A comment about Presentation

[AUChase]

Hey man, don't feel like a dead horse, you have the right to be concerned. I love the changes to the gameplay, but like you said, the commentary is exactly the same as it was last year. It sucks when your playing and something happens and you don't even want to hear the commentary because you know where it's going..

If the commentary/presentation was just improved besides the addition of Erin Andrews, I'd be completely sold on the progression from last year to this, but that presentation makes people feel like they are just getting the same game again.

[SageInfinite]

This game desperately needs broadcast in game presentation. It's a shame I can get more immersed in replay mode than I can while I'm playing the game.

[bkfount]

Quote: Originally Posted by StoryBook

Everyone seems to forget that 2k's college football attempt was pretty bad.

lol, that's pretty irrelevant. What does that have to do with anything? They had two NCAA games ever, with only one being off the dreamcast. EA's been doing it longer just for this generation.

If I recall correctly, Sega's NCAA game got credit for better animations and stadium detail than NCAA at the time, but it lost points in failing to really capture the unique college play style. It also looked boring compared to the kind of awesome college presentation that EA had in their ps2/xbox game at the time.

[HealyMonster]

One thing that I dont see talked about a lot that I think will help out with presentation is to ditch the EA framwork and let each game be independent. Case in point. When I trade in NCAA for Madden, the box art is similar, the menus will be the same. All ea games have the same menus. I mean turn the game on and you are immidiatly greeted with lack of creativity.

They do this to streamline the menus so that they are familiar, but in the end, does it really need to be? Let each game do its own thing.

From a presentational standpoint in NCAA 10 I get the sense that the developers are "confused".

-They have commentators, commenting on the game as if its a TV broadcast, Yet they have no tv overlays or any other type of TV style presentation. Their scorebar is to their grunge theme as opposed to TV style.

- their cutscenes of cheerleaders are as if the game is on TV yet again, nothing else is.

- They add this new feature of bands at the beginning, yet, it is essentially dots moving around on the field. Also while on TV you may see the tail end of this in the background, this will never be focused on a college football pre game show. Of all the things college football brings to the table, we need to focus on the stinking band?

- with that being said, you would think college football would fail to exist without bands. For the past 10 years we have been listening to team fight songs. Its played out. We need something different. Imagine releasing Madden every year with the same soundtrack. Keep them in the game as an option but get a soundtrack with music in the game. I cant believe I still have to listen to rocky top all night long yet again in 2009.

- Erin andrews is confused about what the heck she is doing. Its supposed to be a documentary but she is taking phone calls as if its a tv show. I am not buying the whole show set up as she is always wearing the same outfit and she essentially never says anything important. Its a complete waste of space and like I said, these guys are confused because this is their "big feature" or at least a main feature and its used for their side game, which is unchanged and is still flawed in its core.



what gives guys?

[UTAllTheWay]

Honestly, if they could just revamp the commentary a little bit, I'd be fine. For instance, I'd like to see a few in-depth analysis during the game about why a play was successful. Madden did a pretty good job of this last year... but unfortunately, Collinsworth is an awful commentator. That wouldn't be a problem with Kirk and Corso.

Maybe do that and add team entrances like they had on the PS2 and XBOX games. I'd also like to see a bigger emphasis during rivalry games. For instance, Texas and OU players should be meeting in the middle of the field before the game about ready to tear each other apart. On this game, I can't even get excited about playing Oklahoma or Texas A&M because they feel like any other game. I want the hits to be harder, the crowd to be louder, and the players talking trash to each other.

THAT is what college football is all about.

[KentuckyJared20]

I think EA should do this:

-take out Season Showdown
- take out Road to Glory
-record more lines for Kirk, Corso, and Fowler
-make the announcing trio sound more excited for the game of the week and rivalry games than regionally televised games
-put some more flavor and feeling into Dynasty
-in Dynasty make the player the AD/head coach/player, IMO that'll help with the previous bullet
- USE THE ESPN LICENSE, IF YOU WON'T USE IT WHY HAVE IT?????????????????
-pre-season, pre-game, half-time, post-game, weekly, and post-season shows in Dynasty
-for the weekly show you could use, oh I don't know Sportscenter which will help you
-USE THE ESPN LICENSE, IF YOU WON'T USE IT WHY HAVE IT?????????????????
-mag covers in Dynasty, I miss those
- put camps in Dynasty, as pre-season recruiting
-put more feeling into the commentary for BCS games, and conference championship games
- get all the new helmets/face masks in the game
-put "mics" on the players, that way after the plays sometimes you hear them trash talking, cleanly of course
- put more Erin Andrews in as the sideline reporter
-hell, have her walking around the field sometimes when she makes her reports
- make the crowd non-cutouts from the PS1, same thing with the side-lines
-have coaches walking around on the side-line, you can have an option to customize the HC and see him walking around yelling at his players and the refs
- for the coordinators for now you can at least get there skin color right
-for the player heads that you see when somebody gets a penalty called on them why are they shining like they're fat and sweaty (well I know the lineman are fat/sweaty but my 190 lb WR seriously????) c'mon EA that's just weird
-get all the stadiums in the game
-USE THE ESPN LICENSE IF YOU WON'T USE IT THEN WHY HAVE IT????????????????????

[bronko3]

One thing that kind of helps with presentation is finding a good set of stadium sounds. Last season I was bored shiftless with 2009 until I found a really sweet set of stadium sounds for Michigan. I mean they were really damn good and even though I'm not really a fan of UM, the sounds made me want to play a dynasty with them. Having the actual band live recorded version of the fight songs that is louder and prouder makes a difference over the faint background noise which is what the "out of the box" fight songs sound like.

I also threw in some Metallica "For Whom the Bell Tolls" for my defense in key situations.

But the overall lack of presentation does bother me too. Here is my quick and dirty wish list:

-Bring back players running out of the tunnel
-Bring back actual TV broadcast presentation graphics like the last gen games had
-Bring back celebration cut scenes for winning a conference championship, national championship and regular bowl games (different cut scenes for each scenario of course). I hate playing through a full season and not being rewarded when I win big. Winning a championship should feel special and I should be able to set down my controller at the end of the game and soak in some cool post game celebration sequences. Instead it is like "okay great you won now back to recruiting, rinse and repeat".

Just bringing back those 3 elements would make me happy as hell and I wouldn't care if Corso/Nessler/Herbie said the same lines from now until doomsday.

Also notice the key words I used there: bring back

It is truly depressing that most of the things we hunger for are presentation elements that were IN THE GAME for several years before the latest generation of gaming consoles arrived. That makes the frustration that much worse IMO.

[bkfount]

Quote: Originally Posted by t27

I realize everyone has different preferences that they would like to see implemented. I just wish EA would let niche users like I at the very least be able to download "a second commentary crew" or "added presentation" just like I'm able to add teams through teambuilder" I believe EA's FIFA actually allows users to download bi-lingual commentators.

Oh, I agree.

I went to a D-1AA school and even though EA only lazily included them to be cupcakes, at least they were there last gen. I enjoyed using them even if no one else did. It also bugs me that we don't even get real schedules anymore since the game has the 1AA teams as FCS South Mid-West or whatever.

But things like presentation and 1-AA teams were sifted out on purpose because EA found they didn't matter much to the overall audience. Even the people who enjoyed the small touches probably still buy the game regardless.