Chris' NCAA Football 11 Review - RaychelSnr's Blog

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Chris' NCAA Football 11 Review Stuck

Posted on July 13, 2010 at 12:43 PM.

(8)

I'm not sure what else can be said about NCAA Football 11 but I'm going to try.

First off, Christian wrote an anthology on why the game is much improved in the official OS review. So if you want meatier details, hit that review up.

Pros

Gameplay - The gameplay is the best ever for a football game, and I have little reservations about that. There are some issues that need to be sorted out, but the overall package is very impressive.

New Online Dynasty Features - I love the new features within Online Dynasty. I'm counting down the days until Online Dynasty = Dynasty mode -- because we all know it's happening.

Graphics - The graphics have taken a huge leap forward this year. They are among the best in Sports Gaming now, and that's always a good thing.

Pro-Tak/LocoMotion- I really am a believer in these systems now. The difference they make fundamentally on the gameplay is just absurd (in a good way).

Auto-Turbo- Kudos to Tiburon for modernizing their game and taking out the speed burst (if you choose to that is). This makes the game so much more enjoyable, it's a very subtle but fundamental change to how you approach each play.

Different Play Styles- For the first time this generation, Navy runs the ball 40 times a game, Oklahoma will do whatever they want to you, and Baylor is sure to get Robert Griffin a run play or seven per game. This is big league stuff.

Blocking- In my demo review, I noted there were some issues with the pulling blockers. Those issues are fixed and the blocking is easily the best I've ever seen in football games. I'm very impressed.

ESPN Integration- I like the ESPN integration on the surface but....

Cons

ESPN/Presentation - ...it's only surface deep. With the gameplay nearing a level where I'd say only minor tweaks are needed year to year, it's time to start focusing on how to make the game seem more authentic outside of the gameplay.

Commentary- Step #1 to the above should be commentary. Lots of out of place lines being spoken this year and it just seems boring/stale/bad.

Road to Glory- This mode is just plain stale, literally the exact same thing you've been playing now for quite awhile.

Innovation/Dynasty Mode/Please? - Speaking of a mode being the same, Tiburon has managed to once again change how recruiting is done, taken some control away from you, and still managed to make the mode feel stale and without direction. The online dynasty features help, but it's still fundamentally the same mode we've been playing since 1998. It's time for a change.

Bugs Galore- There are numerous little bugs which need to be fixed. I had a safety charged against me once because my QB faked a hand-off and then did a moon walk 60 yards backyards out of the back of the end zone -- and I had nothing to say to the contrary. Perhaps the digital athletes are revolting for our stupidity in our playcalls -- or perhaps the game just has some bugs that need to be fixed?

The Bottom Line: If you are a fan of the sport or of the game, this is a must buy. The gameplay is the best in a football game ever, and I say that with little reservation. I'd go far as to say that EA's focus next year should be on modernizing Dynasty, Road to Glory, etc. and just trying to not go overboard on tuning the gameplay. They're starting to get that close now. However, the game is far from perfect overall and lots of work still needs to be done for NCAA 12. Oh and we desperately need a second patch to fix the nagging issues.

Chris' NCAA Football 11 Rating:

My ratings explained.

Chris is the Executive Editor of Operation Sports and maintains this blog on the site. He is also a native Oklahoman and avid storm chaser. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisSnr.

Comments

# 1 khaliib @ Jul 13

So far, so good.
There are still some things as far as gameplay, such as chop/crack blocks. The contact between two player's must transition from the stand-and-dance to something that gives the perception of a collision. College football is the only sport were you don't have to try and over-sell with fluff/gimmicks. Have decent gameplay along with good atmosphere, and you can just tweak from then on.

For Dynasty:
Until a coaching carousel is included, there will never be any depth. I have always suggested that instead of playbooks being attached to schools, they should attach them to the coach's (Head,Off/Def Coord) profile. Depending on experience, a coach would have so many plays in their playbook.

The whole point of Dynasty is "Building" and they are shooting themselves in the foot by limiting this aspect.

We are getting there!!!

# 2 DirtyJerz32 @ Jul 13

Good right Chris. I definitely agree with everything. I'm setting at work right now and for the first time in a long time I want to play NCAA 11. Great job EA and I can't wait to see what happens next.

# 3 bigsmallwood @ Jul 13

Thanks Chris! Can't wait 2 get my hands on this later on!

# 4 turftickler @ Jul 13

Great review, Chris. The only thing that bothers me is when I have a for sure attempt at catching the ball and a DB jumps out of the sky to knock it down. I can get around that now. The gameplay is good this year. Hat's off to EA Sports for at least one football game this year.

# 5 Da-Man @ Jul 13

The only things that kills this game for me right now is the below average use of the ESPN license and stale commentary. Gameplay is fantastic though.

# 6 TreyIM2 @ Jul 13

"Bugs Galore- There are numerous little bugs which need to be fixed. I had a safety charged against me once because my QB faked a hand-off and then did a moon walk 60 yards backyards out of the back of the end zone..."
- Lol, that play action glitch happened to me with the demo, last night. I got sacked for a loss of over 20yds, instead. Can't believe it's still in the retail version.

# 7 stlstudios189 @ Jul 13

I didn't pull the trigger on this game today. had it in my hand and walked away I want this game but, am waiting untill madden to make my final decision. Unless my wife gets it for me this Thursday (my BDAY)