Customer Reviews

NCAA Football 08

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Let me start off by saying that when your playing in a game scenario, this game can be fun, But problems start rather quickly. One of my biggest complaints is in the passing game, the lack of location based passing makes throwing the ball nerve racking, often times on a crossing route your receiver will have to spin around backwards just to make the catch. And if your hoping to throw over your receivers shoulder where a defender cant reach it.... good luck, once again, most of the time he will spin around and try to make a dramatic catch, often times losing the chance to get extra yardage. Then theres one of my favorite pass plays, the deep comeback. This play is insanely frustrating, your reciever will go out the usual 10-15 yards, the problem is, when he turns back for the pass, he comes back a few yards, you throw, he catches, BUT KEEPS COMING BACK!!! It takes him so long to turn back around, that when he gets tackled he has turned what should have been a gain of 10-15 yards or more into a gain of 4-8 yards. And also if your not a fan of using tight ends in the passing game, you better be damn good at this game, because in the harder difficulty levels it is extremely hard to get the ball into your receivers, since the defense is so tough. Make friends with your tight end, he could save you. And also make good use of your hot routes and motions, and remember, just becuase your pass isnt a huge gain, as long as your not losing yards, your doing pretty good. My next problem is the running game in campus legend mode, when you are the quarterback, or any other position, your running back is often a lame duck, unless your on a team with a excellent running back, even then you will have to turn your running backs AI waaayyy up so that he doesnt just do a spin move and get dropped in the backfield. Also in Campus legend mode, when you are the quarterbackback, you want to make sure that you do choose a balanced or running quarterback, otherwise you may be on the wrong side of a sack very often, especially since the offensive line this year is very inconsistant. Now I know that your gonna get sacked sometimes, that obvious, and also part of the game. But what i mean by inconsistant is that, one play the O-line will do a pretty good job, but then on the next two of your guys will grind together trying to pick up a block, and allow the whole D-line to get through and take you down (thats why you want a mobile quarterback). The load times are long, which can be frustrating, especailly in campus legend mode, where the games are considerably shorter since you only play when your player is on the field. But one place the 360 version of the game shines over the ps3 version is the framerate, which is at a lovely 60 frames per second, while the ps3 struggles at 30fps. But so many frames a second can cause some hiccups.
The main menu can be frustrating and confusing at times, but nothing too hard to overcome. i also find myself wishing there was more to do with your player during the week in campus legend mode. Every week goes as follows: Practice, night event (you only read about what you did that night), then comes the next day. You do this all week, then you can play the game at the end of the week. the night event can earn you stats (which will help you for the week), and popularity points (Which will help fill up your legend meter). You cant even do anything during the offseason, no training, no mini camps, not even a spring game. :(
Thats not to say that everythng is bad in this game. Like I said, this game can be pretty fun. The new ESPN.com feature is very nice, and does a good job keeping up with stats, although often I find that a team that was ranked 25th or lower in the BCS one week, is ranked in the top 5 the next, which for anybody who knows college football, can be irritating since this is NOT supposed to happen. To be fair, I have not played on defense very much, so I can't really discuss that. But let me just say, being a middle linebacker is tough.
All in all this isnt a horrible game, its actually very addicting, its just easier to point out the flaws than it is to talk about the good stuff. The frustrating things do happen, but if you love college football, its easy to overlook...Creating your own highlight reel can be fun, but if your like me and dont have box live (at the moment), its just a sad reminder of how you cant show off your skills. The Stadiums are well done, as well as the whether effects, in the winter you could be having a snow shower, then the next thing you know, it has turned into a blizzard that has completely covered the field. Oddly though, you never see a player slip on the slippery surface (as in Madden 08). The Announcers do a good job with the emotion factor. I cant really say much bad about them. They are a little inconsistant though. For example: they will be very excited over the 4th game of the season, but then in the National Championship, they will be very mellow.
If you have a problem with little irritations and flaws, pass on this game, but if you can overlook these thing, trust me... this game makes for a satisfying experience. I just hope this review has helped all who are reading. and i hope it didnt take too much time out of your day.
Thanks for your time! :)

Normally I just dig right into the dynasty mode expecting to lose a few games learning the particulars of the game engine, but this time I started by trying out some of the other features. First I tried the minigames of Tug of War (you get 1 play to move the ball and then the opponent gets the same, first to touchdown wins) and also Bowling (10 yards to goal, each yard is a pin with two shots at the end zone).

