Overview
Change is good and in the case of the newly titled NCAA Basketball 09 change is all for the better.
In its 3rd year on next gen consoles and now being the only College Basketball game on the market.
EA has taken on the challenge of revitalizing the College Basketball game for the consumer. As with any game that has certain development time it is sometimes better to focus then to restart from scratch. In many ways, the team has been able to acquire the engine now driving NBA Live 09 and improve on it using it as a standard to base itself on. The focus is simple and it was apparent from my time listening to the developers that they had one primary goal, to differentiate the college game from the pro game. The addition of certain key features show evidence of this and are what the team of NCAA 09 can be proud of. Though I was shown an alpha build, it played a much different game then NCAA 08 already and for that matter a much different game than NBA Live 09 altogether. Strategically it takes it's inspiration from the coach's mentality to how his team would play. Giving you tempos to follow while you play, mimicking real life teams styles of play. As an overview NCAA 09 is more so a retooling of the brand. The whole sense behind the game is actually more reminiscent of how you learn to play the game of basketball. Basketball is essentially a communication between player and coach and NCAA 09 captures some of this aspect and makes it fun and enjoyable to play.
Features
It is very important that I say that the 360 and PS3 versions will run at a smooth 60FPS and that graphically they will be equal. We had a chance to get our hands on 360 builds and the game was in fact running smooth and at a good clip.
As mentioned briefly, "Setting the Tempo" is a feature added this year that drastically makes NCAA 09 a very different experience than NCAA 08 and NBA Live 09 respectively. Within this game feature you have the ability to play with 3 styles of play (which I will breakdown).
1) Up-Tempo. Which played as you would expect it to. Teams that had Up-Tempo as their style played aggressive and tended to be good at fast breaks and transitional play.
2) Half-Court. Which played a more nuanced game of basketball where teams actually took the time to set up plays and run time off the clock. It was actually a cool thing to see teams try and get a good shot at the basket whether it was on the parameter or in the post.
3) Balanced. Playing an all around evenly paced game of everything a college play book can have. I saw good variety within the CPU's play calling and execution.
Again, with all these tempos, Individual team ratings play a part in how well they play at their tempo.
Now within this tempo feature there are a set of goals that you can choose from to see if you achieve. Almost as if you try and follow the coach’s game plan before game. Set goals being anything from crashing the boards to capitalizing on turnovers. You get to select 3 to execute during the game. All shown nicely and guiding you along with statistical breakdowns. This is also monitored by a real cool type of gas meter where your team’s tempo is shown. If you start playing off your tempo, the meter will slowly start to get out of your set pace of play. This has affects on the game, but in good ways because it has you actually caring about following the team’s tempo and more importantly the coach’s agenda.
I should also quickly note that animations vary based on what styles you see on the court playing. Things like new trapping animations and press, press break animations (where dribbling out now looks much more realistic) have really been well implemented to this new feature set.
Accompanying this new game play feature is the addition of the NBA Live 09 game engine that brings along the best of its core game play while optimizing and tweaking its standard for the collegiate game. Everything plays a little different in NCAA 09 and from the build I played it was clear that I was playing a good representation of college basketball.
Touted as "exaggerated realism” by one of the developers, NCAA 09 can be a mix of fun and strategy. The game felt much more responsive. Passing and rebounding can now be accurately done. Because of the implementation of the NBA Live engine many things have been able to be moved over to be utilized for more variances like shot animations, post/power moves etc. You essentially see the good side of NBA Live making a difference in this years NCAA game. I also was able to notice the tweaking of the running acceleration animation. This made it look more believable when transitioning and positioning. Comparing it solely to NCAA 08, many of the ball physics that were problematic have been fixed as well. Nice bounces off the rim, good deflections and more random ball reactions to different drops made the “floaty” ball physics seen in last years title all but gone. Loose ball logic was play tested, though annoying made fast breaks feel slow still as the reaction by teammates was not unnecessarily that energetic and/or evenly made. Collision detection though there did not feel as if enough was there. The game animation engine plays it too safe. Something I strongly suggested was to have more error animations so that the game could come to life more and possibly animate with more instant animations. For example, being bumped off the dribble in different ways or having more physical contact between players etc.
