You can't select a team from a list you have to click through every single logo. As a console port, NCAA 99 brings a lot of baggage to the PC. Once everything is up and running, you're faced with a clunky interface. I can't understand why custom installation settings weren't included here. So I was stuck with a lot of extra time waiting between menu screens as the CD was accessed. And even though I've got a pretty big drive, I sure don't have half-a-gig to spare. As I don't have the fastest CD-ROM drive going, I rely on being able to load most games from my hard drive. If you want to go any higher than that, you have to install the full 508mb. I was glad to see that the designers carried over the 5mb minimum install option, but irritated that the only sane install setting was just 60mb. When I'm settling into a new game, I want to experience the challenge represented by trying to win - not that of simply trying to understand what I'm doing. I understand that the expected profits from a college title like this wouldn't justify an extra disc like the one that traditionally ships with the Madden games, but can't somebody slap together a text file? I love football and am probably more knowledgeable than the casual fan, but the esoterics of play calling on such an advanced level sometimes escape me. The basic features are covered, but in a slight and disorganized fashion, and absolutely nothing is in there about strategies. EA Sports continues with the fine tradition of useless documents with another waste of paper. Not that I expected anything different, but the manual is horrible once again. My expectations started to be dashed when I opened the NCAA 99 box. And after playing NCAA 99 for the past couple of weeks, I'm not sure that it was. While the addition of important elements like 3D support and Dynasty play was crucial to the long-term success of this series, gameplay must always remain the main concern of the producers. Unfortunately, a lot was lost in the translation from arcade fun to football simulation. It should combine the best of both worlds. Thanks to the success of its predecessor, the sequel features all the bells (3D hardware support) and whistles (simulation features like Dynasty play) that the original lacked. Now it's a year later, and NCAA Football 99 is on the streets. Many pundits - including myself - thought that it was the best arcade pigskin title of the year. An exception to this rule came last fall, when EA Sports released the unheralded NCAA Football 98 to great acclaim. Thanks to the gaming industry hype machine, there aren't many surprises these days.
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