Next I moved on to Campus Legend Mode. And to be honest it is good enough that I have not left it. First you start out by designing a player and picking a position for them. Next you select your home school and state (high school that is) and you get put right into the high school state playoffs. I picked ROLB to start with figuring that defense is a good place for me. So first off, the only person you can control is the player you have created, so many plays are just not going to involve you. Although there is a lot more pressure because when you blow a coverage or tackle you can't switch to another nearby player to make the tackle. Once you have completed the high school playoffs, you have to select the college that you want to go to. In my case I picked Penn State because I would not be a starter, but I also wouldn't be 3rd string.

Your college career consists of 2 things per day. First is practice where you get 10 reps at various plays (coach calls all plays in both practices and real games). When you make a play it is worth points. These points eventually will earn you a spot on the starting line. For me, I earned my starting spot right before the 3rd game in the season. The different strings make it interesting in the game as well. When you are second string, you are hoping for a blow out so that you can get some field time other than on special teams, where as you hope for a close one during regular play.

One of the nice things in this mode, and frustrating is that the games tend to be really short. This gets a tad annoying as the load times in this game are incredibly long. Another drawback to this mode is that you may play your heart out and do an incredible job, but the team could still lose because the other half of the team is unable to get the job done. Besides the long load times, I have also seen a lot of very screen stutters and lots of xbox 360 fan and drive noise. Just seems to be slightly too intensive.

Graphics wise, this game is good, but not really something you are going to shout from the mountain tops about. Sounds are incredible and after 9 games, I can't complain about the announcers yet. So with all the problems, I still give this game a must buy for Football fans. It is just as fun as it's previous versions (I have played NCAA 01, 04, and 05).

I've been a fan of the NCAA series for the past 5 years. I owned last year's version on the original Xbox and thought it was great. Now that I've moved to the 360, it feels like the game has regressed (except in the graphics area). There are too many bugs and problems and it really seems like the game was rushed to meet the shipping date. I think it would have been a lot better if extra time were taken to test and work out the kinks. The basic gameplay is still good but the number of interceptions is completely insane. I found I can beat any player on-line by not throwing any passes while my opponent will usually have 5 or more interceptions. Since I don't even take control of the DBs, it's totally the game's AI that's doing it. I hope that next year's version can iron out these problems as it will be the 3rd year on the 360 and blaming being on a new platform won't be a valid argument anymore. With all this being said, I wouldn't recommend skipping the game since it's still plays well overall, but I would be prepared for a number of annoyances and frustrations.

My major issue with this game is the lagging of the gameplay as well as the announcing. It seemed it took a quarter of a second too long to switch between players on defense, which of course can cause undesired results. The gameplay was akward as well especially on defense. I found playing on the defensive line was nearly impossible. I could never get any pressure on the QB. The graphics are out of this world and the game is very nice to look at overall. The football aesthetics is aplenty but the gameplay needs to be fun in order to have a good game. I found the gameplay and the lagging was too much to overcome. I sold the game and have not looked back.

This year's game is a step ahead from last year's...except for in one (and the largest i.m.o.) category - fps. The gameplay is so slow a lot of times, imagine the worst lag you've had playing online in Madden or any shooter game; that's what normal off-line gameplay is like on ncaa '08. If you played last year's title, the offline lag is worse this year...Other than that - it's a great game and EA is almost there in terms of a great game. The graphics are wonderful, the gametypes are extremely fun ("You decide to veg out on the couch and watch movies with friends...Popularity +1"), and the achievements are a little more challenging this year (getting six interceptions with one player in one game....grrr).

Overall, it's a fun game to rent and play for a weekend when you have nothing to do, but I wouldn't buy it...next year's should be the one to put the series over the top.

I was first hooked on the NCAA franchise last year while waiting for Madden to be released. I especially enjoyed the Dyansty mode. I actually thought NCAA 07 was a better game than Madden 07, even though I am not into college football.

This year I was definitely up for playing 08. After reading a review in EGM, I took the advice of the writers and decided to pick up the XBOX 360 version. It played very nicely and I was excited about the new enhancements, specifically to the Dynasty mode. When recruiting players you now have a much more expansive option of convincing them to attend your school. It seems that the developers really worked on improving this area. The gameplay has also been improved and is much smoother than the previous year.

However, two weeks into the game my 360 broke down and while waiting for it to get repaired I picked up the PS3 version. There was a noticeable difference right away. I could see that the PS3 version was not as smooth. I believe that the frames per second on the PS3 version are about half that of the 360. Other than that I have not noticed any differences between the two version.

