Haven't bought the game yet, questions:

[tessl]

First, I'm not blasting this game, I haven't played it. Wondering if it is worth buying.

I have been burned in the past with the game being released with glitches which made the game unplayable and not fixed in a patch. Some I remember were the option play resulting in nearly automatic touchdowns and defensive backs taking the wrong path to the ball carrier. As a result I haven't bothered with this game in a few years.

If you have no idea what I'm talking about then don't reply. I want replies from others who saw those problems and found previous versions of the game unplayable.

Is this game playable after you download the latest patch?

If so, how much slider adjusting is required? I'm not the type of guy who wants to spend hours testing to figure out exactly what sliders to use.

Thanks for the replies.

[dalecooper]

It's playable and then some. Not perfect, but for me the best next-gen football game by a good distance. Some aspects you'll want to be aware of: punt and kick returns are inordinately hard, play action results in instant pressure on the QB too often, and opinions vary widely on how good the pass coverage is. With a good slider set tailored a little bit to your own strengths as a player, I think it's a great game and I play it a lot. Pick it up, and head to the Sliders sub-forum next.

[Jonsco28]

I've never understood the 'hours of testing' for sliders. It seems like a waste of time to me. Plus, everybody has their own style of play which affects slider settings differently. We just play our OD and make adjustments based on what we are seeing - typically re-evaluating every four games or so. Currently, we are in year four of our dynasty and the game is playing awesome.

If you don't mind a few tweaks here and there, pick the game up. I had purchased Madden a few weeks ago but never opened it. I took it back a couple of days ago because I enjoy NCAA11 too much (and I'm an NFL guy).

[OkieTC]

Quote: Originally Posted by dalecooper

It's playable and then some. Not perfect, but for me the best next-gen football game by a good distance. Some aspects you'll want to be aware of: punt and kick returns are inordinately hard, play action results in instant pressure on the QB too often, and opinions vary widely on how good the pass coverage is. With a good slider set tailored a little bit to your own strengths as a player, I think it's a great game and I play it a lot. Pick it up, and head to the Sliders sub-forum next.

This is it exactly. I LOVE this game! I have barely adjusted the sliders. A lot of people are complaining about the pass coverage, but with no slider adjustments, I am usually in the top 25 in my offline dynasty in pass defense, and finished #1 in Pass D in my 3rd season. Run blocking is awesome. Play action is tough if there is any kind of pass rush at all. Punt and kick returns=no blocking the gunners. I've still taken a few back, but tough. I highly recommend this game.

[Segagendude]

Quote: Originally Posted by alstl

First, I'm not blasting this game, I haven't played it. Wondering if it is worth buying. I have been burned in the past with the game being released with glitches which made the game unplayable and not fixed in a patch. Some I remember were the option play resulting in nearly automatic touchdowns and defensive backs taking the wrong path to the ball carrier. As a result I haven't bothered with this game in a few years. If you have no idea what I'm talking about then don't reply. I want replies from others who saw those problems and found previous versions of the game unplayable. Is this game playable after you download the latest patch? If so, how much slider adjusting is required? I'm not the type of guy who wants to spend hours testing to figure out exactly what sliders to use. Thanks for the replies.

(in bold) kinda opposite this year. The option isn't an automatic TD. In fact, I'm lucky if I get past the LOS using it..........it's definitely tough.

As far as playable, it is (to me) by far the best football video game I've played since the 2k days. And that's not an exaggeration.


You need to judge for yourself. Rent it and decide if it warrants a purchase or not.

[mavfan21]

If you ONLY play Dynasty I'd wait. It's very flawed right now. Wait to see if it's fixed.

If you play against friends or online only it's great.

[Rebel10]

I love the game, love the dynasty mode. The option is hit or miss. Running the option as your primary offense is very difficult and it often gets blown up in the backfield. But if you run the option sparringly, a few times per game, you can usually get good production out of it... the occassional long run, but more often than not, 5 - 8 yards on the ground.

It's the best NCAA/Madden engine game that I've played in 6 or 7 years, and I've played more of this game than any other football game really since NCAA 2003 I think. It still has a fair share of glitches, quirks, things not working perfectly, but still plays really well.

For sliders, there's plenty of good sliders in the threads in the slider forum here. Go there, see what best fits your style of play (sim, etc). And try 'em out.

BUt I should say, I never found previous iterations of the game strictly unplayable. I liked some more than others, although I can definitely say that I haven't played an NCAA Football game as much as I've played this one in years and years. I'm totally hooked, and really look forward to getting home from work and playing every day.

[65South]

Quote: Originally Posted by dalecooper

It's playable and then some. Not perfect, but for me the best next-gen football game by a good distance. Some aspects you'll want to be aware of: punt and kick returns are inordinately hard, play action results in instant pressure on the QB too often, and opinions vary widely on how good the pass coverage is. With a good slider set tailored a little bit to your own strengths as a player, I think it's a great game and I play it a lot. Pick it up, and head to the Sliders sub-forum next.

This right here hits the nail on the head. As I mentioned in another thread, this game hasn't come out of my disc drive since the day I got it two days after release. In all honesty, I've played this game more already than I've played any other football game on the nextGen console.

Now don't get me wrong, it isn't perfect. But I'm not the kind of gamer that nitpicks at the smallest detail. I subscribe to the theory that if the gameplay doesn't work to hell with the graphics, bells and whistles, etc. because to me if the gameplay is broken then nothing else matters. The game is customizable to your liking from sliders to the smallest detail in equipment, but I like you am not the guy that wants to play around for hours with sliders. As Dale mentioned you can do some tweaking to fit your strengths as a player but it's all up to you. I just went to the sliders forums, chose a set, tweaked it slightly and have played with the same set since.

Bottom line in my opinion, the game is just fun. If you don't take it too serious and appreciate it for what it is you'll enjoy it for a long time.