This Series is Circling the Drain

[nofearsp2007]

I hope they are spending most of their time on next gen ncaa.

[ex carrabba fan]

i agree with ufer.

im playing the hell outta the game, its really really enjoyable. but instead of making race for the heisman, how about trying to fix the little things that have plagued the series.

until ea gets some competition, they will continue to milk the world. dam them. dam them.

[skitch]

I have no problem with the original post, in fact I agree with every single point that was made. However, although we all admit 06 does indeed have it's fair share of flaws, it's still a very enjoyable video game, IMO. Despite the constant bombs the CPU completes on me, or the interceptions returned for touchdowns, the game has a certain re-play factor that keeps me wanting more.

So, yes, the game has it's flaws.. all of them do. I just don't think the game has enough of them to consider it a huge let-down.

[gobucks]

Well in my opinion all sports games need an arcade version and a sim version. When companies mix these together they will never please either completely. We do not have this luxury. I am a sim player no doubt..so getting 06' as best as I can get it..I would say I am pretty happy with the game.

[edaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by ufer2

I want to like it, I really do. But I just can’t. How can EA let such a proud franchise that is NCAA deteriorate into the product that is sitting on our shelves right now? I pray that they just wrote this year off to concentrate on making a big splash on the PS3. Because they obviously licked the stamp and mailed it in on NCAA 2006. I have lived for the release of this game every year since 1993, dating back to Bill Walsh College Football on the Sega Genesis. Back when there was no “Notre Dame” rather “South Bend.” Before the team names, logos on helmets and player editors. Back when you hoped to get invited to one of the FOUR fictional bowl games: Maple Bowl, Palm Bowl, Pecan Bowl and Redwood Bowl. This game IS MY MADDEN. Now it’s just like all the rest. I’ve seen enough of the god-awful frame rate slow down inside my own 20-yard line. I’ve seen enough INT’s returned for TD’s. I’ve seen enough kick and punt returns taken back to the house. I’ve seen enough quarterbacks with a 200+ passing efficiency. I’ve seen enough super star recruits. I’ve seen enough DB’s that can’t be run down by anyone – regardless of his speed ratings. I’ve seen enough of this pi-- poor effort. I’ve seen enough of NCAA 2006. Frank Beamer’s Virginia Tech Hokies figured out how to blocked 63 kicks in the 90’s alone. You would think EA would finally figure out a way for the gamer to block a field goal or extra point over the last 13 years, right? Nope. You’d think they could put the extra 5-yard lines on the floor of Tiger Stadium in LSU, right? Nope. You’d think they could figure out a way to rotate the schedules properly after Season 2 in a dynasty, right? Nope. Or how NOT to schedule regular season games after the Michigan/Ohio State match up? Nope. It just seems that the more they add to this game, the worse it gets. Let’s worry less about the girlfriend’s picture on my dorm room computer and a little more about stopping the automatic deep ball that has plagued this franchise for the last 8-9 years. Race for the Heisman? I thought we had that already? Its called Create-A-Player! Lets worry less about adding mascot games and worry more about the computer abandoning the run after the first series. Can we get a running back that doesn’t stand straight up at the goal line after a one-yard run?! And don’t even get me started about the online lag. Don’t get me wrong … I’m not sour on the concept – I’ve soured on the direction. The good features are too numerous to mention. It’s the fact that we are seeing more and more of the bad features. Get back to what made the NCAA series the best … the tradition of college athletics and how it is different from the pro game. Give us more unique entrances … where’s Ralphie the Buffalo leading Colorado onto the field in Boulder? Or Boomer Sooner? Can someone in the art department create Clemson’s famous run down The Hill after rubbing Howard’s Rock? Or Michigan’s “Go Blue – The M Club Supports You” banner? Why are all the 330-pound offensive lineman perfectly tapered down to their size 36 waists? Give me the fat lineman from Milwaukee. Or how about the tiny lockdown corner from Ft. Lauderdale. Hey EA, all of your player models look the same except for height! Die hard fans like myself still think it’s the best sports series ever made – it just feels more comfortable than Madden ever will. I don’t want to give up on this franchise because with the PS3 right around the corner, the possibilities are endless. But please, try to perfect the game of football and the college atmosphere itself before wasting time and money on features that bring so little to the experience. More cadets doing pushups and tearing down goalposts, less fan mail and sub-.500 teams in the Top 25. Just wasted $50, Ufer2

excellent and dead on point....

[conboy31]

I agree with ufer2 on all points and many more that were not listed.

Though, I am still playing this game and enjoying it... I can't help but cringe on how many short comings the game has and the potential the NCAA series has EVERY year, but never pulls it together.

[Badgun]

It was a good post with a lot of valid points. A lot of the stuff he mentioned are legitimate issues, but really don't hamper the fun of the game.

My major concern with where this franchise is heading is all the NFL Blitz type additions such as the Impact Player and the In The Zone feature. Getting an impact player in the zone almost guarantees a touchdown or a big play. I almost feel guilty going to my impact player when he's in the zone because the results are usually insane. I think certain arcade elements are required to keep a sports game fun, but what's EA going to do next, have some guy yell out "HE'S IN THE ZONE" and then flames surround the guy?

[RedRaiderX]

I agree with ufer, but to a certain extent. I played college football for the past 4 years and graduated this past May, so I know how the atmosphere is from a first hand basis and as ufer puts it, EA falls short on capturing the true atmosphere that separates college from pro football. Pro football is more sterile, very few teams have traditions and superstitions that collegiate teams do. So, because of this, you cannot treat NCAA as you do Madden. EA must learn this if things are to change. Things like rubbing the rock at Death Valley, tapping the sign at notre dame and the Boomer Sooner are things that I agree should be in the game. But, on the other hand, I find player models and physics to be more important than the player entrances. The things that need to be fixed are the Automatic Deep Ball, Running backs getting plastered at the goal line and the inability to block field goals and punts. I mean, I'm a 290 lb Off./Def. Lineman and I've managed to block my share of Field goals and Punts in my career (3 Field Goals and 4 Punts in a 8 year career so far). It is possible. I agree with ufer, but I think the more important things have to be fixed before EA can even think about traditional entrances.