The best NCAA Game?

[philliesphan026]

What year was it, in your opinion. I think that NCAA 2004 was the best game of them all because that had some new features and was when they really started getting in depth with the dynasty mode (before ridiculous passing stats). Recruiting might of been a little easy that year, but it was also the simplest of all the games. What do you guys think?

[MachoMyers]

'04 = my favorite video game of all time

[PhiPsi1]

DEFINITELY NCAA 2004!!!! i traded my copy of ncaa 2006 back and got 2004. when ea started adding all the extra fluff (homefield advantage, impact player) i just wasn't down with it...but some people are, so to each his own...just feel like 2004 was the best ncaa football game of all time...

[Jistic]

2004 will always be special. I still have it in fact. But there's no way I'd rather play it instead of 2006. Now that I have 2006 playing the way I want it there's no substitute. 2006 gets my vote.

[ASB37]

I played 2004 till my hands bleed. So its 2004 all the way.

[Bill_Abner]

It's a hard question to answer. I without a doubt had more fun playing NCAA 2004, but technically NCAA 2006 is the better game, on the field. It was too easy to get sacks on '04, any HB counter, out of any formation, was almost a money play, and it was way too easy to throw to the TE, regardless of his skill lvl. Player ratings for the most part matter more in '06, which is a good thing.

But series, at least for me, has not progressed the way I wanted it to.

New features like the Discipline system, Race of the Heisman, HFA, and Impact Players have been implemented poorly, IMO, and when combined with the bizarre dropped pass issue make the game a bit frustrating. Add to that the sim stat engine which has remarkably taken a step back each year -- last year the scores were insanely high and this year the QB stats are way out of whack. This wouldnt be as big of a deal if NCAA 2004 hadn't gotten these things right. It's terribly frustrating when something works one year and doesn't the next.

If you took the '06 gameplay, toned down (but not remove) the drops for open receivers, improved the 2 minute drill AI, improved the Top 25 poll AI, made the Discipline system optional, used the 2004 sim stat engine, and made the deep ball less reliable I would be extremely happy with the game.

[fishepa]

2004

[willdtarheeler]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bill_Abner

It's a hard question to answer. I without a doubt had more fun playing NCAA 2004, but technically NCAA 2006 is the better game, on the field. It was too easy to get sacks on '04, any HB counter, out of any formation, was almost a money play, and it was way too easy to throw to the TE, regardless of his skill lvl. Player ratings for the most part matter more in '06, which is a good thing. But series, at least for me, has not progressed the way I wanted it to. New features like the Discipline system, Race of the Heisman, HFA, and Impact Players have been implemented poorly, IMO, and when combined with the bizarre dropped pass issue make the game a bit frustrating. Add to that the sim stat engine which has remarkably taken a step back each year -- last year the scores were insanely high and this year the QB stats are way out of whack. This wouldnt be as big of a deal if NCAA 2004 hadn't gotten these things right. It's terribly frustrating when something works one year and doesn't the next. If you took the '06 gameplay, toned down (but not remove) the drops for open receivers, improved the 2 minute drill AI, improved the Top 25 poll AI, made the Discipline system optional, used the 2004 sim stat engine, and made the deep ball less reliable I would be extremely happy with the game.

Very well put, I agree with that 100%. If thats the route they had gone this year, 06 would have been the best in the series. They didnt so Id say 2004, but Im still going to play the hell out of 06, its probably the last Xbox game Im going to buy, so Im gonna make it worth the 50 bucks.