If you only own a PS3, it's not worth the extra money to buy a 360 for this game, but there is a noticeable difference in animation between the two. The one nice feature I recently discovered on the PS3 version is the ability to move your controller (SIXAXIS) to perform certain in game moves like: fake huddle, big hit, etc. You basically lift up the controller or push it forward to activate these moves. It adds a nice touch.

The other day I was playing this game with my brother. We started off our game at night in Boise. About halfway through the second quarter, I thought I noticed a lighting change, so we watched the instant replay. Sure enough, the night had changed instantly into day. Pat White might be able to juke some tough players, but he isn't God. When he drops back the sun doesn't change. Now this is a minor inconvenience and does not really affect my gaming experience, but it just goes to show how sloppily the game was created. Earlier, my brother went for a two-point conversion and I intercepted it. After running it back for two points of my own, I was made to kick off (after he had scored the TD) and, on top of that, I was kicking off from his 35 yard line. That was frustrating.

My other concerns about NCAA Football 2008:

The logic behind the order of switching players while a play is going is terrible. Countless times it takes several times to get the correct player, or I will try and select a defensive lineman for a sack and end up choosing a DB and leaving the receiver wide open. This is also a problem trying to select someone near the ball carrier to tackle him.

The player celebrations are spastic and obnoxious.

The graphics seem to be worse than before.

The in-game stat update windows have cheesy designs.

The absence of momentum tracker was a huge loss to the game's realism.

Quite often during the game, players do very unrealistic things like changing directions very quickly, taking 7 seconds to run 40 yards (even really fast players), and making unrealistic tackles.

Not being able to call plays and control the whole team during campus legend mode is a step in the wrong direction. How am I supposed to have a good receiver, running back, or quarterback when my stupid coach keeps calling terrible plays, and I don't get to decide who gets the ball?

First-person kick blocking and returning should not have been done away with.

I bought this game reading the reviews and giving it the benefit of the doubt since I hadn't had an NCAA football game for 360 yet.

I have mixed feelings on this game...I guess it just depends on what type of gamer you are. Just about everyone brings up valid points...and I'll just re-iterate on a few.

This game seems to be developed more for those who want to either coach the game or feel like they're a real player in the game. Me, I never played football so I couldn't really tell you what a good play is for what situation and what type of coverage is needed when and where. I just ask Corso or go with my gut feeling (which I'm usually wrong). I supposed if you've played football before than it's a pretty fun game. Plays are broken up by formations, passing, running, short passes, mid passes, defensive coverage types. For me though, yes the play clock is a disadvantage. By the time I figure out what play I want I'm usually about to get a delay of game penalty. I got used to how the last two years of NCAA had the plays set up, and now I'm just lost while picking a play.

Campus legend mode is fun. While you do have the option to simulate practices and scheduled events, basically you can through everyday of the season and practice to earn points to pick up on the depth chart, and do evening events to gain attributes like popularity and awareness and pick up your GPA. Unfortunately for me, my player sprained his ankle playing a game of pickup basketball. But for those who don't like to sit there and pick apart everyday of someones life...than Campus Legend might not be for you.

As for the gameplay. The graphics are nice. The stadiums and players look great. There is a long loading process though, and there are about one second delays after you pick plays. This slows the game down and bugs me out. There are no more cut scenes to cheering fans or cheerleaders. The broadcast of the game is lame. Though I leave replay option on cause every once in awhile I like to see a nice play, but there's replays for like every first down and this gets annoying. Also, someone must have got injured every other play. And I've played like 5 games now and there hasn't been a single penalty called.

I started playing at freshman level just to get a feel for the game, and again I consistantly win 73-0. When I moved up to varsity I played with #2 Michigan against an unranked Notre Dame team thinking it would be good to start against a weak defense like Notre Dame and move up to higher competition. (We all know tho no names are used real player attributes and number and defensive schemes are still a factor). After a successful first drive. Notre Dame's QB came out and made last years QB#10 (Brady Quinn) look like a joke. Their qb could of just lofted it in the air and it would be caught. When I got back on offense my offensive line couldn't hold the defense away from my QB. Must've gotten sacked or pressured every play. And when I tried to pick apart Notre Dames weak secondary (w/ the exception of SS#9 (Zibikowski) they looked like gods. Notre Dames defense looked like the '85 Bears out there.

So, until I get used to it again...I have to settle with winning 73-0 or losing 42-14 everytime.

