NCAA Football 08
Score: 89% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: EA Sports Developer: EA Tiburon Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Sports (Football)
Graphics & Sound: Welcome to NCAA Football 08, sports fans. What a great day for a game of football. Well, it is college ball, so that means no beer, unless you sneak it in. I have to say honestly that if forced to decide between college level ball and the NFL, I would choose college in a heartbeat. And, I'm not just saying that because I played college ball. To me, it is just a more pure form of ball. The rivalries are stronger and the traditions rich and lasting. No prima donnas worrying about their millions, well not yet anyway. Football is football, and whereas you would think that if you have seen one game, you have seen them all, I am going to concentrate this review on what is new in the game and not so much on what is old hat. After you have played on the next gen systems, you begin to really feel the age of the graphics that are being used. I would say that I can tell no real difference in the look of the game than previous year's offerings. The player models might even be the same, but again there is only so much muscle you can continue to squeeze out of the system. There is so much motion and there are so many body types that it is very hard to not have any graphical clipping. All in all, it was everything I expected to see. Voiceovers and commentary are critical to any game, but especially in football. If there is any area to concentrate on after you have the playing system down, then it is here. I was extremely impressed with the level of enthusiasm and expression from the voice acting. The color commentary was actually interesting to listen to, even if it does get repetitious with multiple plays of the game.
Gameplay: NCAA Football 08 has many new features above its already tried and true formula. I mentioned before, and I will say it again, that there is only so much you can do in sports games before you add virtual reality impact sensors so you can feel like you are in the game. There are a few new features we need to get down to here, so let's hop in. First things first, this is a game dedicated to fans of the game. They want to know right off the bat who your favorite team is so that they can preload flags, banners, pics and colors of your favorite team. Once you pick your team, it is on to the Main Menu. Right from the start in the Main Menu, there are two new items to explore. One is called My Shrine and the other is EA Sports Extras. Let me skip to the EA Extras part first. I was expecting... well extras, but instead all I get is advertising for Madden NFL 08 and for their Fantasy Football League. Weak! I was looking for behind the scenes, or process, or something. When you put a giant "NEW" tag in front of it, I expect more than a sales pitch. OK, rant over. Now what is actually new in the Main Menu is the My Shrine feature. When you enter your shrine, it is decked out in your team colors. It looks like the entranceways that you see in major college stadiums. Here you can show off all of your earned accolades and trophies. You can also take pictures and show off your album here. Rounding out the Main Menu is Play Now, which is as you might guess, play now. Choose two teams to go at it and you're off. Next is game modes. There are four new game modes to push through. First is Campus Legend where you can build yourself from the ground up. Start out in spring ball and entertain scholarship offers. Choose your school and start out in your freshman year, living in the dorm. The better you play, the more your life will improve. Fan mail will let you know if you're progressing to be the college stud you should be or not. Don't let it get to your head, after all, it is a game. Next up is Dynasty Mode. Do you want to play all the scrub schools in existence or do you want to go head to head with the perennial all-star schools week after week? Well, here you can set up your season, track your red-shirts and go for a national championship. In Points Pursuit, everything you do matters. From touchdowns to tackles, you rack up points. Soon you will be able to unlock new stadiums and trophies. I saved the Online Mode for last, only because what is football without actually going head to head with someone? Head online to put your game on the field and stop the hype.
Difficulty: NCAA Football 08 is the type of game where you can get on and play, while only knowing the very basics of the game. From there though, that is over. Football is complex enough with subtle defensive differences and similar looking plays run from offenses. The whole game is misdirection. There is so much that you can do with defenses and offenses, even after you break out of the huddle. If you are going to get online and take on the world, you had better learn all of the little tricks and button shifts and what they mean to the game in order to not wind up someone's trophy. By learning the defenses and the offenses of the teams you play, you will be able to bring down even the mightiest of teams with the lowliest. Every underdog wants their day in the sun. There are great tutorials to play through, but it is going to come down to you digging through the instruction book and possibly other resources if you want to come out on top.
Game Mechanics: There is a curse in football games that even NCAA Football 08 has not escaped. They fully grasp the "Slobberknocker" ideology, which is where every hit has to be the most bone-jarring and earth-shattering you can lay on somebody. They understand the run and catch. Easy enough, huh? So why can we not yet fully grasp pursuit angles and the nuances of the zone block. These are things that were taught to me from the earliest days of my football experience. I understand that it is hard to code in a true A.I., or we would all be playing HAL from the movie 2001. I watch in horror constantly as my lead blocker peels away in order to engage a player that is never going to catch us nor is it the main threat in front of us. I am arrogant enough to say I have the solution, but I will have to keep that secret for myself. It just drives me nuts to see the blocking, both on the line and down field. Here we are fourth and inches, and I have to say that this game is definitely a champion. We are getting closer and closer to a realistic game, but until then, this will do just fine. Part of the college experience is the fanfare involved. The pre-game entrance, the marching band. I could see a pep-rally mini-game where you have to complete combos for big mojo on the field for rivalry games. Hey! It can happen. It would also bolster the traditions for the colleges. Hook 'Em!
-WUMPUSJAGGER, GameVortex Communications AKA Bryon Lloyd
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