09-08-2003, 11:11 PM
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#11
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All Star
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Re: NCAA Gamebreaker 2004
Quote:
JohnDoe8865 said:
Quote:
bdoughty said:
I was sent the copy for review and got it today. Will give some impessions tonight.
I thought you didn't have a PS2??
Keeping up with my PS2 purchases is a hassle. Since I was getting a few games to review and they had ATV Off Road Fury 2 free I picked yet another up last week.
Real early impressions. Only a couple games played.
The game looks better then last years game as does Gameday. It looks like Gameday has a bit better graphics. One thing about the two games is menu and playcalling wise they are exactly the same, only different terminology. Just like last year. The are both made by Redzone and it feels like Gamebreaker is simply Gameday with different announcers, teams and the addition of the option.
Problems I have seen.
You can boot every kickoff out of the endzone as does the CPU. Running game up the middle does not feel right. Almost like the D-Lineman are not there so you only have to worry about the LB's alot of the time. You also hit the line way too quick w/o hitting the any turbo buttons.
In one game I played against Nebraska on the default settings they passed 75% of the time. Once you or the AI break past the secondary you are pretty much assured a TD. The angles players take to the ball carrier is questionable so far but might be enhanced with some slider adjustments. I need to spend more time watching some of the long run in instant replay mode. The ICONS are still just way too large. Especially frustrating on defense as they get in the way of the action. It makes stopping the running game more difficult due to this and the speed at which the RB hits the line. I have yet to look in the menu to see if they can be turned off but for the life of me can't understand why the AI has to have icons come up? What purpose does this serve? Speaking of LARGE the numbers on the uniforms are humongous. To their credit they have used the proper fonts on some of the teams I messed around with like Texas Tech.
The play calling screen is still annoying and clunky as ever. I am still looking for a play where two player make crossing routes. They have added a feature where you can eliminate the formation and choose from run/short pass/long pass/etc.
Things I liked
You can use the right thumbstick to pan the camera left and right before the snap and during gameplay. One gripe is it would be nice if the icons came up when you panned. Unfortunately you have to still hit a shoulder button to do it and is not used in-conjunction when panning.
I don't remember it from last year but they have a defensive cam which would be great (if not for trying to figure out what the offense is doing due to the overly large ICONS that come up on runs and passes).
Footprints when running in the snow are a nice touch and would be nice to see everyone do this.
You can add player names to existing players, have yet to find where you can adjust a players attributes.
The passing game has changed alot. Last year the AI would zing every pass and it made it hard to play defense. This year they have added a floatier feel to the pass. While on offense you can still get more speed on the throw by holding down longer but even with that it feel slower then some of the passes last year. While I appreciate the change and it does feel more realistic you run into having more time to defend a pass bringing up yet another snag. Tipped passes like crazy. In one of the game I had 5 INT's and tipped more balls then I could count. What makes the tipped passes more annoying is they players rarely bat the ball the ground, instead everything flies up in the air for a free-for-all. Most of the time you have players standing around with the ball dropping front of them doing nothing. Of course had the AI been realistic in this manner you could easily average 10+ INT's a game.
Also
They have added alot of mascots in the game and copying EA you can play mascot games if you like.
I don't play the game online but some of the nicer features in each game reside here. Roster updates for both games, the ability to have real time weather with the press of a button.
For me so far it feels alot like last years game with some changes in the AI like the passing game. I would think that the majority of the time was spent working on the online modes for both games. From what I have seen in reviews the 989 games have the best online experience due the amount of features. |
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