NCAA Football 11: A Fair Assessment

[HiTEqMETHOD]

So it's been about week since NCAA Football 11 was released and while my initial impressions of the game were gleaming with positivity the post release buzz is starting to wear off and I'm seeing things from a slightly more critical standpoint. The problems with the online and season showdown are not an issue for me because I rarely play online and don't care for a gimmicky feature like season showdown. However, there are issues with this year's game that really annoy me. The sting of these problems is magnified by the fact that I had heard nothing but good things about the game this year. Even good old trusty OS gave a very positive review. So when I got the game I was expecting a very satisfying experience.

The way I approached anything related to EA's NCAA Football this year was different in many ways. For one I actually became apathetic to whatever news was coming through the wire. I had let EA get the best of me since the release of '07 on the Xbox 360 and this year was the first time I actually stood by my commitment to not give in to my own curiosity. It wasn't until the demo was made available that I even acknowledged the game was coming out. In previous years I'd try t avoid playing the demo and the finished product would be the first time I would play the latest NCAA Football game. While I was impressed by some aspects of the demo I was still slightly hesitant to give in to the prospect that maybe NCAA Football was finally back.

So it all came down to release day, I got my copy that afternoon and patiently (foaming at the mouth) waited for the next few days for Fairdale King's named roster file to be finished. At first I was so impressed by how good the locomotion felt and how nice some of the animations looked. I was relieved and started thinking my favorite sports game franchise was returning to it's former glory. Then after a few games the problems started, and I couldn't believe what was happening.

The pass coverage was the first thing that I noticed. Defenders were somehow reading my receivers' minds and running their routes better than they were, spiking passes down like volleyballs. While the issue was a disappointment, it certainly was not a game killer. I continued playing and then something even more disconcerting occurred, during what looked like a hand off play the CPU QB somehow missed the hand off and continued to run a great distant into the backfield. I witnessed this 3 times during the next couple of games, twice by the CPU and once by my own QB. The CPU quarterback was sacked for a huge loss by my defenders and then chucked up a pass the second time and actually completed it although it wasn't for a first down. I was sacked for a loss just after the animation came to a halt and I regained control only to be destroyed by a huge defensive end.

This was the point where I started to realize something was askew. Other issues started popping up, for some reason the CPU was constantly fumbling when in the redzone, obvious facemasks were being ignored, and during punt returns for both me and the CPU there were occasions where everyone except for the return man would end up in the middle of the field in a group of bodies that looked like a mosh pit while the return man was allowed to run untouched down either sideline for a touchdown. I didn't understand how a game that felt so right was being sabotaged by these glaring bugs.

To top it all off I realized how unbalanced the gameplay is, Varsity is too easy, All American is harder on offense but the CPU can't seem to score and Heisman is unpredictable. I was at times settling for field goals every possession on Heisman and the CPU was dominating then I'd play the same team again and I was still getting field goals and maybe one touchdown but then the CPU couldn't score at all. This game needs a second patch badly, if EA does decide to release one this game could be everything it feels like it should be. Honestly, this game feels to good to be this bad. The controls are on point yet the gameplay is lacking.

[coolbreez35]

Why start your own tread.....

[dalecooper]

Quote: Originally Posted by HiTEqMETHOD

The pass coverage was the first thing that I noticed. Defenders were somehow reading my receivers' minds and running their routes better than they were, spiking passes down like volleyballs. While the issue was a disappointment, it certainly was not a game killer.

There's a thread about this, and we're all hoping it gets patched. If it doesn't, turn your pass coverage slider down to about 30 or 35 to reduce the effect.

Quote: Originally Posted by HiTEqMETHOD

I continued playing and then something even more disconcerting occurred, during what looked like a hand off play the CPU QB somehow missed the hand off and continued to run a great distant into the backfield.

EA is aware of this and it will be patched, hopefully soon. It's specific play action plays that cause it. Once you figure out which ones they are, don't run them.

Quote: Originally Posted by HiTEqMETHOD

This was the point where I started to realize something was askew. Other issues started popping up, for some reason the CPU was constantly fumbling when in the redzone, obvious facemasks were being ignored, and during punt returns for both me and the CPU there were occasions where everyone except for the return man would end up in the middle of the field in a group of bodies that looked like a mosh pit while the return man was allowed to run untouched down either sideline for a touchdown.

I haven't seen the first issue at all. I haven't really seen the second either, but there's a slider for that if you want to ensure every facemask gets called. I haven't seen the third issue - in fact I haven't seen a single substantial punt return. I haven't returned one farther than 15 yards and the CPU hasn't returned one on me farther than 20.

Quote: Originally Posted by HiTEqMETHOD

To top it all off I realized how unbalanced the gameplay is, Varsity is too easy, All American is harder on offense but the CPU can't seem to score and Heisman is unpredictable.

1. Sliders. 2. Heisman should be unpredictable - that's how real football goes. The entire concept of sports betting is based on the unpredictability of the game.

As far as a second patch, there will be one, and hopefully a third as well. If history has demonstrated nothing else, it has certainly shown that football games are hard to fine-tune. I have played NCAA and Madden almost every year, and played a number of other titles as well, and none of them were bug-free or perfect in the gameplay department.

[HiTEqMETHOD]

Quote: Originally Posted by coolbreez35

Why start your own tread.....

Honestly, I was a bit "out of my mind" when I posted this. Really don't remember doing it, but I can tell I was the one who wrote it because when I'm not 100% myself I tend to be somewhat pretentious. So at this point if a mod deletes this thread or locks it I wouldn't be against their actions.

[BlastX21]

Quote: Originally Posted by dalecooper

There's a thread about this, and we're all hoping it gets patched. If it doesn't, turn your pass coverage slider down to about 30 or 35 to reduce the effect. EA is aware of this and it will be patched, hopefully soon. It's specific play action plays that cause it. Once you figure out which ones they are, don't run them. I haven't seen the first issue at all. I haven't really seen the second either, but there's a slider for that if you want to ensure every facemask gets called. I haven't seen the third issue - in fact I haven't seen a single substantial punt return. I haven't returned one farther than 15 yards and the CPU hasn't returned one on me farther than 20. 1. Sliders. 2. Heisman should be unpredictable - that's how real football goes. The entire concept of sports betting is based on the unpredictability of the game. As far as a second patch, there will be one, and hopefully a third as well. If history has demonstrated nothing else, it has certainly shown that football games are hard to fine-tune. I have played NCAA and Madden almost every year, and played a number of other titles as well, and none of them were bug-free or perfect in the gameplay department.

Thanks for reminding me about that. I need to go bump it.

[Th3Landl0rd]

I agree with you man. The CBs reading the WRs minds and jumping every route is annoying as crap. It makes passing terribly frustrating. Especially when you add in that this year sacks turn into fumbles 2 out of every 3 times. Now WRs cant get open and it turns into a stupid turnover. I have has too many games where me and my opponent combined for 10-15 turnovers.

[ChubbyBanana]

This thread shouldn't have even been created. There's an impressions thread, please use it.

So since the OP doesn't mind, CLOSED.