NCAA Football 2007

[Psycho Penguin]

It's coming out next week. :) Anyone going to be playing it online? I get HOOKED on this game hardcore at first, and have eben known to play hundreds of online games of it in 04, 05, and 06.

[Dobie]

I'll be getting it for sure. I love the NCAA Football games. I usually tend to NOT play the online however, I stick to the career and offline modes. I don't like playing EA's sports games online for some reason. I'd much rather just play against friends online or in person.

[Nirvana]

I gotta check this out. I've been playing NFL 2k5 all the time with updated rosters, but a college football game would be excellent. I think I'll rent it, and if I like it, I'll buy it.

I don't like Madden.

[Anthony1]

This is definitely one to take a look see at. I'm going to be renting it. I was very dissapointed with last years Madden on the 360, so I'm hoping to see some siginificant changes, this will be my first look at that. I just hate the fact that college games can only have player numbers and no names or likenesses of the real players, it kinda takes away from the experience, but still I'm hyped about the so called "virtual crowd".

[zot wildstarr]

Anthony-

No need to worry about the NCAA games not having rosters. For the last several years I have been downloading the actual rosters from one of several sites that caters to such a need. It serves PS2, XBOX and this year 360 owners. It makes the games even better to see a players name on the back of his jersey, hear the announcer say his name and see the actual names on the stat lists.

The one I have found to be quite reliable is fkrosters.com. It takes you step by step, showing you how to download and what accesories you will need to do it. Do a google search for "NCAA 2007 rosters", too, if you want to find others.

Zot

[Anthony1]

Anthony-

No need to worry about the NCAA games not having rosters. For the last several years I have been downloading the actual rosters from one of several sites that caters to such a need. It serves PS2, XBOX and this year 360 owners. It makes the games even better to see a players name on the back of his jersey, hear the announcer say his name and see the actual names on the stat lists.

The one I have found to be quite reliable is fkrosters.com. It takes you step by step, showing you how to download and what accesories you will need to do it. Do a google search for "NCAA 2007 rosters", too, if you want to find others.

Zot

wow, that's pretty amazing. I can see that working with a modded Xbox or something, but they can actually get that to work with a Xbox 360? Wowsers. I'm going to definitely have to check that out.

[Psycho Penguin]

Yeah man, it's really not that difficult to get the rosters. I always use rosters, and if you play online both players will see the rosters even if only one has them on the hard drive or card.

[gepeto]

I went to best buy yesterday and I believe there sunday ad had a special pre order ncaa07 any system and get 10.00 off instantly. I put my 5 on it. WOO Hoo.

[zot wildstarr]

The street date is 7/18.........

If anyone gets this game early, please post what store and what city.

My guess it will be a K-Mart or Wal-ly or Target that could break the street date. They have the best chance of having an elderly employee that is not entirely "in the loop" for street dates.

Thanx.

Zot

[njiska]

There's a Demo of this on Live. Have fun ladies.

[Anthony1]

Just downloaded the demo for this this morning. Pretty damn cool game I must say. Will definitely have to rent this immediately upon it's arrival at my rental service. The demo sucks because it's such a little tease.


You get to play one game, but the game is so super short, that you can barely even get much of an idea how to run a offense or play defense, because you just don't get enough time to play. The atmosphere looks pretty cool and stuff, and the sound quality is great. Graphics look very solid. This isn't using the same exact engine as the first Madden on 360, so this bodes well for Madden as well. Still, I think the designers can start getting more dynamic with the camera, you know showing the coach walking back and forth, showing a fan in the stands or their sideline reporters doing an interview, or like the school mascot doing it's thing. Or showing the schools band doing one of it's numbers. I didn't see much of that stuff in this demo. of course, all of that could exist in the full game, but I doubt it.


Also, I think when a team scores a touchdown, it should be a bigger deal. You should see immediate instant replays, and the type of things that Network TV does heading into a commercial break right after a score. You shouldn't just go immediately to the extra point right away, there should be some pomp and circumstance when you score a TD. Where are the cannons firing, and the dude cheerleeders holding up the girl cheerleaders, etc, etc. Giving me all of it. You can even give me fake commercial breaks if you want, just let me be able to skip them. lol.