Like most said, no create a team, create a play...there's no alternate uniforms and pants like in previous years. I can't wear ND green, or change Clemson's pants to purple if I really wanted.

Basically, for those who really know the game of football and enjoy being a real player in it and maybe the coaching experience of it (Dynasty Mode/Recruiting) than go for it.

For those that enjoyed the broadcast like of the game and just had fun playing the simple version of the game of football...than save your money.

Me, I'm the latter. It seems slow and a little too in depth. The fun of the game (broadcast experience) is gone...I got tired of this game in only a few hours.

Most of the problems that I have heard are about the lack of pre-game or post-game presentation or bulky players or how slow they move. I own the game and the other features more than make up for these small and trivial oversights. Legend mode is a fantastic addition to the 360 and almost makes the game worth $60 on its own. The dynasty mode is also greatly improved as the setup is better and the recruiting if far more in depth than just dividing up 100 points to your prospects like in NCAA 07. If the fact that there is no pregame show really disturbs you enough that you don't want to pay the $60 price, I feel sorry for you because you are missing out on a very high quality sports game.

I have loved the EA Sports NCAA franchise since I bought NCAA 99. Each year the features expanded, creation of teams, game control, and finally the Legend feature. This year was a total waste of money. If you are thinking about buying this game, beware.

The only good feature is the Legend. It has promise. It's a nice twist that you play your high school championship to determine your skills. This is better than the "try-out" option from last year. A great idea was the position only format. If you make yourself as a QB, then that's all you play. It adds a nice depth of realism and simulation. Don't get me wrong, where the rest of the game comes you 4th and inches, this feature is a 60 yard Hail Mary TD. The only change should come from play selection. Give it a nice rebellion against the coaches feel and prehaps penalties placed on your player for going against the coach.

A word on game control: awkward. I have read reviews and watched many people play this. Audibles, hot routes, changes at the line; all these are more complex than need be. With previous versions, you pushed a simple button and you could alter the line. Now, you must take the extra time to read the menus and select your option. I don't have time for that. It takes much longer to call an audible than need be with the clock running down, now I have to waste more time trying to figure out how to show my blitz or call an option to shake up the line. The actual controls aren't too bad, just awakrdly placed.

Menus. Holy cow! I thought MS Vista was absurd! Give me back the simplicity for graphics. Sometimes more is not always better. Enough said.

Game features have suffered. For you die hard, let's just play the game with a school, I don't need to create because it's pointless; half the people who buy this game like the Create-a-School feature. I myself like to dabble with it. Here's the deal. I play on the Hiesman level (hardest) and can still walk away with the National Championship year after year. It gets boring. Even with crazy controls, pointless menus, and other absurd features that really don't enhance the games beside making it look "cool", I am still able to romp on teams and actual players sitting beside me. I am bored. So, I create a team and make it the worst you could ever have. I spend a couple of years actually recruiting the worst players. All this to make it difficult. I really get into it. I have found a new level of play after I have trashed all competition. This year's version: got rid of all the fun extras. Why? Probably to appease some yuppy who said they didn't like it. What's it cost to add this feature? What were we going to can becuase it could be added? The answer: Nothing. If something isn't broke, don't fix it. Add all the neat features that are pointless. I find the whole replay capture to be tediuos and boring. It has no bearing except to show off that someone on the easiest mode was able to lob a 75 yard TD pass. But, some people like the stroking of egos, even in a virtual world. Why not allow it. Add stuff to make it fun for those who like it. But don't take away features that die-hard fans have enjoyed for years.

One more note on the "Creation" features. I understand this is simulation and EA is triving to make it fun, realistic, and accurate, but the player creation process has so many attribute options (and most don't even have bearing on performance) that I end up just making them all the same to save time.

We have, as we do in most things in our lives, complicated something that could be simple and still be fun. Keep it simple. That is the best marketing strategy you can learn. I know. It's a fun game for one feature, but the rest bog it down and cause it to lose appeal rather quickly. Do I have the numbers to support this? No. It's an opinion. Don't believe that percentages some people post about how many poepl love this game or love this feature. Remember, 42.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

That's my opinion, love it or hate. Argue all you want. But had I rented this game first, as a big time supporter of the EA franchise, I would never have bought the game. Rent it, borrow it, just don't by it unless you want the one feature it seems EA made the game around. Here's a hint EA: Make a game specifically for the Legend. Uh...EA Sports College Legend would still sell and you could keep making a fine product with NCAA.