A Trip Down Memory Lane - NCAA Retrospective

[rudyjuly2]

I've only played the PS2 versions of NCAA '06 and '07. I was never a big college football fan (NFL mainly) until I got '06 and my love for the tradition and game itself has grown since. I was disappointed with both 2K5 and Madden '05 and decided to give NCAA '06 a try by buying it online ('07 was the first year in a long time that NCAA was actually allowed to be sold in Canada). I had read great reviews for '06 and I actually think it may have been the most fun I have had playing a football game on the PS2. 2K4 comes close.

06
The game was an absolute blast for me. From the dynasty to running the option to the presentation I loved it. This game did require massive slider tweaks though. Eventually the AA level just wouldn't work as the human running game was simply too strong. Heisman was fun but the cpu zone defenses were brutal. The gameplay was strong although the deep ball was too easy and DB AI was poor generally speaking. Too many throws into double/triple coverage got completed.

07
This game grew on me after I initially didn't like it. I thought momentum was a bit overdone but my biggest beefs with this game were with jump the snap and the new kicking system. Jump the snap can be abused by the user on any level under Heisman so I simply didn't use it. That kind of made speed rushing with the DE impossible though. On Heisman, the cpu abused jump the snap. Never having a kicker (user or cpu) miss kicks with the new analog system was a huge mistake by EA.

Gameplay wise '07 was very good. They toned down the human running game on AA, they improved the deep ball and DB AI quite a bit. The short passing game improved quite a bit as well. My only real complaint is that the running game took a step backwards. While pulling guards was improved and counter plays became useful, the inside running game became a bit too congested. The cpu LBs would crash far too hard to the inside forcing you to constantly bounce runs outside. This was especially bad on Heisman where it was much better in '06. Fumbles were also too high in this version.

08
Fixing the kicking game, toning down jump the snap and the fumbles and improving the inside running game are the things I am hoping for the most.

[Spear]

NCAA Football 06 got the most out of me. I remember being so pumped to play it, and test out the Campus Legend mode. After playing it, it was dynasty and multiplayer that got the majority of playing time (Campus Legend wasn't what it was hyped up to be IMO). Every night my friends and I played 4 player NCAA 06, with classic team battles, and rivalry games. We also created out high school team and almost everybody who was on it. Damn, that was a good summer.

We actually discussed reliving that summer again this year, but we'll see if NCAA 08 can provide that much fun.

[superjames1992]

(All Current generation Xbox)

NCAA 05- This was my first experience with any NCAA game. I had a blast with this game! Although, it had pletty of glitches and such (dropped passes, tips, ect.), I probably enjoyed this game the most. I probably logged more hours on this game than any other game I have ever had.

NCAA 06- In my opinion, this game took a step backwards (maybe it was just me, I don't know). It might just be that I alredy had NCAA 05 and was not as hyped. The deep ball was too easy. I still played this a lot, however.

NCAA 07- This was probably the best game of the series. I really enjoyed this game. It was nice that they got the dropped passes fixed (finally!). The deep ball was way too easy, however. The inside running game was impossible, so you had to bounce the ball outside on every play. The momentum meter was way, way overdone as was the jump the snap (If you got a good jump, you would pushed the Offensive Lineman on his back). Thsis was still a fantastic game, though, and I probably logged the second most hours of any game I've ever had (behind NCAA 05).

NCAA 08- This looks to be an awsome game. i like the new recruiting system and the gameplay looks great (except the snow video, but I can live with that) and I love all the little features like the Weather Channel live weather at the game. I am also very excited about this year because this will be the first year I will have this game on Xbox 360. I am really excited about that!

[Mizzou23]

I want to add the NCAA series was at its peak early in the development cycle for the PS2 and Xbox. While this is pretty disappointing, since every subsequent release from '04 was one step forward, two steps back, it also gives me hope that NCAA '08 will be a blast on the 360.

It's almost like after '04, nothing major really needed to be added, but EA couldn't just release a roster update every year. So they just kept adding features that just didn't always work.

With Homefield Advantage, it sounded great on paper, but it made it almost too easy to win at home. Composure led to too many dropped passes. Momentum jacked up the teams with momentum way too much.

