Score
Gameplay:	9
Graphics:	8
Sound:	7
FunFactor:	9
PlasmaFactor:	10
Overall:	8.6

NCAA Football 08 Review
August 11, 2007 by Bryant Crawley

After EA's first foray into next-gen college football dominance they have once again returned to try and right the many wrongs of NCAA Football 07. How did they do and how does it compare to last year's version? Let's find out now.

This is Football!

 

When you fire this version up the very first thing you notice is how the presentation has changed compared to previous years. From the beginning menu you have a Hall of Fame room to call your own. This is a very welcome change from last year's version as it is a feature that has finally been added to the next-gen NCAA. In the "Hall" you will be able to view your accomplishments (like your dynasty trophies, rivalry games, etc). The only thing that would have made this even better was if others, over XBOX Live, could see your special "Hall of Fame."

Another new game modes added to this year is the Campus Legend mode. Now this mode is very familiar to anyone that has played the previous versions of the game. In it you can either edit an existing player or start from scratch and build him up how you see fit. One of the more interesting things is that if you do decide to create a player from scratch you can actually have the character start out during his senior year in high school. You will be placed in his high school football playoffs. Depending on how you do during these playoffs determine how you will be recruited. Do well and get recruited by everyone under the son but, do poorly and you'll barely be able to make anyone's squad. One of things to consider when picking the school is your placement on the squad. You could always go to one of the powerhouse schools but you may be relegated to 3 rd or 4th string. This is key to starting out your career right because it may take a whole season to get up to the starters position. The only problem I saw with this mode was that after a while, practicing became very, very, tedious. It was very repetitive to build up your character in practice mode. There was no real need to workout or anything like that. All you really did was just practice on the field and gain points little by little. Hopefully in next year’s version that can be changed so it doesn't become repetitive and boring. Another thing I didn't really like in the campus legend mode was the simple fact that you're a student athlete but you rarely visit the student part. You never attend a single class or take a single test. I'm not really sure how can you can play without being a student. When this mode was introduced in current-gen version a couple years ago, players got the chance to actually take tests, attend classes, stuff like that. Making it seem like it was important to actually being a student.

There is another mode besides campus legend mode and that is the all important dynasty mode. This year's version is relatively the same as the previous version except for when it comes to recruiting. This year you have to make sure blue chippers are satisfied in a total number of 25 different areas before they commit to your school. Something interesting this year is that blue chippers will hold you to your promises that you make to them. If you promise they'll start as a freshman, or that they'll have a lot of TV time you better deliver or else they'll want a transfer the very next season. I love what they have done with the dynasty mode this year but I must warn you. This mode is for the serious football fan. If your more of a casual person you may want to let the computer simulate the off-season for you.

Another thing you will notice when you start the game up is its sense of speed. This year's version has been updated by having it run at a full 60fps on the Xbox 360. This decision is huge due to the fact that it helps with the games animations and smoothness of game play. The animations this year have gone thru an overhaul as well as there are over a 100 new ones added to this year’s version. Now when you juke step to the right a lot prettier on the eyes. I'm really glad that the frame rate was updated because it makes the game a whole lot easier to control compared to last years stop and go movement. The controls are very similar to last year’s version except for one major difference, the inclusion of Hit Stick 2.0. Now with the flick of the right analog stick you can control jukes and dives. On defense the right analog stick becomes your best friend when trying to make big hits and forcing fumbles.

A totally different feature that was added was the inclusion of the weather channel. Yes, that's right that weather channel. Now games are updated with accurate real time weather forecasts before and during the game. If it’s really raining in South Bend before the USC vs. Notre Dame game, then that's what you get. This is an interesting feature that really adds to the realism of NCAA.

 

 

Say what?

 

The sound quality in NCAA floats in the hit or miss territory. The sound effects when it comes to the tackles and the calling on the field are second to none. When it comes to the actual crowd noises in the stadiums, NCAA has some issues. Some stadiums actually have real cheers and noises while others are quiet as a mouse. And for some strange reason when a team is getting blown out, the home team’s fans will begin to cheer for them when they do anything at all (like make a first down). Seems kind of strange.

 

Funball!

 

The game's online mode has a pretty "if its not broke don't fix it" attitude. You can only play ranked and unranked matches (no tournaments, league, or season modes yet). Not sure why those are not in there but we can hope and pray that they will be added next year. When actually playing the game I found a very lag free experience except for a slight delay when it came to calling plays.

 

It has "IT"!

 

The plasma factor for NCAA has to be the dynasty mode. The mode is near perfect. There is nothing left you can add to this mode to make it better than it already is. The only complaint I could even fathom would be the fact that you would have to use your time wisely when it came to recruiting and make sure that you are making the right pitch at the recruit. But again I say, this mode is not for the weak of heart. This mode is designed for people who love to be hands on. If this is not you, I stress again that you let the computer do this part for you.

 

 

Touchdown

 

NCAA 08 is an outstanding update to 07 in many ways. With the inclusion of Campus Legend mode and the superb Dynasty mode, this game is one step away from overall football dominance. It has a few bugs that need to be worked out for next year’s NCAA, but right now EA is on the right track in regards to making sure this game is a classic. Could this game overtake Madden as the end all football game in 2008? We shall see.