''NCAA Gamebreaker 98'' is a video game developed by Sony Interactive Studios America and published by Sony Computer Entertainment America for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...

in 1997.

Gameplay

''NCAA Gamebreaker 98'' has a game engine that is based on the '' NFL GameDay 98'' engine, but uses the appearance and playing styles of college football. The game includes the

Division I-A The NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, is the highest level of college football in the United States. The FBS consists of the largest schools in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). As ...

teams with their real rosters for the 1997/98 season, along with some historical teams such as the 1972 USC Gamecocks. It was the first game in the series to include a playbook editor, enabling players to modify the pass routes and running assignments in existing plays.

Reception

Reviews for ''NCAA Gamebreaker 98'' were uniformly positive. ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' said that the game "borrows heavily from ''GameDay'', but amazingly, the end result is a football game that has no equal." Kraig Kujawa of ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (often abbreviated to ''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The m ...

'' similarly commented, "At first look, ''GameBreaker 98'' appears to be '' GameDay 98'' with college colors. And for the most part, it is. But after further review, the game shines because of its own merits." ''

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'' concluded that "GameBreaker's superior graphics, fast gameplay, and play-creation option make it one of the better football titles of the year." Critics unanimously praised the game's play editor, but were divided as to what the game's strongest feature is. ''

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

'' centered praise on the play editor and Total Control Passing mechanic, but ''Next Generation'' argued that the game's greatest improvement over ''NFL GameDay 98'' is the ability to intercept passes, since this "completely change strategies, defenses, and offenses." Kujawa found the play editor the most impressive feature, while his co-reviewer Crispin Boyer dismissed it as "a nice touch, but one only hardcore fans will use", and was more enthusiastic about the "quick-and-dirty" arcade-style feel of the "hyperactive tackles and crazy plays." All four of the ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' reviewers also criticized that the play diagrams used with the play editor are extremely difficult to read. A number of critics expressed approval of the game's A.I.

Notes

References

External links

* 1997 video games College football video games NCAA video games North America-exclusive video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation (console)-only games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Video games developed in the United States Video games set in 1998 {{Amfoot-videogame-stub