Game presentation continues to be improved by adapting a more 'broadcast' feel. Usually loosely done in the past, it can now be said that EA have considerably redone the overall presentation of the game. More stat specific then replay driven, it has a visually appealing look. Using ESPN "inspired" camera angles and audio all seems to be better. Not to mention the commentary, which is almost on par with NBA Live's. Dickie V is NOT annoying, saying more game oriented things and being more appropriately "amped" when needed. Yes, there is more Erin Andrews but not nearly "enough".
Again it is probably important to mention that the commentary is being worked on so that it is not repetitive and that it is accurate. Another worthy thing to mention is the inclusion of some 3000 new voice comments for each of the 3 commentators.
Never a bad model for authenticity, NCAA 09 now features 50 or more authentic stadiums with roughly 8 new stadiums ranging from Arkansas, USC, Boston College and Virginia. In play testing, the stadiums looked good, where some actually benefited from new lighting and more detail. Now we can see coaches on the sidelines camera/videographers, squeegee guys and mascots. The crowds have been improved upon NCAA 08 (now full 3D). While not as good as NBA Live 09's, they better suited the atmosphere of the college game because of more fan support by way of team section seating, school bands and cheer leading. Though it was too early to see accurate jerseys, shoes etc. It was mentioned that they were working on getting things accurate again this year.
The added atmosphere of proper game overlays (names/"numbers" underneath players, fatigue levels along with subbing and player stats) are all in place and during in-game. The scoreboard and tempo meter are appropriately placed at the bottom and at the middle of your screen. I really think this is well-placed as the action was now all visible from up top and no longer in the way of game play.
On the subject of player models. I have to say that though improved, they are still not that convincing. A lot has to do with the way the player clothing falls on them. The cloth movement that is in NBA Live 09 was not in the build I played and made for the game's player models to look the same as last years. My major gripe with the game visually is this. You see all this new game play and animation that looks good and then see that the cloth doesn't animate with the same pizzazz or energy. Then again I'm a stickler for these small things(nuances that probably matter more in the game of Baseball than Basketball so I might be alone in this). In a way though (and NBA Live 09 is very true of this), cloth movement can actually distract the gamers attention from non existent animations because it provides just that little bit of extra movement to a players strides.
If it can be mentioned as a feature and not a blessing. NCAA 09 now includes the wonderful Highlight Reel from NCAA 09 Football with the ability to save replays take snapshots and post both video and pictures up on EASportsWorld.
Other features (Game mode related)
Just some of the new things brought into NCAA 09
1)Authentic schedules
2)15 man rosters
3)Updated team rivalries and Rivalry match ups for Online
Map showing where you're online rival is with the ability to challenge when online
4) 3 new pre season tournaments
a) Anaheim Classic
b) Old Spice Classic
c) Puerto Rico
Along with ESPN and Maui
5) Recruiting Database
featuring the Parade, McDonald's, ESPN , All State
and Mr. Basketball awards
6) Locker 3.0
ability to freely download rosters etc
7) 26 new X box Live Achievements
8) Player Editor
redone and made to be more accessible by allowing you full customization of ratings
and easier editing of player’s names, appearances and equipment.
9) Create-a-coach
ability to play x amount of seasons
in a dynasty with a created coach.
10) Statistical breakdowns through 4 years
along with yearbooks from everything from scoring leaders to departures
11) School Overviews
Locations, Conferences, Team Prestige (will effect stadium attendance)School Pride and number of Conferences and National titles won.
Summary
I can not stress enough that the team for NCAA 09 was listening to our feedback from NCAA 08. It is evident in almost every key area except for those I outlined here and pointed out to the developers. I again would like to thank OperationSports and EA for allowing me the opportunity to give my insight on this year’s title. As well as thank Marcus Stephenson and the group of journalists, site owners and representatives for making this event a great way to share and trade off opinions on the games development.
I'll be happy to answer any questions you guys might have as well, so ask away.
