NCAA Football 09 Hands-On Preview: Part one: Pasta Padre

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by umd

Rah! Rah!

ok...

[ODogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by umd

There are just so many good non-sports games coming out. It makes it easier if my favorite sports franchise doesn't get it done again this year. We'll see. Unfortuantely if the CPU AI is broken, it looks like it may hurt online play again this year - especially if it is loaded with offense. Online dynasty could be spectacular - I have that sneaking suspicion - if AI & gameplay aren't great on the field (but still playable like '08) I may do a coach/AD dynasty online where you sim the games and recruit.

how far ea has fallen since i gave you an early copy of ncaa 04 or 05 back in the day. i remember both of us being so pumped up and genuinely excited that day. and now look at us. like disgruntled old men with the only real excitment coming more from a curiosity as to the game and what we're going to hate about it.

[umd]

Quote: Originally Posted by ODogg

how far ea has fallen since i gave you an early copy of ncaa 04 or 05 back in the day. i remember both of us being so pumped up and genuinely excited that day. and now look at us. like disgruntled old men with the only real excitment coming more from a curiosity as to the game and what we're going to hate about it.

The series has just stagnated on next gen hardware. They haven't made any improvements to the engine - 8 years is a long time to have the same basic gameplay. Last gen the game had its own identity and was the better series vs Madden. But, lately the improvements they have made have skewed the game to playing like a college version of Madden with college features - of which many are missing that should already be in.

NCAA was a revolutionary football franchise on PS2 for me. Next gen they're fighting to get the gameplay back (or MAddenize it - can't figure out which) and have lost many of the staple features that made PS2 NCAA (minus 05 of course) such a great (gameplay, pageantry, presentation and online) EA franchise.

[ODogg]

Quote: Originally Posted by umd

The series has just stagnated on next gen hardware. They haven't made any improvements to the engine - 8 years is a long time to have the same basic gameplay. Last gen the game had its own identity and was the better series vs Madden. But, lately the improvements they have made have skewed the game to playing like a college version of Madden with college features - of which many are missing that should already be in. NCAA was a revolutionary football franchise on PS2 for me. Next gen they're fighting to get the gameplay back (or MAddenize it - can't figure out which) and have lost many of the staple features that made PS2 NCAA (minus 05 of course) such a great (gameplay, pageantry, presentation and online) EA franchise.

yeah i agree on all fronts, not to mention that online is so basic now compared to ncaa 2004. heck back then you could choose weather, alternate uniforms (remember those?) and time of day for each game. now you can't do any of that. it's terrible.

[bad_philanthropy]

Quote: Originally Posted by umd

The series has just stagnated on next gen hardware. They haven't made any improvements to the engine - 8 years is a long time to have the same basic gameplay. Last gen the game had its own identity and was the better series vs Madden. But, lately the improvements they have made have skewed the game to playing like a college version of Madden with college features - of which many are missing that should already be in. NCAA was a revolutionary football franchise on PS2 for me. Next gen they're fighting to get the gameplay back (or MAddenize it - can't figure out which) and have lost many of the staple features that made PS2 NCAA (minus 05 of course) such a great (gameplay, pageantry, presentation and online) EA franchise.

Agree completely.

And I think when you mention "Maddenize" I think that speaks to something too. Madden really is a much different animal. I think part of the appeal and what worked with the NCAA series was that it was always a more sophisticated and less accessible game for the casual fan I think this is what was successful about it was that it was a game for people who were really into college football. EA has essentially tried to turn a niche product into something for the mainstream and it hasn't worked, in fact I think they have instead turned both groups of customers away from the game.

[AuburnAlumni]

I blame it all on EA having a freaking BRIT in charge of AMERICAN Sports games.

[fistofrage]

Quote: Originally Posted by AuburnAlumni

I blame it all on EA having a freaking BRIT in charge of AMERICAN Sports games.

Honestly, the real reason has to be their QC department. I could honestly ferret out 99.9% of oon-field problems within 2 hours of playing, and give me 1 whole day and I'd find all the issues including dynasty, recruiting, etc.

The other issue is gameplay and the sliders not working. There is nothing wrong with the game being a scorefest out of the box, but if you lower the QB accuracy sliders, for example, the long balls should be overthrown, and underthrown to the point that most should land harmessly incomplete. Lower the INT sliders and the DB's should be Ronnie Garvin hands of stone.

Once they said the pursuit angles were fouled up for 2009, this game was finished in my book. Thats something sliders can't fix. I spent hours and hours trying to fix them for 2008 on the PS2, and there is no fix. The game would have been brilliant if these were programmed the same way they were in the past. But in one instance, I took Bobby Reid from OK ST. against Georgia and broke free on an option play from my own 20 yard line, the defense fell in line behind me, I ran 79 yards down to the goalline, turned left, ran along the goalline and ran back 99 yards to my own goalline with the defense still behind me like a swarm of bees, rinsed and repeated, until I calmly turned my PS2 off and went to bed. A few years ago, I would have snapped the disk in half and screamed profanity at the top of my lungs, but I am numb to EA's antics now. And yes this was on Heisman with AI def Awr at 99, its just as bad on every other level with every other slider combo, I tested it.

Its just so sad, that nobody picked this up in QC, but maybe they did and this is what people think of as realistic "open field' game play. After all, once you saw Boise State on the cover, you knew that every game was supposed to have ridiculous shenanigans in it. I digress. But in the grand schem, it burns me, you only have so much time on this earth, and for whatever reason, I want to play a great college football game before I head to greener pastures, because I would imagine in heaven, every play is a touchdown, and you win every time.

[Sting]

Quote: Originally Posted by fistofrage

Honestly, the real reason has to be their QC department. I could honestly ferret out 99.9% of oon-field problems within 2 hours of playing, and give me 1 whole day and I'd find all the issues including dynasty, recruiting, etc. The other issue is gameplay and the sliders not working. There is nothing wrong with the game being a scorefest out of the box, but if you lower the QB accuracy sliders, for example, the long balls should be overthrown, and underthrown to the point that most should land harmessly incomplete. Lower the INT sliders and the DB's should be Ronnie Garvin hands of stone. Once they said the pursuit angles were fouled up for 2009, this game was finished in my book. Thats something sliders can't fix. I spent hours and hours trying to fix them for 2008 on the PS2, and there is no fix. The game would have been brilliant if these were programmed the same way they were in the past. But in one instance, I took Bobby Reid from OK ST. against Georgia and broke free on an option play from my own 20 yard line, the defense fell in line behind me, I ran 79 yards down to the goalline, turned left, ran along the goalline and ran back 99 yards to my own goalline with the defense still behind me like a swarm of bees, rinsed and repeated, until I calmly turned my PS2 off and went to bed. A few years ago, I would have snapped the disk in half and screamed profanity at the top of my lungs, but I am numb to EA's antics now. And yes this was on Heisman with AI def Awr at 99, its just as bad on every other level with every other slider combo, I tested it. Its just so sad, that nobody picked this up in QC, but maybe they did and this is what people think of as realistic "open field' game play. After all, once you saw Boise State on the cover, you knew that every game was supposed to have ridiculous shenanigans in it. I digress. But in the grand schem, it burns me, you only have so much time on this earth, and for whatever reason, I want to play a great college football game before I head to greener pastures, because I would imagine in heaven, every play is a touchdown, and you win every time.

that was the best post i have ever seen on an internet message board, seriously, not just gaming sites, but all forums


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