It sucks, because it would be nice for them to concentrate on bare bones AI and gameplay enhancements, but let's face it, unless there is a big "enhancement" to put on the back of the box each year, overall game sales are going to suffer. That's just the truth.

[TheGamingChef]

NCAA 03 (PS2) - My first NCAA experience. I have to say, this was my favorite NCAA game for its time. That's partially because it was the first one, but I think mostly because it was just damn fun. I could play the game for hours and not tire of it. I was overwhelmed by the depth of the Dynasty Mode at this time, too.
NCAA 04 (PS2) - Most say this was the best of the series. I don't know what it was, but I preferred NCAA 03 over it. Sure I played it a lot... but there was something about it I couldn't get with. Regardless, it was an excellent game - just had an odd feel to it, IMHO.
NCAA 05 (Xbox) - My first NCAA on my Xbox. I wasn't a big fan of this game, I'll be honest. All the issues that everyone else has covered I also experienced. This is the only year where NCAA wasn't in the disc drive the majority of the fall (ESPN NFL 2K5 took that honor for this season). A disappointment, by all accounts.
NCAA 06 (Xbox) - This was a good rebound over 05. For some reason, I really enjoyed this game, probably more than most did. I think it was just that I really didn't like 05. Either way, 06 was a step in the right direction.
NCAA 07 (Xbox) - We all knew CG was winding down by this point, and in fact, I thought 07 would be the last NCAA on Xbox, so I was hoping for a game I could play a lot. I wasn't disappointed. It didn't improve hugely over 06, but it didn't have to. Just small tweaks were all that were needed. Sure there were small issues... but these happen with all games. I was glad I didn't upgrade to NG for NCAA 07.

My favorites, in order, at the time I played them:

1. NCAA 03
2. NCAA 06
3. NCAA 07
4. NCAA 04
5. NCAA 05

[ufer2]

After reading these I feel really, really, really old because I've owned every version that EA has turned out since the first one in June 1993 ...

Bill Walsh College Football (Genesis)
... had 24 teams, no team names (Notre Dame was "South Bend")

Bill Walsh College Football 95 (Genesis)
... added playoffs or bowl games (Maple/Palm/Pecan/Rosewood Bowls. hahaha)

College Football USA 96, 97 (Genesis)
... all the teams, could play a season, real bowls
... adjust penalty settings, user records, substitutions, injuries, polls

NCAA Football 98 (PS1), 99, 2000, 2001, 2002 (PS2), 2003, 2004, 2005
... 98 had Dynasty Mode, recruiting
... 00 went from four bowls to 23

NCAA Football 06
NCAA Football 07
and yes, I will own NCAA Football 08

I do not have a PS3 or 360 (yet), but I laugh when I think how great it was when those Bill Walsh games came out. Seems like a million years ago.

[UGA-Showstoppah]

Quote: Originally Posted by ufer2

After reading these I feel really, really, really old because I've owned every version that EA has turned out since the first one in June 1993 ... Bill Walsh College Football (Genesis) ... had 24 teams, no team names (Notre Dame was "South Bend") Bill Walsh College Football 95 (Genesis) ... added playoffs or bowl games (Maple/Palm/Pecan/Rosewood Bowls. hahaha) College Football USA 96, 97 (Genesis) ... all the teams, could play a season, real bowls ... adjust penalty settings, user records, substitutions, injuries, polls NCAA Football 98 (PS1), 99, 2000, 2001, 2002 (PS2), 2003, 2004, 2005 ... 98 had Dynasty Mode, recruiting ... 00 went from four bowls to 23 NCAA Football 06 NCAA Football 07 and yes, I will own NCAA Football 08 I do not have a PS3 or 360 (yet), but I laugh when I think how great it was when those Bill Walsh games came out. Seems like a million years ago.

I've owned every version also. Don't look at it like your 'old', you're just experienced. My signature is true...Bill Walsh College Football started my addiction.

[Village Idiot]

It's almost impossible to be 'old' with respect to gaming, considering that you only have to be 35 to have seen everything since Pong.