Hardcore 2K'ers opinions on NCAA 360?

[xrams]

Quote: Originally Posted by pf03ho

ive read all the stuff on the ncaa boards but alotta them are ea fanatics... can u guys that are 2ksports fans mention the pros and cons and how they stack up against 2k5? also, im not too familiar with college players so will that matter?

No1 still as yet to post whether the game has a coachmode option... Can some1 please answer this...???

[stlrams2881]

I don't believe their is a coach mode in this game from what i can tell as you can not let the cpu play the cpu. This is kind of a bummer.

Oh BTW GO RAMS

[TIm]

I think it is a ripoff renting 360 games at blockbuster. With the amount of rentals they sell they more then pay for the extra 20 dollars per game. I am going to be alot more cautious when getting a game on my 360. I will not rush out and get games on launch anymore. I just don't have that kind of money. Some will say rent it first. Well you rent 4 games and you paid for a 360 game. I trust alot of people here on OS and their comments on a game. This is how I will make my decision on what game to get.

[xrams]

Quote: Originally Posted by stlrams2881

I don't believe their is a coach mode in this game from what i can tell as you can not let the cpu play the cpu. This is kind of a bummer. Oh BTW GO RAMS

thanks fellow rams fan....

so just to be clear... I can't play NCAA '07 (ala 2K5 coachmode)....???

[xrams]

Quote: Originally Posted by icicle22

Here are my thoughts after playing NCAA 360 and then coming back to 2K5 for a comparison. The passing game in NCAA is better. You can hit receivers in stride more and there are more yards after catch. There are some great animations that just make you say "wow!" 2k5 is still very good but there is a "magnet" feature where you are almost always nailed or tackled as soon as you catch the ball...even if you had 5-10 yards on the defender at first. Same for interceptions.....the receiver too quickly becomes a rocket and nails you just after you catch it....even if he was going full speed in the other direction. The running game leaves me very flat. Still a lot of Mario running and collision detection is weak. I could live with it if I weren't addicted to 2k5 running which so much more realistic IMHO. I can fight and drag players for an extra yard or 2. The presentation flat out stinks. No style at all and just bores me. The framerate is far below 2k5 which runs smooth almost all the time. After playing NCAA on HD and then switching to ESPN 2k5 at 480P on the same HD set I am surprised how well ESPN still looks. This is a testament to how well ahead of it's time it was. In comparison NCAA07 for XBOX looks like old generation. EA never really did the Xbox justice. Overall I think it is an ok game but it hard to get pumped up playing it. The bands are so subdued that the college atmosphere is weaker than the last gen NCAA. There is no apparent chemistry between players like on 2k5....you really feel like it is just a video game. In 2k5 the players interact coming of the field and on the sidelines and even in the pregame. For me I almost buy into it that these games are real...and that the players actually have something on the line emotionally. NCAA leaves me feeling like they are lifeless robots....nothing makes me really buy into the illusion. Oh...one last thing...I find the playcalling screen very tiny and sometimes hard to see the routes.....it looks like a bowl of spagheeti on certain plays. After going back to 2k5 it looks clean. Overall I find 2k5 to be a much better all around game....gameplay wise and especially presentation. When I fire up a game between my Browns against the Steelers and I hear the "NFL on CBS" music cranking as they introduce the teams I still get chills. Add the music at the end of quarters and at the half....I feel like I am watching TV! It is going to take a lot to dethrone NFL2k in my eyes. By the way....if it weren't for Finn's awesome editor I probably would not feel this way. But since I can fire up 2k5 and have current players and all the new rookies and the new schedule....it makes 2k5 still be a contender. What features it lacks since the engine is starting to get dated is not that big of a deal. Especially since EA has not made any real strides to do the things that 2k5 does so right.

icicle... this review is most thorough and well writen from the 2K5 prospective... thanks much...

I it's to bad that still all fans of football, college and pro... still have no variety to look forward too....

[Juggernaut XX]

Quote: Originally Posted by FlyingFinn

The 360 version plays a decent game of football... However, I am still undecided if I am going to keep it or trade it in due to the following. Mario Running is rampent on most running plays between the tackles, there are tons of graphical glitches, atmosphere is lacking, no formation subs etc... really bring me down. It does feel new since I don't normally play EA football but I still don't think it tops 2k5 for the total package.

Agreed. The game is a solid game, but after playing 2K4 and 2k5, I am still left expecting far more from EA. The game is fun, I agree with that, but the replay value is what I am concerned with. I have played a ton of games by myself and with friends, and I found that the deep ball is still out of control. If you play against someone that really knows how to pass, you will get destroyed. Against certain teams, the game just turns into a bomb fest, and that is what makes the game unrealistic (IMO). Certain impact players are simply too good. You must adjust the sliders if you want a more realistic game. Once you do that, it is a solid game (B-) IMO.

