NCAA Football 07 review

If you're going to strap on virtual shoulder pads and get mobile, NCAA Football 07 for PSP is the best option. This portable simulator mimics the PS2 version so accurately that, if you squint just right, you might think you are playing at home. But don't sell that plasma television just yet. The PSP controls are no match for the spin moves you can perform with an analog stick. And, jerky player animations look like pigeons on crutches, especially when the game starts to chug from too much onscreen action.

But you'll probably know that going in. NCAA Football 07 on PSP works because most of the console gameplay is here. New playbooks are more realistic, so you can pull off a fantastic series of passing plays using the air raid offense at Texas Tech, or hone your running game with a one-back offense. Drills provide greater depth – and something to do on long car rides - and work better on the small screen because it's not so much about brilliant visuals.

The NCAA Football portable debut is packed with extras as well, such as editable depth charts in the ten-season dynasty mode, classic rivalries mode, and a cheesy-but-cool mascot game. Of course, you don't get the Campus Legend mode from the console version, which would be just a bit too extensive for a UMD-disc version of the game, and the ESPN ticker is more of a blip on the screen than anything useful. The new kicking interface works okay on PSP, but it seems like it was designed more for the PS2 controller than PSP.