For whatever reason, Gamebreaker always seems five yards behind the rest of the team in terms of graphics. Player models are squarish and at times, bend in ways that would make Stretch Armstrong wince in pain. I was also disappointed with the tackle animations. One of the bullet points for the game is the massive number of tackle animations featured. Maybe I'm missing something, but there seemed to be an awful lot of leg tackles in Gamebreaker. The color palette used in the game is also rather bland and unappealing. I also noticed a few moments where it stuttered, especially after the ball changed hands. Every time I handed the ball off to one of my backs or passed it to a receiver, the Gb would pause for a second as the camera shifted to put that guy in the middle. Whatever happened to smooth camera work?
Even though the textures do convey a more 'realistic' look, they also come off as dull and washed out. The crowd also shares this blandness. Gamebreaker 2004 does a few things right, though. Helmets look great and show some nice reflections without overdoing it. Unlike that other college football game, the amount of detail paid to each stadium is excellent. Even the little things that are unique to each stadium -- like the yard markers every 5 yards at LSU's Death Valley -- are included.
Sound is on par with the graphics -- you'll hear what you want, but might not like how you hear them. Once again Tim Brandt joins legendary announcer Keith Jackson in the booth. Overall the commentary is good, if a bit repetitive, although most of the fun comes from Keith Jackson's unique sayings rather than the quality of what is said. This is due in part to the lack of chemistry between the two. The ambient sounds of a day of college football are present, but come with mixed results. The white noise of the crowd is ever-present, yet the crowd rarely gets excited over big moments during the game. Gamebreaker also features a number of authentic college fight songs, but again, the quality is lacking.
