‘NCAA Football 09’

‘NCAA Football 09’

(EA Sports) for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, PS2, PSP

Genre: Sports; Rating: E

Grade: B

I have always gotten more enjoyment from the “NCAA Football” series than from EA’s more well-renowned “Madden” franchise.

The latest edition of “NCAA Football” definitely looks and feels like a retread of last year’s game, and that is not a good starting place for any game in a recurring series. The graphics on-field are much improved, and the gameplay has added a few new touches, but if you want to find the real meat of new content, you have to go online.

The QB displays and audibles are sometimes altered and make diagnosing a play much more difficult. It’s a fantastic addition that hopefully gets more attention next year. One thing that has to go, though, is the “ice the kicker” feature, which means that in a close game you can call a last-second timeout that nearly always freezes the kicker and causes you to miss. Considering how unrealistic this is, especially for short, ship-shot field goals, it’s a disastrous addition that plays too much of a role in outcomes.

The edition’s biggest improvement has been to online play. Now you can have 12-person dynasty seasons and it’s fun to create leagues with a mixture of varying teams.

‘Final Fantasy IV’

(Square Enix) for DS

Genre: Role-playing; Rating: E

Grade: B

If you see “Final Fantasy IV” as a whole new release for the DS or a remake of “Final Fantasy II” from the previous-generation console days, it doesn’t matter. The game is both a retooled gem that makes the original “FFII” console game look cheap by comparison. And those who never got to play that edition will see this as one of the top DS games to be released this year.

The main leader of your clan is Cecil, and along with his band of mages, warriors and so forth, you’ll be taking on the forces of Golbez and all his evil cronies. The story is one of the richest to show up on a DS game ever, so you’ll be easily sucked in to all the loves and betrayals that will unfold.

One thing not to be overlooked is the game’s increased difficulty. This is definitely not meant for gamers trying to break into the RPG realm for the first time. All of this actually makes the game better, if only because persistence is rewarded rather than leaving you disappointed.

The gameplay itself benefits primarily through all the deep customizations you can make to each character in your party, and, visually, the game is a huge leap forward from past “Final Fantasy” titles.

— Chris Campbell, Scripps Howard