As for atmosphere, I would have said that it was great, if I never played 2K football before. After seeing: in depth pre-game shows, halftime shows, postgame shows, trainers on the field to assist injured players, cut-scenes that show the player riding the bike after a leg injury, weekly high-lights, chain gang, replays that actually show a penalty being commited, better replays as a whole, player interaction, gang tackles, players stretching the ball forward after being tackled, RB dives over the line of scrimmage, good fan cut-scenes, great cut-scenes period, cheerleaders, and etc..., I have to give EA a D-.

For the PS2 version, here are the major issues in my opinion:

1) Deep ball
2) Super accurate QB's
3) Poor DB AI
4) Super accurate kickers
5) Juiced up running game
6) Out routes are money plays
7) Tons of big plays (even for college)
8) Goal line runs are money (poor DL goal-line play))

In closing, I also found that if your opponent has momentum, and has a good team, it is very difficult to stop him and you will find yourself getting blown out quickly. I feel that the momemtum is way too juiced up in this game. Oh yeah, if a RB or WR gets behind you, do not even try and dive; you will miss. You must use sliders in order to even come close to a realistic game (IMO). The game has more of a arcade feel to it, and if you played Madden 06, you can tell that it has the Madden 06 engine with a few tweaks here and there (good tweaks). Despite the aforementioned information, the game is fun, and (unfortunately) the only college game in town, therefore EA can say it is the best and #1 selling college game. Peace.

[HMcCoy]

Quote:

As for atmosphere, I would have said that it was great, if I never played 2K football before. After seeing: in depth pre-game shows, halftime shows, postgame shows, trainers on the field to assist injured players, cut-scenes that show the player riding the bike after a leg injury, weekly high-lights, chain gang, replays that actually show a penalty being commited, better replays as a whole, player interaction, gang tackles, players stretching the ball forward after being tackled, RB dives over the line of scrimmage, good fan cut-scenes, great cut-scenes period, cheerleaders, and etc..., I have to give EA a D-

Bought NCAA 360 3 days ago. Played 3 games first night, haven't really touched it since. Overall impression, it's really not bad. The lack of quality presentation is what's killing me, and while I'm not dissapointed with the game per se, I'm not excited by it either. I guess it's no knock on the game, maybe I'm just not into college ball enough.

Couple scattershot impressions:

-the jump over the pile animation should not happen 40 times per game. Sometimes they jump and the pile is nowhere near. QB animations look silly, and inside running is still meh at best. You get a constant stream of visual cues in this game that remind you that it's just that...a game.

-Tiburon added more weight to the physics, which translates to a more 2k-ish feel to the running. Players take bit longer to start,stop, and change directions, which feels really good. Tackling and collision are still a mess, but it's OK. One thing at a time...These guys fixed the models and run game, and I'm satisfied with that. I just hope tackling and presentation are next.

-The player models look great. Finally surpassed 2K5, IMO. The heads are a little big, but otherwise, the players are very impressive.

-Gameplay is really good...immersion is horrendous. In the three games, I didn't see anything terribly offensive, the deep balls I tried were mostly knocked away, and the short pass game felt good. I can see why so many people like it. I guess it depends on what satisfies you as a gamer. Tetris isn't immersive, but it's a hell of a a game. ASB sucked on many levels, but it was immersive as hell. Loved it. This game just isn't my cup of tea, but it does give me good vibes that Madden will RAWK. We'll see...

I know these impressions suck. My "evil agenda" is to never play videogame football again...and to drag as many followers along with me as possible. Muhahahahahahah!!!!

[kwanchangkang]

Fellas,

There are some cats over in the NCAA forum that are calling NCAA 2007 "THE GREATEST FOOTBALL GAME EVER"

I bought this thing for the 360 and immediately took it to the house to play.

There is no way in hell that this game even be considered better than the PS2/Xbox versions released with it!

After reading about impressions and other posts in the NCAA forum I've come to several conclusions:

-People are so starving for football, they are blinded to the crappy job that EA has done with the Pro Football licenses in North America.
-These same people are now conditioned, after Madden 2006 for the 360, to accept EA sports games that just plain suck and consider them "Next GENERATION"
-EA is still trying to play catch up with all the innovations that VC released in their last game.

I tried to go the NCAA forums to raise these points up, but alas the smacktards overpowered me and a admin even kicked me out.

Football gaming is dead, with only the spirit of competition and innovation a distant memory.