I've been playing NCAA '08 since early Tuesday morning, and I've got to say the game is great. It's enough like the PS2 version that I'm comfortable enough playing it, but has the right amount of advancements to really give it that "next-gen" feel. It's a great game, and plays like a game of college football. Now all of you may be saying, "This guy is an EA fan, he'll support their games, no matter what." Well, I am an EA fan. But, just like any fan, I can have "beef" with the team I support. EA made a great game, but there's always room for improvement, which I'll touch on here.

The first and foremost part of the game EA needs to work on is the presentation. I can still remember seeing Brad, Kirk, and Lee in their booth for the first time on PS2. Sure, it was a generic beginning of the game, and seemed pretty much the same everytime. But it was great to see them, see Lee put on the mask/helmet, and hear Kirk spotlight that one special player. On the 360 this year we still get the stadium opening and focus on an impact player, we just don't get to see who's focusing or the player they're focusing on. EA needs to bring in the stadium run-in, which is a huge part of college football. Seeing Coach Poindexter Buckley lead the Baylor Bears onto the field on a warm, sunny afternoon day would really get me ready for that crucial Big 12 match-up. Even if Lee donned the Longhorn mask before the game, I'd still feel great knowing that I had the whole nation watching me play.

To go with the in-game presentation, we need some sort of College Gameday. We've got the ESPN license, let's use it!!! Of course the Highlight Reel feature in this year's game is pretty much telling us EA is moving toward some sort of College recap show, I want the whole feature. I want Kirk and Lee to disagree on the team they pick, rowdy students in the background, and possibly even Mark May and Lou Holtz struggling through their on-screen time (What did you say Lou?). With the in-game engine working great, EA will hopefully have some time to work on these other features.
To go with the addition of a Gameday show, how about other announcing teams? It would be great to have a few other sets of announcers to do our Regional Broadcast games, rather than having Kirk, Lee and Brad at Baylor Saturday afternoon at 3:30 and then at Buffalo 2 hours later. I'm not asking for something like the terrible Madden announcer, but picking up a couple of generic crews to provide some play-by-play would be a nice addition.

One feature EA really nailed this year is the create/edit player. Pretty much every facemask I've ever seen (with the exception of one I've only seen on one player from Tulsa) is in the game. I've been asking for more facemasks for the last few years on PS2 and now I've got them. The other equipment looks great this year as well, even the ridiculous "club", and I actually use almost all of it. We still need clear visors, mouthguards, different chinstraps, towels and QB hand warmers.

Finally, the last thing needed are the on-field additions. I've heard a lot of people complaing about not having refs, chain gangs, or detailed sidelines. Most of all I want to see my coach roaming the sidelines. I always loved to see my coach on PS2 hold up the two fingers after a score. As you can tell, I love my coach and want him to get some publicity. I want him to manuever among the sidelines, talking to players, trainers, and other coaches.

This year's NCAA game is the best yet. Sure, it's missing some things, but perfection takes time. Give EA a year (and the list I've compiled here) and NCAA Football '09 will be sure to be a Heisman front runner.