I had an epiphany about 3 years ago about this game that many of you obviously have not made yet. The game is what it is. Everyone laments what this game should be but it's futile to do so. Comparing it to The Show or FIFA is futile. Expectations by now have been set year in and year out by EA for this game and yet 95% of people on here still set theirs way too high. Every year people think "this is the year NCAA Football is going to make a huge leap" and every year your hopes, dreams and expectations are grabbed, smashed and FATALIED like Scorpion finishing Goro.
Here's how I look at it. The game is a video game. It's not a recreation of football. It's not a simulation. It's a game that I greatly enjoy playing with my friends online. It's a game I get year round enjoyment from by playing online dynasty. I've quit lamenting the game not being what I expect. I've quit expecting it to be "The Show" of the football world. It's not going to happen.
Now I know some of you may misinterpret here slightly what I'm saying. I'm not saying I don't like the game but still buy it anyways. Far from it, I enjoy the hell out of the game and I play it all year round. But after a few years ago, when I nearly quit playing it out of frustration, the same frustrations I see expressed in this thread, I asked myself a simple question "Do I get $60 worth of fun out of this game?" and my answer was "that and a ton more".
I think all of you need to quit torturing yourselves about what the game could be, or directly comparing the game to those that sit across from it on the shelf and ask yourself that simple question "do I get $60 worth of fun out of this video game?". If the answer is yes then quit believing each year is going to be "the year" in which the game evolves from a fun video game to a football simulation. If the answer is no then simply delete your NCAA forums and quit buying the game because you're only causing yourself more heartache.
I know some folks might say in reply to this "well I love college football and I don't have any choice but to buy this game and it sucks" which implies you would like another competitor, say 2K sports, to create a college game. Well guess what, that isn't happening anytime soon. I wish I was a millionaire but I don't wake up each year and go into forums and stress myself out that I'm not a millionaire.
The point is every single person in these forums by now should know exactly what to expect each year from NCAA college football. It's going to be slight improvements, an upgrade here or there, some cool little additions, maybe some tweaks...but that's what you're getting. I don't know why anyone expects anything more until the next generation. If you truly want a superior game and don't want to give up on college football game then simply set your calendar for a few years off and pick up the new NCAA football game on the Xbox 720 or the PS4. That's your only real option at this point.
I really believe that of the complainers in this forum, of which there are many, there is a good percentage that don't take my above advice mostly because they DO know what to expect each year but they really enjoy complaining and bashing EA. Some of you may not even realize this is happening, not doing it consciously but getting caught up in the outrage of "what??? they added x and didn't fix y??" subconsciously. It's an odd phenomenon but it's a real one, some people simply find happiness in misery. Add that to the fact that since there are so many people in these forums that love to bash the game and bash EA and you're part of a large group who agrees with you and reinforces your views. That in itself is what some people like as well, the feeling of "us against them" or of "us gamers vs. the huge, evil corporation". And as I said, some of you may not even realize you're doing it but think about it and you may find it's true.. This is evidenced by the fact that many of the same complainers get caught up in the hype of looking for the game early as well, it's group think.
As for me, I'm going to continue to buy the NCAA games simply because, as I said, I get my moneys worth out of them. I have no problem complaining about specific features and wanting them fixed. I have however decided that it's pretty pointless to desiring a completely different, awesome football simulation because that's unrealistic and simply is going to cause me a lot of disappointment come July 10th. I would advise the few of you on here who are truly unhappy, and do not derive your happiness from bashing or being part of the group who does, to re-assess as I have a couple of years ago and act accordingly. It will save you a lot of heartache and stress over what is simply a video game, one of hundreds which release each year...
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