Paul
Change is good and in the case of the newly titled NCAA Basketball 09 change is all for the better.
In its 3rd year on next gen consoles and now being the only College Basketball game on the market.
EA has taken on the challenge of revitalizing the College Basketball game for the consumer. As with any game that has certain development time it is sometimes better to focus then to restart from scratch. In many ways, the team has been able to acquire the engine now driving NBA Live 09 and improve on it using it as a standard to base itself on. The focus is simple and it was apparent from my time listening to the developers that they had one primary goal, to differentiate the college game from the pro game. The addition of certain key features show evidence of this and are what the team of NCAA 09 can be proud of. Though I was shown an alpha build, it played a much different game then NCAA 08 already and for that matter a much different game than NBA Live 09 altogether. Strategically it takes it's inspiration from the coach's mentality to how his team would play. Giving you tempos to follow while you play, mimicking real life teams styles of play. As an overview NCAA 09 is more so a retooling of the brand. The whole sense behind the game is actually more reminiscent of how you learn to play the game of basketball. Basketball is essentially a communication between player and coach and NCAA 09 captures some of this aspect and makes it fun and enjoyable to play.
Features
It is very important that I say that the 360 and PS3 versions will run at a smooth 60FPS and that graphically they will be equal. We had a chance to get our hands on 360 builds and the game was in fact running smooth and at a good clip.
As mentioned briefly, "Setting the Tempo" is a feature added this year that drastically makes NCAA 09 a very different experience than NCAA 08 and NBA Live 09 respectively. Within this game feature you have the ability to play with 3 styles of play (which I will breakdown).
1) Up-Tempo. Which played as you would expect it to. Teams that had Up-Tempo as their style played aggressive and tended to be good at fast breaks and transitional play.
2) Half-Court. Which played a more nuanced game of basketball where teams actually took the time to set up plays and run time off the clock. It was actually a cool thing to see teams try and get a good shot at the basket whether it was on the parameter or in the post.
3) Balanced. Playing an all around evenly paced game of everything a college play book can have. I saw good variety within the CPU's play calling and execution.
Again, with all these tempos, Individual team ratings play a part in how well they play at their tempo.
Now within this tempo feature there are a set of goals that you can choose from to see if you achieve. Almost as if you try and follow the coach’s game plan before game. Set goals being anything from crashing the boards to capitalizing on turnovers. You get to select 3 to execute during the game. All shown nicely and guiding you along with statistical breakdowns. This is also monitored by a real cool type of gas meter where your team’s tempo is shown. If you start playing off your tempo, the meter will slowly start to get out of your set pace of play. This has affects on the game, but in good ways because it has you actually caring about following the team’s tempo and more importantly the coach’s agenda.
I should also quickly note that animations vary based on what styles you see on the court playing. Things like new trapping animations and press, press break animations (where dribbling out now looks much more realistic) have really been well implemented to this new feature set.
Accompanying this new game play feature is the addition of the NBA Live 09 game engine that brings along the best of its core game play while optimizing and tweaking its standard for the collegiate game. Everything plays a little different in NCAA 09 and from the build I played it was clear that I was playing a good representation of college basketball.
Touted as "exaggerated realism” by one of the developers, NCAA 09 can be a mix of fun and strategy. The game felt much more responsive. Passing and rebounding can now be accurately done. Because of the implementation of the NBA Live engine many things have been able to be moved over to be utilized for more variances like shot animations, post/power moves etc. You essentially see the good side of NBA Live making a difference in this years NCAA game. I also was able to notice the tweaking of the running acceleration animation. This made it look more believable when transitioning and positioning. Comparing it solely to NCAA 08, many of the ball physics that were problematic have been fixed as well. Nice bounces off the rim, good deflections and more random ball reactions to different drops made the “floaty” ball physics seen in last years title all but gone. Loose ball logic was play tested, though annoying made fast breaks feel slow still as the reaction by teammates was not unnecessarily that energetic and/or evenly made. Collision detection though there did not feel as if enough was there. The game animation engine plays it too safe. Something I strongly suggested was to have more error animations so that the game could come to life more and possibly animate with more instant animations. For example, being bumped off the dribble in different ways or having more physical contact between players etc.
