NCAA Football 2008

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

This should be an interesting thread over the next couple of days. Nothing funnier to read than an EA game release thread as it goes through the paces.........

Or where one man defends the PS3 and everyone else tears it a new one.

[Eaglesfan27]

Not surprisingly, the impressions on OS are overwhelmingly favorable. The vast majority of people say the 60 FPS on the 360 makes a huge difference from last year in how smooth the controls are. Also, the computer is actually missing FG's now. People are reporting the blocking is much better and player size seems to have more of an effect. Looking forward to trying the demo tonight.

[Kodos]

Yep. People have been mostly favorable over at OS.

[Ksyrup]

Is there a decent site (or thread at another board) that details exactly what the PS2 version has/doesn't have, and any PS2-specific quirks/bugs? I'm still on the fence about getting this, or whether I should just wait until the fever hits me and start up a new career on 2007.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Or where one man defends the PS3 and everyone else tears it a new one.

Yes, because we all know EA roster updates didn't start until this generation......

[Mike1409]

My Impressions after playing the demo once. I love the graphics, they are much improved from last year. I had both versions last year and the 360 was very choppy and felt clumsy. This year it feels next gen. The QB auto drops and there appears to be a pocket to step into. On one play the DE went inside and the LT stepped out to pick up a blitzing LB or CB. I picked off 2 passes but both were thrown under pressure, and I even threw a pass over the middle that was not knocked down by a MLB.

[Icy]

Release day is 17th right? too bad as i'll be already in holidays else i would preorder it. This will be a good way to be patient, will read impressions and will decide once i get back in August.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Icy

Release day is 17th right? too bad as i'll be already in holidays else i would preorder it. This will be a good way to be patient, will read impressions and will decide once i get back in August.

Yes, the official release day is the 17th.

[MizzouRah]

Can't wait to check this out tongiht. I was in the "control of players stink" camp last year.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by Logan

Guys, please...I'm not getting my 360 until Sunday. More impressions are needed.

What do you want to know about the demo?

[kingnebwsu]

The first thing I noticed is the 60 FPS thing...it sure makes a huge difference initially. Time to play a full demo game now

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by kingnebwsu

The first thing I noticed is the 60 FPS thing...it sure makes a huge difference initially. Time to play a full demo game now

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and WVUFan's (and whoever else) on fumbles in the demo. That seems to be the biggest complaint on OS while others on there are reporting zero fumbles. I'm wondering how much the "cover up" button will prevent fumbles. Less than 4 hours until I get home to try this for myself.

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and WVUFan's (and whoever else) on fumbles in the demo. That seems to be the biggest complaint on OS while others on there are reporting zero fumbles. I'm wondering how much the "cover up" button will prevent fumbles. Less than 4 hours until I get home to try this for myself.

I had one fumble in two games and it was probably a "legit" fumble.

[Kodos]

In the one quarter that I've played, I had two guys get dinged with minor injuries.

With basically one drive to go on, I like it so far.

[kingnebwsu]

So yeah, just played my first game and I dunno...we'll see how the final version is. This one is a bit buggy (I know it's a demo). Just unpolished in some spots (like having your play selection menu open on top of the instant replay). Also there was slowdown in between plays (like going out of the huddle). The long passing seems really sensitive. I had a guy open a few times and couldn't complete the big one. I lost the game 14-7 when michigan got a pick-6 with no time left. My guy was ready to catch the ball, but the CB stepped in front and grabbed it. I threw 2 picks and recovered one fumble in my first demo game.

Sideline players are running at 30 FPS and looks like barely passable PS2 graphics. No commentators really changes the feel of a game. Guys look really funny when they're out of breath, they look like they're struggling to breathe big-time.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by kingnebwsu

So yeah, just played my first game and I dunno...we'll see how the final version is. This one is a bit buggy (I know it's a demo). Just unpolished in some spots (like having your play selection menu open on top of the instant replay). Also there was slowdown in between plays (like going out of the huddle). The long passing seems really sensitive. I had a guy open a few times and couldn't complete the big one. I lost the game 14-7 when michigan got a pick-6 with no time left. My guy was ready to catch the ball, but the CB stepped in front and grabbed it. I threw 2 picks and recovered one fumble in my first demo game.

