Is the XBOX version worth the purchase?

[kpeercy]

I played NCAA 2004 forever and loved it. 2005 was a disaster, as I could not catch the ball. I didn't buy 2006. I bought a 360 and NCAA 2007, but found that it just wasn't smooth and sold them both. Is 2007 for XBOX a good game? What are the pros and cons? If (with sliders of course) it plays a realistic game of football, I may buy a used XBOX just for NCAA 2007.

[rudyjuly2]

It plays a very good game of football. The short passing game is good, the human running game is very realistic and guards pull now, the dynasty is great which also has in-season recruiting. Overall, most of the gameplay issues have been fixed and its a great game.

On the flip side, they brought in some new features that I really don't like. Jump the snap allows you or the cpu to run over OL if you time it right. On AA, you can easily abuse this feature to beat up the CPU. Sliders don't really fix it unless you play as a DL all game. I simply don't use it which ultimately fixes the problem for me. On Heisman, the CPU will abuse your offense with it as lousy DL will run over all-american OL. The running game on Heisman is flawed this year. AA is really good and sliders can make it very challenging unlike '06 which was easier.

The new kicking system is awful. The CPU NEVER misses kicks left/right but neither will the user really. Some people don't like momentum which can lead to blowouts. I don't mind it but it can be overdone. There is a new kick return camera that can't be turned off (almost first person like) unless you use the overhead camera or pause and unpause after catching the punt.

I have only played '06 and '07 so I can't contrast them to the '04 version but I would definately pick the game up.

[bgeno]

07 plays very well.

I too was a diehard 2004 fan and HATED 2005... 06 was a step in the right direction, but still had major problems.

That being said, I think 07 trumps 2004... just barely.

A lot people dont like the JTS... I'm not good enough to abuse it... lol. The First Person Camera on returns is awful. But it does make a nice return feel that much better. Fumbles are probably the biggest problem for me. Some people say they have big problems, others say they dont. I think it has a lot to do with momentum. Which brings me to the point that momentum + home field advantage = disaster/overkill. I have HFA off. I wish I could turn momentum off and put HFA on though.

The out routes from the slot are not nearly as automatic in 07 as they were in 2004(that was my offense in 2004... the out-route and an occasional fly if I saw one-on-one with no safety). The running game is a little smoother, but I dont think it's as smooth as 2005 and 06 as holes up the middle dont seem to open very often on lead plays.

Overall though, I'd say grab 07... it's good

[Cardot]

As Rudy will tell you, this is a topic near and dear to my heart. I also got alot of mileage out of 2004. '05 and '06 didn't interest me, but I thought I was due for an upgrade this year (XBOX version). After struggling with sliders for 2 months and suffering through some very frustrating/unrealistic games, I finally gave up.

I went back to '04, and things were dandy for a while until I stumbled across another one of those EA specials...A spectacular defensive battle that suddenly turned into a ridiculous shoot out in the final minutes of the game. With that, I crawled my way back to '07 and have accepted some flaws and am mildly enjoying it.

Sorry for the ramblings. Here is my list of pros and cons:
Flaws
1. Too many fumbles. It rains too much which might contribute??
2. Momentum is overdone. Momentum swings are often illogical, have too big of an effect and are tough to overcome.
3. Kicking Meter sucks and CPU never misses FG.
4. JTS can be abused by player and CPU can cheat with it. Mixing up the count against a human might be fun, but not vs the CPU.
5. Close up view on kick returns is horrible.
6. There is no slider or any way to turn off any of the first five issues (This one is Rudy's pet peeve lol).
7. Coming from 2004, I was mildly dissappointed in the lack of improvements/additions that really interest me.

Pros
1. The game feels much more realistic. The physics seem better and there are some new animations...like running backs dragging defenders for an extra yard or two.
2. Conferences Realligned. I don't normally obsess over rosters and such, but there were some significant changes since 2004...most notably in the ACC and Big East.
3. Schedule - This is minor, but I really like that you can break the schedule down by conference or top 25...nice touch.

Here is a thread I created when I first picked up the game. Ofcourse since I started that thread, I have threattened to quit, then quit, then came back....I am so weak. LOL.

Just Upgraded from '04 to '07

[jfrost32]

I actually have both and I would say you should get this game. Honestly, I feel the current gen beats out the next gen. Not because it doesnt have the great graphics like the 360 versions has, but because it has some features that the next gen doesnt.

One of the features I wish they had on the 360 versions was the Campus Legend which I thought was great. You could create yourself, go through these drills and get points by how good you did. Then they will rate you by telling you if you are a 5 star recruit and so on. Then you could pick any school that wants you by your rating. It was cool winning the Heisman as my self and all

The other thing that the current gen does have that the next gen doesnt is that they seem to have alot more uniforms. For instance, Notre Dame's green alternate uni is in the Xbox version but not the 360.

But besides some other minor details with the gameplay it is diffinately a game to get especially if you enjoy college football.

[Kentucky3D]

2006 is better than 2007 cause of 2007's dumbed down AI, fumble problem, and the way overdone momentum meter.

[rudyjuly2]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cardot

Sorry for the ramblings. Here is my list of pros and cons: Flaws 1. Too many fumbles. It rains too much which might contribute?? 2. Momentum is overdone. Momentum swings are often illogical, have too big of an effect and are tough to overcome. 3. Kicking Meter sucks and CPU never misses FG. 4. JTS can be abused by player and CPU can cheat with it. Mixing up the count against a human might be fun, but not vs the CPU. 5. Close up view on kick returns is horrible. 6. There is no slider or any way to turn off any of the first five issues (This one is Rudy's pet peeve lol).

Sliders or the option to turn those things off (or fix them) would be an unbelievable upgrade. Simply fixing the kicking game, having a slider for fumbles and momentum, and the ability to turn of jump the snap and the kick return camera would make 07 that much better. If they just released those things and called it '08, I would probably be very happy next year. I do think the inside running game should probably be opened up just a bit and tone down the ability to bounce it outside - its probably because OLBs don't keep contain enough. They do a much better job on the option this year though.

I still think you should try to get your hands on a copy of 06 Cardot. The XBox version did have more drops than the PS2 version but not a gamekiller for anyone (like 05 was for XBox apparently).

[kcooper47]

IMO, the Xbox version not only plays better, but looks better than the 360 version. The stadiums on 360 are awesome, but the players look like they are stuffing their shoulderpads, which really detracts from the game because that's what you spend most of your time looking at. The Xbox players look much more like the guys I see on TV every week. I think there is a lot to be done uniform-wise in NCAA and the 360 is a step backwards in that department...