Game presentation continues to be improved by adapting a more 'broadcast' feel. Usually loosely done in the past, it can now be said that EA have considerably redone the overall presentation of the game. More stat specific then replay driven, it has a visually appealing look. Using ESPN "inspired" camera angles and audio all seems to be better. Not to mention the commentary, which is almost on par with NBA Live's. Dickie V is NOT annoying, saying more game oriented things and being more appropriately "amped" when needed. Yes, there is more Erin Andrews but not nearly "enough".
Again it is probably important to mention that the commentary is being worked on so that it is not repetitive and that it is accurate. Another worthy thing to mention is the inclusion of some 3000 new voice comments for each of the 3 commentators.
Never a bad model for authenticity, NCAA 09 now features 50 or more authentic stadiums with roughly 8 new stadiums ranging from Arkansas, USC, Boston College and Virginia. In play testing, the stadiums looked good, where some actually benefited from new lighting and more detail. Now we can see coaches on the sidelines camera/videographers, squeegee guys and mascots. The crowds have been improved upon NCAA 08 (now full 3D). While not as good as NBA Live 09's, they better suited the atmosphere of the college game because of more fan support by way of team section seating, school bands and cheer leading. Though it was too early to see accurate jerseys, shoes etc. It was mentioned that they were working on getting things accurate again this year.
The added atmosphere of proper game overlays (names/"numbers" underneath players, fatigue levels along with subbing and player stats) are all in place and during in-game. The scoreboard and tempo meter are appropriately placed at the bottom and at the middle of your screen. I really think this is well-placed as the action was now all visible from up top and no longer in the way of game play.
On the subject of player models. I have to say that though improved, they are still not that convincing. A lot has to do with the way the player clothing falls on them. The cloth movement that is in NBA Live 09 was not in the build I played and made for the game's player models to look the same as last years. My major gripe with the game visually is this. You see all this new game play and animation that looks good and then see that the cloth doesn't animate with the same pizzazz or energy. Then again I'm a stickler for these small things(nuances that probably matter more in the game of Baseball than Basketball so I might be alone in this). In a way though (and NBA Live 09 is very true of this), cloth movement can actually distract the gamers attention from non existent animations because it provides just that little bit of extra movement to a players strides.
If it can be mentioned as a feature and not a blessing. NCAA 09 now includes the wonderful Highlight Reel from NCAA 09 Football with the ability to save replays take snapshots and post both video and pictures up on EASportsWorld.
Other features (Game mode related)
Just some of the new things brought into NCAA 09
1)Authentic schedules
2)15 man rosters
3)Updated team rivalries and Rivalry match ups for Online
Map showing where you're online rival is with the ability to challenge when online
4) 3 new pre season tournaments
a) Anaheim Classic
b) Old Spice Classic
c) Puerto Rico
Along with ESPN and Maui
5) Recruiting Database
featuring the Parade, McDonald's, ESPN , All State
and Mr. Basketball awards
6) Locker 3.0
ability to freely download rosters etc
7) 26 new X box Live Achievements
8) Player Editor
redone and made to be more accessible by allowing you full customization of ratings
and easier editing of player’s names, appearances and equipment.
9) Create-a-coach
ability to play x amount of seasons
in a dynasty with a created coach.
10) Statistical breakdowns through 4 years
along with yearbooks from everything from scoring leaders to departures
11) School Overviews
Locations, Conferences, Team Prestige (will effect stadium attendance)School Pride and number of Conferences and National titles won.
Summary
I can not stress enough that the team for NCAA 09 was listening to our feedback from NCAA 08. It is evident in almost every key area except for those I outlined here and pointed out to the developers. I again would like to thank OperationSports and EA for allowing me the opportunity to give my insight on this year’s title. As well as thank Marcus Stephenson and the group of journalists, site owners and representatives for making this event a great way to share and trade off opinions on the games development.
I'll be happy to answer any questions you guys might have as well, so ask away.
Paul
I'm serious!
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