NCAA Football 09

Madden NFL's kid brother—EA's NCAA Football series—gives undergrads new reason to celebrate. The virtual varsity's perennial MVP steps up its game through the addition of slicker controls, sharper visuals and all-star online capabilities. The usual mix of bone-crunching sacks, favorite team-inspired desktop themes and sparkling, HDTV-ready Hail Mary's are all present. Only now, in a  long-awaited twist, up to 12 couch coaches can connect and compete in 60-season Internet dynasties complete with voice chat functionality and player recruitment options. There's also a new system designed to model quarterbacks' composure (rattled athletes suffer accuracy penalties and find completing plays harder), which fluctuates depending upon on-field performance. Jukes and spins can be fluidly chained together as well. The addition of an over-the-top, arcade-style mode featuring stunt-laden competitions starring team mascots doesn't hurt either.

While veteran helmet heads will find sweeping improvements in short supply, the solid advancements carried over from past years (e.g., the superstar-building Campus Legend mode and an audiovisual presentation so convincing you could tailgate to it) provide ample excitement. So even if you don't find "bonuses" like better-proportioned teammates or more extensive statistical feedback particularly engaging, vigorous testing shows there's ample reason for even franchise alumni to make every day homecoming weekend.