[shoes23]

Just downloaded the demo for this this morning. Pretty damn cool game I must say. Will definitely have to rent this immediately upon it's arrival at my rental service. The demo sucks because it's such a little tease.


You get to play one game, but the game is so super short, that you can barely even get much of an idea how to run a offense or play defense, because you just don't get enough time to play. The atmosphere looks pretty cool and stuff, and the sound quality is great. Graphics look very solid. This isn't using the same exact engine as the first Madden on 360, so this bodes well for Madden as well. Still, I think the designers can start getting more dynamic with the camera, you know showing the coach walking back and forth, showing a fan in the stands or their sideline reporters doing an interview, or like the school mascot doing it's thing. Or showing the schools band doing one of it's numbers. I didn't see much of that stuff in this demo. of course, all of that could exist in the full game, but I doubt it.


Also, I think when a team scores a touchdown, it should be a bigger deal. You should see immediate instant replays, and the type of things that Network TV does heading into a commercial break right after a score. You shouldn't just go immediately to the extra point right away, there should be some pomp and circumstance when you score a TD. Where are the cannons firing, and the dude cheerleeders holding up the girl cheerleaders, etc, etc. Giving me all of it. You can even give me fake commercial breaks if you want, just let me be able to skip them. lol.

Don't worry, I'm sure much of what you desire will be included in the full version. Last years version had taunts, endzone celebrations, school fight songs, cannon blasts, great commentary, ect.

I'm sure that most of it will be reincluded, and I'm hoping that they will account for the new challenge that the NCAA initiated recently (one coachs challenge per game). I hear they even added an amazing amount of defensive packages and new offensive formations this year.

[gepeto]

Well I played the demo. I liked the demo although the animation seemed stiff. I have just been reading some of the early review and it suprisingly lower than expected.
I can honestly say I can't remember the last time ncaa received a review score lower than 8.0.

Most noticible are a few features missing on the 360 that are on the xbox and ps2. Similar to madden last year.
I find it odd that even in the 360's 2 gen cycle gamers have to put up with such bullcrap.

Now most people I believe are like me. We know last year was new technology but this year we assume it to be the crown jewel.

I am think of downgrading my ncaa preorder from the 360 to regular
xbox.

They are charging 10.00 more and you are getting less contents. I am starting to think that ea still has a little beef with microsoft. When the ps2 launched Ea made sure madden was top notch no corners cut.

If these next gen 360 games from ea arent up
to snuff. Something needs to be done. We have to find a
way to send a message.
More than the don't buy it approach.

I was reading an article on ign about how the nfl exclusitivity clause with ea hasn't had a bad impact. How great it is. Then I wrote a response email basically stating
what are you guys on ea's
payroll.

The Next day I read the authors blog 2 days before the article they are at ea's headquarters getting the full monty limos dinner. I am only stating this because 60.00 is alot of money. We might want to step back from the hype.


I am willing to bet that we the ps3 launches all the ea titles will be fully loaded. None of that built from the ground up nonsense.

[Anthony1]

Well, I'm sure this game is going to have it's share of issues, and things that bother us about it, unfufilled expectations, but it's going to make a great rental until August 22nd, when Madden 07 hits. I might even rent it for a longer time than that. But it will be a great extended rental. (when you can rent 360 games for only $3.50 for a whole month, why not?)

[Anthony1]

My local Blockbuster has like 8 copies of NCAA Football for the 360 for rent, and they already have them out there for anybody to rent. I was almost going to rent it right there, but I'm getting it via my monthly service, so I felt like I can wait a few more days, but I was suprised to see them breaking the street date so early. They may have been renting them even earlier than today.

[Dobie]

OK, so I played the demo... I must say I'm less-than-impressed. I'd go as far as to say I will have to cancel my preorder. This game is definitely a step down from last year's--maybe even as far back as 2003. I'm terribly dissapointed. The frame rate blew chunks, and the playbook chalkboard "style" really bugged me. It was tough to tell if a play was a pass or run or option without reading the name. The crowd was kind of cool... until you get a good look at them closeup. It seriously looked more like SNES than next-gen. Shouldn't fans be more than silouettes? I REALLY hope this isn't representative of the final product.

Blech. Forget achievements... for $49 I'll get a superior version on my regular old Xbox. Heck, it may even be on sale launch week, since most people will want the 360 version, thinking its better. Count me totally out for 360.

