NCAA Football 2007

[Anthony1]

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


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.