College Football USA 97

College Football USA 97 is a video game of the sports genre released in 1997 by EA Sports. Its cover athlete is former University of Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier.

College Football USA 97
Cover art for the Super NES version.
Developer(s)High Score Productions
Publisher(s)EA Sports
Platform(s)Super NES, Sega Genesis
Release
  • USA: June 1, 1997
Genre(s)Sports, American football
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The game added a new "create player" feature (up to 28 players) and custom schedules, new animations and all 111 Division I-A teams. Players can also compete in a customized Tournament with support for up to 16 players in a single-elimination or round robin format.

Players can also adjust penalties, set weather type, enter user records, perform substitutions, set audibles, toggle injuries, and change game length, as well as difficulty level. Authentic playbooks (with plays like the Wishbone), a USA Today/CNN Coaches Poll, and the Sears National Championship Trophy were also available.

Release

College Football USA 97 was the fourth installment of the NCAA Football series. While the game was published for the Mega Drive by EA Sports as usual, the Super NES version was instead published by THQ.[1] The game featured University of Nebraska quarterback Tommie Frazier on the cover.

Contest

In the third quarter of 1996 EA Sports conducted a College Football '97 tour, in which they visited top colleges, holding a competition using the Genesis version of the game. The top four teams were flown to New Orleans in January 1997 to attend both the finals and the Sugar Bowl. The winning team in the finals was awarded a trophy, a video game system of their choice, and a collection of EA Sports games.[2]

Reception

Reviews for this installment were still positive, but reviewers generally commented that the additions and improvements from College Football USA '96 are too subtle, and advised gamers who already owned the previous installment to carefully consider how important the new features are to them before purchasing.[5][3][4] However, GamePro called the Super NES port "a complete gridiron debacle. Players fly around the field - except for the man with the ball, whose movements slow down and become jerky. The frame rate and animation are poor (the players look armless), and the sound features the most obnoxious whistle in sports gaming history." They rated it a 1.5 out of 5 in graphics and a 0.5 in every other category (sound, control, and funfactor),[6] making it only the second game to receive a 0.5 or lower from GamePro in any category.[7]

References
  1. "16-Bit's Last Stand". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 89. Ziff Davis. December 1996. p. 179.
  2. "EA Sports College Football USA Finals 97". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 93. Ziff Davis. April 1997. p. 113.
  3. "College Football USA '97". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 86. Ziff Davis. September 1996. p. 142.
  4. "College Football USA '97". Next Generation. No. 22. Imagine Media. October 1996. p. 189.
  5. Johnny Ballgame (October 1996). "College Football USA '97". GamePro. No. 97. IDG. p. 102.
  6. Johnny Ballgame (March 1997). "College Football USA '97". GamePro. No. 102. IDG. p. 93.
  7. "The Magazine Biz". GamePro. No. 103. IDG. April 1997. p. 14.
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