Its not like I'll be able to play the 360 version when it hits on Tues anyways... my 360 will be making a trip to Texas this week, due to the "red rings of death," as soon as the cardboard coffin arrives in the mail. This will be my 3rd console, and 2nd in three months. Me = disgruntled at the moment, so perhaps my point of view is slightly askew. LOL

[EricRyan34]

I am not going to be buying it but i am definitly checking it out from work and playin it, love college football games :-P

[Xizer]

Another sports game crapped out by EA to line the shelves of game stores everywhere...and the bottom of my closet when I get it for $1 in a few years (I don't want the flood of sports games littering my collection).

Are you people seriously not satisfied enough with the 2006 versions so you have to go out and spend $60 on a game that will drop to $5 after 6 months?

I don't understand it. @_@

[EricRyan34]

im not spending anything

[diskoboy]

I played the 360 demo - you wanna talk about a choppy framerate and animation?

Yikes!

[keiblerfan69]

I was thinking about buying it but I might pass. I will just rent it when I sign up for Gamefly on Friday.

[mregashu]

Xizer, I can agree with you about the depreciation aspect of sports games - that's why I generally go every other year or more. But a couple of points:

1. Seeing as how there was no NCAA Football for the 360 in 06, I think it's safe to say that there is a bit more reason than usual to be excited about the yearly release. It's not like this is a roster update in a new box - it's a new system.

2. Why are sports game the one's that always get crapped on for coming out year after year after year? Why not Final Fantasy? Or Dead or Alive? Or Splinter Cell? (ESPECIALLY Splinter Cell).

That being said, I was all ready to get a 360 for this game until I read earlier that it doesn't include every stadium. About half the teams in the game play in a generic stadium. If I could play Indiana football at Memorial Stadium in NCAA 98 for the PS1, there is NO reason why I shouldn't be able to on a freakin 360.

And yes, Indiana does have a football team. No really, we've got uniforms and everything. :)

[YoshiM]

And yes, Indiana does have a football team. No really, we've got uniforms and everything. :)

Is that the team that has a reeealllly small stadium? I remember playing against a team in some NCAA PSX game where it was the field, about two small sets of bleachers and what looked like a toolshed. It was the butt of jokes for the entire game (along with the frequent use of the announcer's "Hit'em/out there like a blackjack piiinnnne" line)

[Xizer]

Why are sports game the one's that always get crapped on for coming out year after year after year? Why not Final Fantasy? Or Dead or Alive? Or Splinter Cell? (ESPECIALLY Splinter Cell).

Because unlike sports games, the Splinter Cell series has completely different levels and a completely new story. What can sports games do to make it not rehashed? Not much. You can't radically change a football field like you can a level. It's just boring playing the same thing over and over with different sprites on the screen with the setting remaining the same.

As for Final Fantasy games I agree with you, Square shits those out too much. What are we up to now? 13? Not including all the spinoffs? Final Fantasy is just boring as hell now, I avoid that series like the plague.

And as for DOA...boooooooooobs.

[Anthony1]

Well, I'm most pissed off by the demo itself. Freaking 1 minute quarters? How lame is that? You call a few plays and then it's halftime, then the other team get's the ball, and a few plays later, game over. You get no chance whatsoever to get a real feel for the game with this super abreviated demo.


The good news is that I got an email and my rental service said this game is on the way. No way I would pay $59.99 for it, I wouldn't even buy it at Fry's (they are giving a $20 gift card for anybody that purchases it). But with the beauty of monthly rental plans, I can try all kinds of games for dirt cheap. Prey just arrived today, so I could finally delete that demo and get into the real game. It will be the same thing with NCAA, I will be able to delete that crappy demo and play the real game with long quarters and different stadiums and teams, etc, etc. As for the Stadium thing, man, there are like over 100 division A colleges, that's alot of stadiums to model in full 3D. Especially with the kind of detail that is required with a new system like the 360. So I can't really blame them for that. I just want to play this game until August 22nd, so it should hold me over quite nicely till then. I'll try to play a season with my beloved Miami Hurricanes!! GO CANES!!!

