Well, NCAA Football was the reason I bought an XBOX 360 in the first place. I have played every incarnation of college football since Bill Walsh for the Super Nintendo. I've played through a whole season already, and here are my random thoughts.
CONS:
1. The game stutters. By that, i mean, that about every third game or so, right in the middle of the play, it will freeze, except for the sounds, and then start up again, and then freeze again. Really annoying, but it only does it for one or two plays, every third or fourth game.
2. I miss Lee Corso. He might be dumb (not as bad as Dick Vitale) but the commentary is severely lacking w/o him. For some of the commentary, my brain will finish his part, "but he just didn't catch it."
3. I wish there was a way you could control the frequency of the replays. A two yard gain does not warrant an automatic replay.
4. while the espn integration is nice, it gets old after a while, since it is pretty much the same thing, over and over.
5. Poor quality assurance. While explaining the type of offense in the loading screen, it states, "...total and control of team." Also, in the credits, it thanks Frenso State, instead of Fresno State. Adds to the rushed feel of the game.
6. The opponents (CPU) QB will sometime go to hand off the ball to the RB, but not give the ball to him, and the QB will keep running backwards for about 20 more yards.
20 July 2010
A couple of things I forgot to mention. There are also times my defensive coverage is holding up, the qb runs out of the pocket, my end comes up, goes to the line of scrimmage, and just stops. By the time i get control of him, the qb (computer) has already either passed it, or started running. annoying. another pain is the when you are on defense and you change the coverage audible (Y and then left) to blitz. EVERY DARN TIME I DO THIS, Brad Nessler has to pipe up with, "it looks like the defense is bring the blitz." once or twice is realistic, but when I'm playing someone, it's really really irritating as it is giving part of my defense away.
On a positive note, the receiver animation of him toeing the sideline to bring his feet inbounds has been changed for the better. It has better recognition of actually how close the dude is to the sideline, so if he is right on the sideline, he'll drag his foot, and then fall over, but, if he still close, but not that close, he'll drag his foot, and then stumble, but catch his balance. This is especially helpful if no one is around him and then he can take off again for a few more yards.
7. While some of the crowd shots are nice, it seems that some of the developers' girlfriends were used to model as there is a brunette with glasses and a blonde in every shot of the crowd. She will wear your school colors, but, be rooting for the home team when you are away.
PROS:
1. Graphics are awesome. From the stadium turf up to the players' uniforms. The helmets are especially realistic. It does not have the cartoony look of last year's version.
2. I like the no huddle option. Now, when you hold Y down, you actually get the whole play book instead of just running the same play again.
3. they put all the refs back on the field. Granted, you can run thru them, but it's still a nice touch.
4 The Alamo Bowl is finally placed in the Alamodome. The past few years, it was OUTSIDE.
5. a lot of the animations have been improved. Especially, the QB throwing motion.
6. First ncaa football game in a long time that is quite enjoyable to play.
Random thoughts: Right now, School Showdown is offline, and it's not worth it yet to play an online dynasty until EA fixes the servers. EA is aware of the problem. It's fun to also have specific sounds play at kickoffs, turnovers, 3rd and 4th downs. I do miss the ability to create your own fan sign which was in 2003 or 2004. I'm not big into recruiting, nor the road to glory, but I enjoy playing none the less. NCAA Football 11
Improvements:
The locomotion system does make running a little more fluid, though I think its hype has been a little overstated. More importantly, the realism of things like pass completion % and kick coverage has been improved, without having to do drastic manipulation to the sliders. Also, the inside running game for you and the computer creates more space and allows for more 6-7 yard rushes, so you aren't limited to running outside to get good gains.
One nice addition is a slider which lets you set the disparity in speed between the fastest and slowest players, so you won't have to cuss over Defensive Tackles chasing down your QB from behind anymore.
The AI does a nicer job in pass coverage, and the logic of its offensive playcalling is much improved. Having your opponent's offense retain the personality of its real-life team, and not just its formations, (ex. Georgia Tech option) was long-overdue.
The graphics are slightly refined, but nothing dramatic. Dynasty has not been altered much, but Recruiting has been tweaked. Now, the phone calls to recruits bring up topics randomly, and you have to determine how you want to handle it (ex. make a strong pitch, change the topic, etc). Not sure yet how I feel about it, but first time through it feels less laborious and predictable, so I think it will be better.
Overall, it is clear EA focused more on the gameplay and less on the peripheral features, which is good. I do not play Online, but the Online Dynasty enhancements seem significant. As someone who has been playing NCAA since the old Bill Walsh College Football days on Super Nintendo, I would say this is the best of the new generation, without too many significant flaws or gaps. Even if you have NCAA 10, it's worth the purchase, because it is a much more refined and realistic game.
UPDATE AFTER 2 DYNASTY SEASONS: Hard to get a pass rush; the CPU QB always seems to dump it off right before you sack him. I've had to dial down the CPU pass rush because my QB was getting ripped 5-6 times a game, mainly because the offensive tackles will just watch the DE run by...you need to get comfortable stepping up into the pocket. Recruiting is definitely much better - harder to cheat it, and easier to recruit against another team. Don't like the playcalling...now you have to cycle through 100+ shotgun passes one at a time instead of being able to use all the buttons (now only can use "A" to select). I've gone to 6 min quarters because I've found you can't get enough plays in at the traditional 5 min quarters. The running game is definitely more realistic...my RB average 5-6 yds per carry and you can find nice seams up the middle. Overall, my initial review stands...this is a significant improvement in virtually all areas and worth the purchase. - Xbox 360 - Video Games - Ea Sports - College Football'
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