What is your EACFB pre-release ritual?

[Collegefbfan]

I am also old enough to have played them all. I started out way late. I didn't get a PS1 until I was around 25-26 years old in or around 2000-2001. I have played and owned '98, '99, '03, '04, '06, '11, '12, '13, and '14. I never bought a single one of these games brand new. But I do have rituals, boy do I have rituals. The pre-season magazines, watching Klatt and Josh Pate, keeping up on various message boards, and bringing up some scrub lower level team and making them a powerhouse. I also have my season-by-season spreadsheets I keep up with for NCAA '13 and '14. This will be the first game I buy brand new.

[Kid OS]

The day before release, I would watch the MLB home run derby and then my mom or dad would take me to get the game at midnight. I think the home run derby is on July 15th, so I can still do that and then play the game that night as well. I'll just be playing the digital version instead of being able to pick it up in store.

Another thing I would do is stalk this forum to see if anyone got the game early. I remember hoping ODogg got a copy early because I knew he'd give us some good early impressions. Now that I'm an adult and we haven't had a new game in 11 years, I'm going to try holding off on watching early gameplay and impressions. I want to experience everything 1st hand

[Cam Fan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kid OS

The day before release, I would watch the MLB home run derby and then my mom or dad would take me to get the game at midnight. I think the home run derby is on July 15th, so I can still do that and then play the game that night as well. I'll just be playing the digital version instead of being able to pick it up in store. Another thing I would do is stalk this forum to see if anyone got the game early. I remember hoping ODogg got a copy early because I knew he'd give us some good early impressions. Now that I'm an adult and we haven't had a new game in 11 years, I'm going to try holding off on watching early gameplay and impressions. I want to experience everything 1st hand

Holy Mackerel! I didn't realize the MLB Game was the 16th! I have a very similar tradition of watching the derby the day before release! Since I have EA Play, I'll be doing that again this year!!!!

[Kid OS]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cam Fan

Holy Mackerel! I didn't realize the MLB Game was the 16th! I have a very similar tradition of watching the derby the day before release! Since I have EA Play, I'll be doing that again this year!!!!

Glad I'm not the only one. I actually never watch baseball, and I haven't watched a derby since 2013. When this game was announced to release this year, my prediction was that it would release the same week as the derby. Games used to release on Tuesdays, so the way they are releasing it this year makes perfect sense. I can imagine many of us with PTO days have already scheduled the 16th off. People without PTO might have a stuffy nose on the 19th.

[MachoMyers]

Living in Canada in those '02-'06 years so super rough. You either ordered the US version and paid extra shipping and duty to get it on release date or scheduled a 'trip' to a US border town. I did all of these things to get my hands on NCAA.

To think now you just have to press "Buy Now" and you have it.

Then there was the year I was home from College during the summer and forgot my PS2 Gameshark at school so I had two options for the rosters until I got back to school. Enter them all manually or make friends with a guy from my city on MaddenMania.com (remember?). Of course it was totally normal to message someone on a website, get a bunch of beers, go to their house across the city and swap memory cards and play games all night. I remember having to tell my girlfriend at the time what I was up to and was just meant with empty stares. What a time to be alive.

[ChaseB]

I just want the return of some of the classic stories like "I got the game early, it fell off the back of a truck."

[TarHeelPhenom]

Quote: Originally Posted by ChaseB

I just want the return of some of the classic stories like "I got the game early, it fell off the back of a truck."

Funny story. I had ordered NCAA 2002 and was scheduled to get it a day early through UPS. I kept telling my myself, you have to be awake when UPS comes so you won't miss your delivery. UPS comes about 8 o'clock in the morning and I'm sleep. But the sound of the UPS truck wakes me up. I jump out of bed, rush to the door and immediately start running down the street after the truck yelling at the driver to let him know I was home. The driver yelled back at me "IT's On The Porch"...I didn't even think to look on the front porch lol. I was so afraid I was going to miss the delivery. My neighbors thought I was insane..****nning down the street after the UPS man in my pj's.

[Kid OS]

Quote: Originally Posted by TarHeelPhenom

Funny story. I had ordered NCAA 2002 and was scheduled to get it a day early through UPS. I kept telling my myself, you have to be awake when UPS comes so you won't miss your delivery. UPS comes about 8 o'clock in the morning and I'm sleep. But the sound of the UPS truck wakes me up. I jump out of bed, rush to the door and immediately start running down the street after the truck yelling at the driver to let him know I was home. The driver yelled back at me "IT's On The Porch"...I didn't even think to look on the front porch lol. I was so afraid I was going to miss the delivery. My neighbors thought I was insane..****nning down the street after the UPS man in my pj's.

U.P.S. "If it's on the porch, it's ON the porch"