[Oobgarm]

I tried the demo, was very underwhelmed. The time constraints are too severe to eally get a feel for the game. Is it just me or does it seem liek the game gives you NO TIME to select plays? The new layout threw me off at first, and I was called for delay of game while I was trying to find a play.

I'm more intrigued by the PSP version, which I tried at E3 and enjoyed.

[segagamer4life]

how did the psp version look, I don't know if you played madden on it last year, but how would you rate it graphically?

[Oobgarm]

It's on par with most PSP games, like a scaled-down PS2 version. Not jaw-droppingly gorgeous, mind you, but it's good for the system.

[Psycho Penguin]

Today's the day!!!

[Dobie]

Another sports game crapped out by EA to line the shelves of game stores everywhere...and the bottom of my closet when I get it for $1 in a few years (I don't want the flood of sports games littering my collection).

Are you people seriously not satisfied enough with the 2006 versions so you have to go out and spend $60 on a game that will drop to $5 after 6 months?

I don't understand it. @_@

Meh. Perhaps you like different types of stuff. I like college football and MLB. Thus, I will buy the new games nearly every year. Sure, they depreciate in value... but for the gameplay I get out of them, they're worth the cost. Occasionally, I'll wait and get it from Best Buy for $5... usually with Madden, since I'm busy playing NCAA.

The draw to NCAA for me is that it usually (perhaps this year being the exception) caters to ALL fans. That means, in my case, I get to play with my favorite teams, in their stadiums, school songs, etc., even though I don't follow the "big" schools. It means a lot that I can recreate regional rivalries, such as Idaho vs. Boise State on the infamous blue Smurf Turf that is literally down the road from where I type this. Hardly anybody outside of my hometown cares about this... yet it is "in the game."

So play all your "unique levels" and crawl around in some 5th iteration of a generic stealth shooter, just as you did in the first installment, and I'll play my 10th iteration of NCAA, with the same football field, and players with no name. We'll both be happy. No reason to rain on somebody else's parade simply because you don't like it, or that it'll only be worth the price of a pack of gum in a couple of years. I've heard the argument before, and I don't care.

[Xizer]

Generic stealth shooter? How can it be generic when it's one of two major "stealth shooters" on the market right now? Splinter Cell and Metal Gear Solid are basically the only two stealth shooter series.

But with football...hell, there's so many different series I can't even begin to list them all. Something qualifies as "generic" when there are billions of different series of its genre...

[Psycho Penguin]

Madden
NCAA Football
Arena Football
NFL Head Coach
....

That's it.

Honestly, there's too many to name!!

[Xizer]

Madden
NCAA Football
Arena Football
NFL Head Coach


ESPN NFL
ESPN NFL PrimeTime
NFL Quarterback Club
NFL Street
NFL Blitz
NFL GameDay
NCAA GameBreaker
NCAA College Football
NFL "2K"
Sega Sports NFL

Do I have to go on? I'd really rather not spend the rest of the day listing the billions of football games.

[scooterb23]

I thought this conversation was about NCAA Football on the 360 (and other various systems I suppose), not about football series that died off 5 seasons ago...

I have NCAA 2005 for my XBox, and unless there are tons of mighty improvements, I'll be good...at least until I get a 360 :D

[Gamereviewgod]

ESPN NFL
ESPN NFL PrimeTime
NFL Quarterback Club
NFL Street
NFL Blitz
NFL GameDay
NCAA GameBreaker
NCAA College Football
NFL "2K"
Sega Sports NFL

Sega Spots NFL, ESPN NFL, and 2K are all the same franchise. An NFL Blitz game hasn't seen release since 02, QB Club died with Acclaim, Primetime was a one shot deal, and Gameday/Gamebreaker has been gone since 04. There are very few football titles anymore.

[Hep038]

Another sports game crapped out by EA to line the shelves of game stores everywhere...and the bottom of my closet when I get it for $1 in a few years (I don't want the flood of sports games littering my collection).

Are you people seriously not satisfied enough with the 2006 versions so you have to go out and spend $60 on a game that will drop to $5 after 6 months?

I don't understand it. @_@

If the games in 2006 are so great why are you wasting your time trolling a topic about a game you would never buy in a million years? Thanks for stopping by Troll. Turn the lights out on your way out.

