Software:NCAA Football '98

From HandWiki
NCAA Football '98
Developer(s)EA Tiburon
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
SeriesNCAA Football
Platform(s)PlayStation, Microsoft Windows
ReleasePlayStation
Windows
Genre(s)Sports, American football
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

NCAA Football '98 is a video game of the sports genre released in 1997 by Electronic Arts. The game featured University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel on the cover.

Gameplay

This was the first game in the series to feature a multi-season Dynasty Mode, allowing players to take control of a team for four seasons and recruit players to fill out roster vacancies at the completion of each season.[3] EA Sports obtained a formal licensing agreement for the first time with NCAA in the year of 1998. Additionally, it was EA's first college football game to carry the name and logo of the NCAA. Its ability to use the NCAA's brands in the game were the result of a licensing deal intended primarily for EA's NCAA March Madness basketball games (first released in February 1998) and its incorporation of the Men's Division I Basketball Championship.[4]

Development

The game uses an enhanced version of the Madden NFL 97 engine.[3] Play-by-play commentary was done by Chuck White and NCAA referee Bill McCall.[3]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
PCPS
AllGameN/AStarStarStarStar[5]
CGSPStarStarStarStar[8]N/A
EGMN/A7.25/10[9]
Game InformerN/A8.5/10[10]
GameSpot6.5/10[11]7.2/10[12]
IGNN/A7/10[13]
OPM (US)N/AStarStar[14]
PC Gamer (US)86%[15]N/A

The game received above-average reviews on both platforms. Though critics said the PlayStation version was somewhat outdated due to its use of the Madden NFL 97 engine, noting in particular the grainy, sprite-based graphics[9][12][13][16] and easily overcome opponent A.I.,[9][12] most found that it offered overall fun and authentic college football.[12][13][16] They especially praised the new Dynasty Mode[12][13][16] and the playbooks custom-designed for each team.[9][12][16] GamePro called it "the best 32-bit college football game to date, easily defeating last season's NCAA GameBreaker."[16][lower-alpha 1] GameSpot concluded that "With its awesome features, authenticity, and fun gameplay, NCAA 98 is the perfect game for college football fanatics, despite its mediocre graphics and computer AI", though they added that Madden NFL 98 is a better choice for a general football audience.[12] Electronic Gaming Monthly's Dean Hager wrote that "College football is an acquired taste for most, but for those of you who love Madden football, NCAA is a must."[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ GamePro gave the PlayStation version two 4/5 scores for graphics and sound, 5/5 for control, and 4.5/5 for overall fun factor.

References

  1. ↑ Johnston, Chris (August 5, 1997). "EA Kicks Off NCAA '98". Archived from the original on February 2, 1999. https://web.archive.org/web/19990202044948/http://headline.gamespot.com/news/97_08/05_eancaa/index.html. Retrieved July 31, 2022. 
  2. ↑ Jebens, Harley (October 21, 1997). "Release Party [date mislabeled as "April 26, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/release-party/1100-2467920/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 EGM staff (August 1997). "NCAA Football 98: EA Is Betting that their All-New Collegiate Football Game Is a Gamebreaker". Electronic Gaming Monthly (Ziff Davis) (97): 113. 
  4. ↑ Good, Owen (July 21, 2013). "EA Sports Didn't Need the NCAA's Logo, and Maybe It Didn't Want It". G/O Media. https://kotaku.com/ea-sports-didnt-need-the-ncaas-logo-and-maybe-it-did-860124604. 
  5. ↑ Romero, Joshua. "NCAA Football 98 (PS) - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=2199&tab=review. 
  6. ↑ Falk, Hugh (November 13, 1997). "NCAA Football 98 (PC)". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-1292,00.html. 
  7. ↑ Marrin, John (December 19, 1997). "Quick Hits: NCAA Football [98 (PS)"]. CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Consoles/Challenge/Quick/ss15.html. 
  8. ↑ Bauman, Steve (1997). "NCAA Football 98". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/008/068/ncaa_football_review.html. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 Kujawa, Kraig; Hager, Dean (October 1997). "NCAA Football 98". Electronic Gaming Monthly (99): 192. 
  10. ↑ "NCAA Football 98 (PS)". Game Informer (FuncoLand) (53). September 1997. http://www.gameinformer.com/cgi-bin/review.cgi?sys=psx&path=sep97&doc=ncaa. Retrieved August 7, 2021. 
  11. ↑ Kaiafas, Tasos (November 26, 1997). "NCAA Football 98 Review (PC) [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ncaa-football-98-review/1900-2543777/. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 12.5 12.6 Lerhman, Darren (August 22, 1997). "NCAA Football 98 Review (PS) [date mislabeled as "May 2, 2000""]. Red Ventures. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/ncaa-football-98-review/1900-2548633/. 
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 Boor, Jason "Jay" (August 5, 1997). "NCAA Football '98 (PS)". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1997/08/06/ncaa-football-98. 
  14. ↑ Perez, Dindo (November 1997). "NCAA Football 98". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine (Ziff Davis) 1 (2): 94. https://archive.org/details/official-u.-s.-play-station-magazine-volume-1-issue-02-november-1997/page/n93/mode/2up. Retrieved October 30, 2021. 
  15. ↑ Smolka, Rob (February 1998). "NCAA Football 98". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 5 (2). http://www.pcgamer.com/reviews/738.html. Retrieved August 7, 2021. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Johnny Ballgame (October 1997). "NCAA Football Captures the College Championship". GamePro (IDG) (109): 154. https://archive.org/details/GamePro_Issue_109_Volume_09_Number_10_1997-10_IDG_Publishing_US/page/n155/mode/2up. Retrieved August 7, 2021. 
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari






Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:NCAA_Football_%2798&oldid=1058624"