Sideline players are running at 30 FPS and looks like barely passable PS2 graphics. No commentators really changes the feel of a game. Guys look really funny when they're out of breath, they look like they're struggling to breathe big-time.

I'm glad to hear that the long passing game is much more challenging with QB's being inaccurate which is a great thing in my opinion. As far as the commentary, I'm sure you know this, but it was left out only for the demo to decrease the size of the download. Hopefully, the other issues are cleaned up for release.

[kingnebwsu]

Played again and USC crushed michigan 18-0. I can still see the long-FG issue from before. michigan's K just missed a 57-yarder. I mean, barely. My kicker nailed a 47-yarder that was just inside the upright but had distance to spare.

No game stats/user instant replay is a bummer.

There are definite frame-rate issues when the play is not going on. Every time I call a play and my team breaks the huddle, there's about a 1-second delay when the game freezes. This hopefully is fixed in the real game.

Secondary seems improved overall, even though my CB did the classic break-your-coverage-to-jump-and-miss-tipping-a-pass-which-leads-to-a-TD in the first game. They seem to react better overall. A lot of batted balls (including getting batted multiple times).

My running game just crushed the AI. I just used the sprint/stiff arm tackles and ran it right up the gut for solid gains. I think my RB's averaged like 8 YPC. I know it's probably on varsity level.

I've had one punt return and my four blockers stopped 1 guy and let another one through to tackle me after a 2 yard return.

[WVUFAN]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I'm interested in hearing your thoughts and WVUFan's (and whoever else) on fumbles in the demo. That seems to be the biggest complaint on OS while others on there are reporting zero fumbles. I'm wondering how much the "cover up" button will prevent fumbles. Less than 4 hours until I get home to try this for myself.

I've played 3 games so far, the first I did a normal combination of run/pass, and it was very hard to complete a long pass (I was Michigan). The DB's are quite a bit smarter in this version as the last one. I had a fumble on the kickoff which the booth reviewed and it was overturned. I won 21-14, when I intercepted a really, really bad pass (Booty got nailed as he hit it, and the ball was really off).

The second game I ran nearly exclusively. Fumbled 5 times, and lost 21-3. Hart had a tendency to fumble, especially when he got gang tackled.

Pros:
-- The game runs much, MUCH smoother and faster. As others have said, you can really tell this is 60 fps, as the game runs better.

-- I like the camera angles on the challenges.

-- The secondary AI is dramatically improved.

-- Others say differently, but I think the graphics are better. No, there's no helmet reflections, but things are brighter and shadows (unlike last year's version) are correct.

-- Gang tackles are in the game. This is a good and bad thing for me, but I do like the increased variety of tackles as opposed to last year.

-- Line blocking is much better. You can see the pocket, and lineman sliding down for blocks. On runs, there's a nice bit of downfield blocking, so the lineman don't just stop on initial hits.

-- I didn't see "jump the snap" on the demo. The Y button is now back to secondary audibles. This may just be a demo thing, though.

Cons:

-- There is an issue with fumbles, but it might be due to this being a demo. Interceptions seem to be right on par, especially if you throw into coverage like I did a few times.

-- I do not like the new playcalling screen. It gives you only 4 plays per screen to choose from, and on a standard TV it's very hard to see details on the plays. May be just my TV, though.

-- This is more than likely a demo issue, but the after-play celebration animations are buggy as all hell, and not apt in every situation. (Hart gets a 2 yard gain, and celebrates like he just scored a TD)

-- The game has a much more arcady-ish feel than any version I've played before, even current-gen.

-- Entirely too many broken tackles.

Hope this is helpful. Overall, this is a much better experience than last year, but there are some bugs that might need to be worked out.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

(Hart gets a 2 yard gain, and celebrates like he just scored a TD)

So it IS realistic (along with the other comment about CBs going for the INT, missing, and giving up a TD)

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

-- The game has a much more arcady-ish feel than any version I've played before, even current-gen.