[Dobie]

Boy, all those franchises andno mention of Tecmo Super Bowl, the greatest one of them all! Or how about Realsports Football? Seriously, there's too many to name! Why not play those instead... after all, they're all the same game, because thay all use a football field! Boy, all those people who paid $40 for Play Action Football back in the day sure are ignorant and stupid. It can be found for ten cents at yard sales! LOLZ st00pid footb4ll3rz.

Back on the topic... the reviews seem to be pretty good, and *surprise* the 360 is higher? I'm still kinda waffling. I came *this* close to buying the Xbox version last night at Target, but there was nobody around to open the case for me and I ran out of time to look for someone.

Apparently, some of the rosters are even different, with the Xbox being the accurate one. Not sure why a game with improved graphics but fewer modes and inaccurate rosters rates higher. I think I'd still rather have the "inferior" version.

[kainemaxwell]

I'm playing Tecmo Super Bowl instead of this.

And wasn't the last Blitz game the one that came out last year (I can't remember the name right now)?

[Gamereviewgod]

I'm playing Tecmo Super Bowl instead of this.

And wasn't the last Blitz game the one that came out last year (I can't remember the name right now)?

Yeah, Blitz the League, but it wasn't NFL licensed.

[Psycho Penguin]

I'm 3-0 in my Maryland franchise.. I turned momentum around big time and won at West Virginia 35-27 after being down 24-7. Blocked a field goal and everything.

[Anthony1]

If anybody has this game on the 360, and they want to get "BEAT DOWN" by my Miami Hurricanes, send me an invite :D


My 360 gamertag is AntTapDatAzz


I'm going to be playing this game till August 22nd, and then I'll switch over to Madden 07 for the 360. Gotta love those online rental plans!!!

[YoshiM]

A buddy of mine has the regular Xbox version and he's wondering if there's a way to turn off the "bullet time" effects when certain situations occur. Drives him absolutely batty.

[Psycho Penguin]

There's not. It really pisses me off too.

[Anthony1]

A buddy of mine has the regular Xbox version and he's wondering if there's a way to turn off the "bullet time" effects when certain situations occur. Drives him absolutely batty.



Weird, I haven't seen any "bullet time" stuff on the 360 version. I wonder if it's on there too and I haven't come across it yet. I've mostly been playing online games, and I have noticed that the game can be kinda herky jerky with the camera when the camera is panning around the stadium or inbetween plays. I'm not sure if this has to do with online lag or something, or if it has to do with the game engine or something. So far, I must say that I'm not absolutely blown away by this game. There are a number of things that bother me about it.. like.....


1. The crowd in the stadium is like a paper mache crowd. In this day and age, with the power of the 360, the crowd should be totally 3d, and totally dynamic. No excuse for that

2. Player animations after plays look way too stiff, and seems to repeat over and over. It's like you are watching this running animation and you have to wait for it to finish. It's very robotic.

3. Where is the freaking marching bands? Where is the pomp and circumstance? Where are the fight songs? Where are the fans in the crowd with their shirts off and the name of the team painted across their chest? Where are the male cheerleaders hoisting up the female cheeleaders? Where is the Georgia Bulldog mascot? Where are the close ups of the coach and offensive coordinators on the sidelines? Where are the closeups of the players on the sidelines?



I could have sworn that EA was talking about how the 360 version of NCAA College football was going to have all this college atmosphere? Where the hell is it?

[gepeto]

I am starting to wonder myself. Is the reason there are no 1AA teams 1/2 generic stadiums and no bands due to disc space limitations. Ea ought to be beat for no halftime show. That has pretty much become the norm. Or are they milking for next year saying we got it right please buy.

I just can't believe all the things left out are intentional. But then I look at the manual and it feels like a resturant menu. This has got to be a record instructions are 6 pages for a sports game. Very cheap.

They had 2 years to create this game. That is why this exclusitivity sucks beacuse that can sit on there asses and put out sub par crap.

If they are milking it is time for there come uppance.

[Gamereviewgod]

1. The crowd in the stadium is like a paper mache crowd. In this day and age, with the power of the 360, the crowd should be totally 3d, and totally dynamic. No excuse for that

The crowd is fully 3-D. Each one is fully polygonal. In fact, certain stadiums have specific animations like the gator chop. If you notice, they're specific to the on-field action too. The road crowd will be standing if they're winning.

