new feature, however, is momentum and the meter constantly representing it. The idea is that big plays and the audience response they generate can bring benefits to a team. So the onscreen momentum meter will gradually increase as you play well -- and it can jump up if you pull off the impossible -- leading to performance increases. You'll run a bit faster and catch the worst passes. And of course, blowing a play can push the meter back into the red in an instant.

We're of mixed mind about momentum feature. On one hand it's a simple and easily understood way to separate the NCAA and pro experience. On the other, it's almost too arcade and can further unbalance a game if players aren't well matched.

As the gulf between current and next-gen consoles grows, the difference between PSP and PS2 releases gets slightly less pronounced. While the stadiums and crowds are decidedly less impressive here than on the PS2, the overall effect is quite similar. Dynamic camera angles add spice to the game between plays, and the impact of tackles and dives is captured well.

But the Xbox 360 inexplicably sacrificed a full mode, and you'll have to settle for less on the PSP as well. The Campus Legend mode (aka career) hasn't made the cut, so there's no player creation option. The relatively silly mascot challenge is still in place, however, and while the Dynasty Mode has been trimmed to ten years instead of thirty, it's just as dense and satisfying as on consoles. There are few better systems for managing players and making the decisions that lead to championships and awards like the Heisman.

There are other great details, too. The dramatically broadened playbooks have also been ported over, with all their school-specific formations. And die-hards will like the unlockable video clips that serve as PSP achievements.

But extras like the video clips are icing on the cake, rather than a selling point. This is a very densely detailed college ball game, and one that you'll be hard pressed to drop, even when Madden shows its face later this year.