-- Entirely too many broken tackles.

These two might (hopefully) be the result of having to play on an easy difficulty setting in the demo. I'm just about finished downloading it to see for myself.

[WVUFAN]

dola --

In the demo, it shows the gamewinning or big play from the game you just played at the end. Not a big deal, but a nice touch.

[sabotai]

One thing I have noticed that's annoying is that pulling linemen are constantly getting stuck on other OL players.

EDIT: Of course, just as I post this, I run an outside play where the guard pulls flawlessly.

[Balldog]

How the heck do you throw a bomb with some air under it? I tried 3 long passes by tapping the button and all I get is a bullet.

[Eaglesfan27]

FWIW, a guy at OS is "confirmed" to have an early release copy and is answering questions. He reports that in a regular length game there was only 1 fumble. My wife forgot to tell me that we were babysitting for her friend tonight, so I won't get a chance to try the demo until tomorrow. So, I'm still looking around for impressions.

[jbmagic]

Has the fatigue bug been fix?

[BigMak]

I played about 3 quarters before work this morning. I forced one fumble. I was a LB and sacked the QB. I blocked the 1 FG attempt against me. Gang tackling is finally part of EA which is very nice and much needed. I thought the gang tackling looked realistic.

One thing I did not like was the CPU threw a pass to the TE. He was wide open and running and out to the sidelines. Seemed to get stuck in an animation and went out of bounds. I thought this was fixed.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

Has the fatigue bug been fix?

Are you sure you don't have NCAA confused with Madden here?

[Emiliano]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Are you sure you don't have NCAA confused with Madden here?

Yeah, I think Madden had it in last year's 360 version. NCAA never had that problem, I'm sure. At least, not in the current-gen version.

[Kodos]

How the AI

[TroyF]

Just played a quick game as Michigan.

My first play was a counter and Hart ran for 75 yards and a TD. Had a sack and fumble that was overturned on a replay. Long passes aren't tougher, they are damned near impossible. Everything I throw is a bullet. Either it's a bug or I'm doing something wrong.

Two fumbles in the game. One was on a kickoff return. (USC fumbled, I recovered) The other was late in the game while I was nursing a lead. Hart slammed into the middle of the line and lost the ball. I recovered that one too, but wasn't real happy with Mr. Hart. (I wasn't covering it up, probably my fault)

Plusses -

--- In the middle of a play the gameplay is smooth.

--- I like the graphics this year. Brighter colors, less worry about reflections all over the place.

--- USC kicker missed 2 kicks against me

--- seems like the game is taking snapshots of huge plays throughout the game. I wonder if there will be some sort of a photo album after a game or what that is all about.

Minuses

--- Lag between plays is a bit annoying

--- I HATE the new play calling screen. I mean hate it. Seeing four plays at a time is ridiculous. EA took a major step back here IMHO. Not a dealbreaker, but it could have been so much better.

--- Still seeing the MLB knock down to many passes. (both sides)

--- Did I mention how much I hate the play calling screen?

[jbmagic]

Bugs you guys see in the demo will most likely carry over to the retail version.

I hope you guys don't think it will be fix before the release.

EA hardly comes out with fixes after the game is release. Just roster updates.

[rowech]

Glad I wasn't the only one that hated the playcalling screen. I think that's just awful.

I'm wondering how much different a demo can really be from a game though?

[Phototropic]

I loved last year's game despite the occasionally poor collision detection and DB AI. After playing the new demo, I'm thinking of cancelling my preorder. Some of these have been mentioned, but here are my thoughts:

Pros

- Obviously the frame rate is huge.
- Tackling all-around is better -- gang-tackles and regular. I liked the additional broken tackles because it always seemed like someone was there to finish off the play.
- DB AI seems improved and collision detection didn't seem to be an issue during plays.