On a side note, the PSP version has a massive glitch.

How can testers not see that when a runner is touched on a running play, that's where the ball is spotted? Clarification: Not tackled, touched. In other words, if you break a tackle say 2 yards in the backfield, and run for 20 afterwards, the ball is considered down in the backfield. EA's response?

"During running plays the ball will be spotted at point of first contact where the tackle is initiated. The ball will not be spotted where the player is ultimately taken down."

Yes, that's it. The forums are nothing but posts on what they're going to do about it, this after Madden locked up during franchise play last year and they announced a recall on Dec. 16th (after having four or so months to do so). IGn re-did their review too.

[phantomfriar]

Weird, I haven't seen any "bullet time" stuff on the 360 version. I wonder if it's on there too and I haven't come across it yet. I've mostly been playing online games, and I have noticed that the game can be kinda herky jerky with the camera when the camera is panning around the stadium or inbetween plays. I'm not sure if this has to do with online lag or something, or if it has to do with the game engine or something.

There's been lag reported all the over the place with the online play. I've seen it too in the couple of games I tried on Live, and it's not the game engine. One of the two games I tried (I didn't finish either of them) was nearly unplayable.


I could have sworn that EA was talking about how the 360 version of NCAA College football was going to have all this college atmosphere? Where the hell is it?

I agree with you. This game feels like a "halfway" marker between the disaster of MADDEN 360 and a better,brighter football future ahead.

By that I mean, it lacks features, it lacks the presentation we've come to expect. I hate how the replays quickly scale down to a mini-window after each play. You never get a full sense of the sweep of the stadiums, fans, etc., because the game doesn't allow them. Once the play is over you fly back to the menu screen and that's it.

On the other hand, the game -- while still rough around the edges -- is a HUGE improvement over MADDEN 360. The core game mechanics are a step up, the camera is (thankfully) much improved (even if there's only one angle, at least it's a hell of a lot better than what we were stuck with in Madden), and I think EA is on the right track more or less. Still without the presentation and additional features I have to say I don't believe this version is worth your $60, at least not yet.

With some more enhancements NCAA 08 could be terrific, though. (And you'd think with the PS3 and 360 being in full swing by that point, EA will get off their rears and do a full-blown effort as opposed to the somewhat half-assed job we saw here...but again, at least it's way ahead of last year's 360 Madden).

[Psycho Penguin]

I just noticed something hilarious. They called it the #1 selling NCAA Football franchise on the cover. Last year, they said it was an exclusive.

[dbiersdorf]

Does anyone know how you edit existing players or created players? Not their stats, but such as their visors and long sleeves, etc.? I've been looking around on how to do it and I can't figure it out.

[Anthony1]

I hate how the replays quickly scale down to a mini-window after each play.


Exactly. This is the exact thing that pisses me off the most about this game. Just when something incredible happens, the second after the whistle is blown, the replay window immediately shinks down. That isn't the way it should have been handled. It should have been handled just like the replays in NBA 2K6. In NBA 2K6, there are lots of close up replays after each major play, and you can select in the options whether you want to see that alot, or somewhat, or not at all, etc, etc. That is the way it should be handled. Any huge plays should automatically get a full screen replay in slow motion and full speed, from several camera angles. I was expecting EA to really wreck shop with their presentation skills. That was the one thing that EA has always had, the presentation, but it just seems that so far on the 360, we aren't seeing their full efforts. I wonder if the PS3 will get the same treatment, since the user base is likely to be dramatically smaller than the 360 base, at least in this half of 2006 and all of 2007.



On the other hand, the game -- while still rough around the edges -- is a HUGE improvement over MADDEN 360. The core game mechanics are a step up, the camera is (thankfully) much improved (even if there's only one angle, at least it's a hell of a lot better than what we were stuck with in Madden), and I think EA is on the right track more or less.




I pretty much agree with your take word for word. My sentiments exactly. Madden on the 360 was ultimately a very dissapointing game for me. It was funny, at first I actually liked Madden, for about 2 weeks. But then I ultimately realized that it was just the buz of owning a new system and wanting to like the only football game available. I ultimately realized that Madden was actually a dud, and I was hoping that NCAA would be the first glimpse of them coming with a totally revamped engine, and presentation. Well, it seems as though the engine has improved over Madden 360, but I can't say it's a totally revamped engine. I think it's a slightly modified and more polished version of the Madden 360 engine. Still, there are some improvements.


