In recent years, however, 989 Studios has had a hard time bringing the two football games up to Madden's quickly-advancing level.  NFL 2k could've trounced Madden, but sales dwindled once the series went multi-platform.  This year it seems like the tide has finally turned for 989.  No, they haven't created a Madden-killer (yet), but they have moved GameDay and GameBreaker in the right direction.

As the title suggests, NCAA GameBreaker 2004 is based on the National Collegiate Athletic Association.  Its players, stadiums and statistics were taken directly from college football.  Although the player has the option to create his or her own team, most of what you see in GameBreaker is authentic.

989 Studios has upped the gameplay to a much more impressive level.  I didn't get the chance to play last year's edition, but I wasn't too overwhelmed by the previous incarnation.  Things were different in GameBreaker 2004 from the get-go.  Even the menus looked better and seemed much easier to navigate.  Once a game actually started, it was easy to see that GameBreaker 2004 had gone beyond a nice menu screen.  The graphics had been tremendously improved, the sound effects were more realistic, and the commentary acted as a venue for information, not as a tranquilizer.  While important, those outside factors can be covered later.  GameBreaker 2004's gameplay is what really deserves your attention.

First and foremost, the game feels a lot more polished.  Saying that doesn't mean much, so let me try to explain.  One example would the passing ability.  Getting the ball from the quarterback to a receiver is a challenging task at first.  As if the pass itself wasn't hard enough, opponents are constantly diving at the players that are most likely to receive the ball.  This leaves you in a bit of a bind.  Making things even more difficult, the game doesn't automatically place the receiving player in the area that the ball has been thrown – you have to guide him there yourself.  Depending on all these factors, passing can be a real nightmare!  It gets easier though.  And when it does it becomes clear that the game is not cheap – it's realistic.

The button layout is typical with little surprises in store for the football aficionado.  When acting as the quarterback, three of the four face buttons (X, SQUARE and CIRCLE) are designated for passing, as are R1 and L1.  By pressing L2 along with the CIRCLE or SQUARE button, you can spike the ball or kneel and slide.  On the defense, X functions as your trusty speed boost; SQUARE is used to tackle; CIRCLE will switch the nearest defender; and hitting the TRIANGLE button will enable the player to jump, intercept, deflect or shed block.  The X button is also used for speed-boosting when on the offense, however, SQUARE, CIRCLE and TRIANGLE are used for diving (to catch the ball), spinning or jumping.  There are many other functions that these and the rest of the controller's buttons perform, but that should give you an idea of how easy it is to jump in and start playing the game even if you've never played the GameBreaker series before.

Among GameBreaker 2004's most notable features is the online play.  Offered to both broadband and dial-up users, GameBreaker 2004 gives gamers the chance to log on and rip the pigskin right off their opponents.  When not scoring touchdowns and bragging about how good you are, kick back and relax in the chatroom.  You can also find new opponents there and send e-mails to anyone you wish (to set up another play date – or just to brag!).  There's also a voice chat feature for anyone who wants to talk trash during the game.  (Note: due to technological limitations, voice chat is only accessible to broadband users.)

GameBreaker 2004 brings college football to your living room.  It's not perfect, but it is a very entertaining game.  Football fans must give this game a try.  Whether it's through renting, borrowing from a friend, or from a demo disc that was given out at the store, just get your hands on the game and give it a shot.  The multiplayer is by far the best part, especially when you consider how many opponents the online play feature will give you.  Don't expect to see too many gamers online yet though.  The game just came out, so it'll be a few weeks before thousands of players start logging on.  Until then, enjoy the online competition that's there, and engage in as many offline multiplayer games as possible.  Up to eight players can join!

Gameplay: 8
GameBreaker 2004 feels more like a PlayStation 2 football game.  It's fast and realistic, but has many of the entertaining qualities that simulation titles usually lack.  The controls are really good, and the higher difficulty is welcome.  Gamers will love to go online with this one.  They'll also enjoy having multiplayer sessions offline.  With up to eight players able to compete simultaneously, who wouldn't?

Graphics: 7
It's hard to avoid comparisons, but despite being less-than-perfect, GameBreaker 2004 does have some visual perks.  While not at all a unique graphic effect, the real-time shadows are good; the reflective helmets are pretty and the players have realistic faces that decently represent the real-life counterparts. 

Sound: 7
Do my ears deceive me?  Does GameBreaker 2004 have commentary that doesn't make me want to go to the cemetery?  It sure does.  It also has a good selection of sound effects.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
The hardest part of GameBreaker 2004 is learning all of the game’s unobvious tricks.  Once you've done that, the game becomes much easier.  Little will stand in your way to victory.  World domination is yours!  Well, almost.

Concept: 7
You can't expect too much innovation from yearly updated football games.  But you can expect them to be improved and play much better than the previous incarnations.  Or at least, you should be able to expect that.  989 Studios is giving gamers what they want this time around by including more play modes, better gameplay and better graphics.  It should be very interesting to see what they do with next year's version.

Multiplayer: 8
Four online; eight offline.  Team Offline may have more points, but that doesn't mean it wins.  The only thing that can surpass online play is a long tournament with seven of your closest friends or enemies.  And if you're like most people, it's rare that you can cram that many people into your living room on a daily basis.  All hail Team Online!

Overall: 7.7
Is NCAA GameBreaker 2004 (A) the game to break the competition, or is it (B) merely an attempt to compete with the leading college football series?  If you guessed A, you are wrong.  If you guessed B, you are even more wrong.  But if you guessed hidden answer (C) – that GameBreaker 2004 is 989 Studios's best release yet, but is still not quite perfect – you are correct.  GameBreaker 2004 is quite a package.  It's $10 cheaper than other football games but has most of the same features.  It offers a few unique ones as well, giving diehard EA fans a reason to at least rent GameBreaker 2004 and see what all of the fuss is about.