Cons

- In my first game Michigan started the first 3 drives with picks. Turnovers on both sides are out of control but maybe that is just a demo issue.
- The playcalling screen is horrid. Not only do you have to scroll side to side to change formations, but you can no longer use the bumpers to quick-flip which means 2 or 3 button presses just to get to a new page.
- While gang-tackles are cool, they are mainly just clean up work, ie the defender is trying for an extra yard and you come in to knock him back.
- The ball physics on incompletions seemed weird. The ball was pinballing around receivers' hands and making loud thud sounds. This might have been in last year's game and I just didn't notice it as much.
- I'm seeing a lot of slowdown between plays when the screen transitions.


Some other frustrating notes on my first game (which I won 16-14) besides the 3 initial picks were:

Opening kickoff returned against me after running through a pile of 4 guys.
On one of my PATs the ball went through my holder, and the play was called dead.

I'm pretty disappointed as I was really looking forward to this game, but I'm hoping that this was a really early build used in the demo.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

Bugs you guys see in the demo will most likely carry over to the retail version.

I hope you guys don't think it will be fix before the release.

EA hardly comes out with fixes after the game is release. Just roster updates.

jb,

I'm not sure there are a lot of "bugs" in the demo. The only real one that's bothering me is the passing and that is even something that can usually be fixed with slider tweaks.

The demo to me was just ok. Not great, not horrific. Blah. OK.

If the full game comes out like that, I'll probably be OK. There isn't any other NCAA game to turn to and I'm sure I'll get my 60 bucks worth out of it. If it comes with more bugs, then it could be a dealbreaker. We'll just have to see.

[sabotai]

I don't think the play calling screen is that bad. I think it's better than the old style (not last year's next-gen system which I didn't get much of a chance to get used to).

The demo was "meh". Not that much better than last year's, but like others said, it's Varsity difficulty level with default sliders. The gameplay is actually better than I'd expect with those settings. I'm confident we'll get a pretty good football game on higher dif. levels and slider changes.

Wasn't looking for too much in this demo. Just to make sure the collision detection was fixed (seems to be), and that the controls were smoother (seems to be). The stutters between plays are annoying, but nothing that will keep me from buying the game.

[bhlloy]

Originally Posted by TroyF

--- Still seeing the MLB knock down to many passes. (both sides)

Frickin' EA. How long has this been an issue now in their football games? Pathetic, and I'll still give them my hundred bucks this year because there's nothing else out there.

[Phototropic]

I did play once more and have a really solid 3-6 game without any noticeable gameplay issues.

[BYU 14]

Grrrr...no PS3 Demo....

[TroyF]

After playing a few more games, I'm getting a much better feel for passing. Even completed a few deep balls. In one terrific game I drove down the field in the fourth and hit my TE with a perfect crossing route. He broke one tackle and took it 26 yards for a TD.

A couple of keys that I've found to passing:

1) Let the AI drop your QB back. Just concentrate on the receivers from the snap to a two count or so. If it isn't out by 2 or 3 at the most, you'd better look at the line and get prepared to make something happen.

2) If you do scramble, make sure you set the QB's feet. I haven't completed a single ball on the run. I think they may have overcorrected the issue of QB's being able to throw accurately on the run. Could just be the setting of the two QB's though. (both are much better pocket passers IRL)

3) If the MLB or the safety has his back to you, you can get it over their head for a completion a decent amount of the time. If they are facing you when you throw the ball? You are screwed.

Overall, the more I played it tonight, the more I enjoyed it. That's always a good sign. (until day 3 when I scream in frustration at some asinine bug they let pass anyway)

[CraigSca]

Just played my first game - seemed like '07 Next-Gen for me, only better. I use the call play screen differently, as I don't use it by formation (by type of play), so it really didn't affect me. I was Michigan and we defeated USC, 9-0. Each team threw a pick (mine was horrible, I panic in the pocket - ha). I was barely able to run the ball, but running's not my strong suit. I like the game a lot, but I'm not a hardcore player like a lot of others. Defnitely liked it and can't wait to see the added depth in the retail version.