Ultimately, there are alot of things that should have been done, that haven't, and I slightly amazed that the developer didn't think about having them in there. I mean, I thought every football game from ESPN NFL2K5 onward would have shots of the head coach walking up and down the sidelines, and pictures of players sitting on the bench, with that big ass fan blowing behind them. Where are the damn MALE CHEERLEADERS!!!! Where is the close up of the Student Band playing the Empire song from Star Wars? Where is the closeup of the drunk students with no shirts on and the team name painted across 8 dudes fat ass chests? Where is the ESPN girl, that black girl with the buck teeth? She should be on the sidelines with reports on injuries and shit. Come on dammit! This is the next-level. Where is the next level in realism? Where are the fake commercials? I want it all dammit!!!

I want it to be so good, that my grandpa (if he was alive) would walk by and actually sit down and think I'm watching a real freaking game. I want it to be spot on, with so much stuff going on, on the sidelines. And why doesn't the ESPN ticker work during online games? That would be super sweet if it worked on online games.

[dbiersdorf]

I think if you're looking forward to male cheerleaders, you bought the game for the wrong reason. It's football. x_x

[gepeto]

To me the whole totally revamped engine /new architecture is total Bs.

When the ps2 was released it was new technology and madden held its own. I think it is a clumination of good employees quitting the wage issue. Ea being cheap and money hungry.
I think they lost so much talant they had no choice but to go License exclusive. That way people have no choice. 2k was kicking ass they had the halftime show the atmosphere.

I agree I haven't seen this lack of atmospheric presentation in years. No halftime show/ cut scenes. It is totally horrible.

Well madden 07 will tell the story but it might be too late. I'm starting to think they don't have the talent. I remember ea missed a year of madden for the psx because it wasn't up to company standard. People didn't understand the psx hardware. Capcom did the same with re2 for the psx.

The one glaring thing that really leaves me to think it's is the talent is that Ncaa is a staple in small colleges all across the us. The dorms are loaded with 360's ready to play delaware vs usc. To omit the small schools kills that market and that is a huge market. Small school players are turned off if there school isn't in there. Whether they use them or not It is almost like an insult.

Madden 07 is smelling like a turd more than ever.

[Anthony1]

I think if you're looking forward to male cheerleaders, you bought the game for the wrong reason. It's football. x_x


It's not about male cheerleaders. It's about the atmosphere. EA claimed that the atmosphere of the game was going to be amazing, but I'm not seeing it. I saw better atmosphere in Fifa for the 3DO.

[classicb]

On a side note, the PSP version has a massive glitch.

How can testers not see that when a runner is touched on a running play, that's where the ball is spotted? Clarification: Not tackled, touched. In other words, if you break a tackle say 2 yards in the backfield, and run for 20 afterwards, the ball is considered down in the backfield. EA's response?

"During running plays the ball will be spotted at point of first contact where the tackle is initiated. The ball will not be spotted where the player is ultimately taken down."

Yes, that's it. The forums are nothing but posts on what they're going to do about it, this after Madden locked up during franchise play last year and they announced a recall on Dec. 16th (after having four or so months to do so). IGn re-did their review too.

I've been out of the gaming loop or at least online talk about games and didn't know anything about this when i got it. This is probably the most frustrating glitch I've ever had in a game. For the game to be any fun you must throw on every down. It's really too bad because the game is pretty solid other than that. I wouldn't recomend the PSP version to anyone but the people who love to pass all the time and love NCAA football. I'm having a lot of fun airing it out but I still can't believe the overlooked this glitch.

[dbiersdorf]

It's not about male cheerleaders. It's about the atmosphere. EA claimed that the atmosphere of the game was going to be amazing, but I'm not seeing it. I saw better atmosphere in Fifa for the 3DO.

I guess it's personal prefrence then, because to be honest the continual camera changes to the stands and other random places just distracts me from getting to what I want, and that's to the next play. Quick clips after a quarter or at the half is understandable I guess... but really for me, none of that makes a difference to me.