Oh, and unlike others, the slight hitch when players head to the line of scrimmage didn't bother me a bit. I had to remind myself to look for it, in fact. If it were to happen in the middle of the play, that would be a problem, but it doesn't happen then.

The pics the game takes of your last play are a good idea but poorly implemented. I'd say about 20% of the pix it takes are relevant. Oh, and to the person who said replays are hard to see because of the play calling overlap - man, you should have seen it last year. Replays were in a TINY window under the play calling screen - ha!

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by BYU 14

Grrrr...no PS3 Demo....

One other comment I was going to make. . .

I can't imagine this game at 30 FPS. Maybe the other guys can chime in here on this. I think while the game is smooth that it couldn't deal with a 30 FPS drop and still be enjoyable.

I may be 100% off base, but I don't have the confidence this thing is going to play good at all on the PS3.

[CraigSca]

Oh, and I had one dropped pass tonight to my wide open TE. Not sure if Michigan's TE isn't known as a pass catcher but there was no excuse. I'm going to change his position to punter and let him know I'd be willing to have him transfer

[CraigSca]

dola

Late in the game, I noticed that my defensive end (the guy I controlled the entire game) had been subbed out for his backup. I like that - I can't be 100% sure, but it looks like fatigue is accurately portrayed.

[BYU 14]

Originally Posted by TroyF

One other comment I was going to make. . .

I can't imagine this game at 30 FPS. Maybe the other guys can chime in here on this. I think while the game is smooth that it couldn't deal with a 30 FPS drop and still be enjoyable.

I may be 100% off base, but I don't have the confidence this thing is going to play good at all on the PS3.

I hope you are wrong Troy, I barely play video games, but this one has got me really excited (First one I ever pre-ordered) and it will be a huge letdown if it sucks on PS3.

[jbmagic]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gkaz0ACZrA

Video of someone playing the demo

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by TroyF

One other comment I was going to make. . .

I can't imagine this game at 30 FPS. Maybe the other guys can chime in here on this. I think while the game is smooth that it couldn't deal with a 30 FPS drop and still be enjoyable.

I may be 100% off base, but I don't have the confidence this thing is going to play good at all on the PS3.

Yes, it was nearly unplayable last year on the 360 at 30 FPS.

If EA's NCAA 08 isn't a good game, it won't be because of framerates.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Yes, it was nearly unplayable last year on the 360 at 30 FPS.

If EA's NCAA 08 isn't a good game, it won't be because of framerates.

Anyone who sees it on a 360 and sees how it is running at 60 FPS is going to be disappointed when they go back and play it on their PS3 and see it running at 30. All of the previewers have said that the 60 FPS makes a huge difference. Heck, guys on here have said that. I'll try the demo tonight myself, after playing a quarter of 07 which ran at 30 FPS just to see how much of a difference it is.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Yes, it was nearly unplayable last year on the 360 at 30 FPS.

If EA's NCAA 08 isn't a good game, it won't be because of framerates.

I'm telling you, there is a MAJOR difference in gameplay. Maybe someone who doesn't know any better won't be bothered. But someone who has seen and played the game the way it looks on the 360 is going to have a difficult time stomaching 1/2 the frame rate.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Anyone who sees it on a 360 and sees how it is running at 60 FPS is going to be disappointed when they go back and play it on their PS3 and see it running at 30. All of the previewers have said that the 60 FPS makes a huge difference. Heck, guys on here have said that. I'll try the demo tonight myself, after playing a quarter of 07 which ran at 30 FPS just to see how much of a difference it is.

Graphics running at 30 or 60 FPS have never been the issue with EA games. They've always looked nice. They've just had the problem that unbelievably stupid bugs continue to appear each and every year. Getting excited over a demo in a EA game is never a good idea. Consider that the demo is a paired-down version of the game. If it's having technical issues without some features in the demo version, well......we'll just see.

[Kodos]

I have to say I'm not overwhelmed by the demo. It has some nice things. It feels like it moves too slow. The constant fumbles are annoying. Hart sucks! Even when I held the protect the ball button (right shoulder button, right?). Hoping this is still an early build.