NCAA Football 10 News Post

NCAA Football 10: An Alternate Take

11:06 AM - July 20, 2009 by RaychelSnr

Truly great sports games often transcend the sport they're based on, finding a way to appeal to a broad group of gamers. Games like NHL 94, Winning Eleven 6 and the original NBA Jam fall into this category. Even if you weren't a fan of the sports themselves, those games still probably appealed to you when you played them because the final products were greater than the sum of their parts.

NCAA Football 10 falls short of that transcendent status. As a longtime Madden player who has made sporadic forays into the NCAA series, I went into NCAA 10 looking to see if the game would grab me and make a fan of me. It did not.

-Feature written by Jim Harris

Read More - NCAA Football 10: An Alternate Take

Game: NCAA Football 10Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 61 - View All

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# 41 carnalnirvana @ 07/20/09 09:08 PM

hipster i hear you bro,

i just converted a 4th and 17 with 2 mins left down by 3 and the dude just got back up and walked to the huddle like it was a 5 yd catch in the first Q....

atmosphere is lacking, that place should have been wild, some helmit slaps from teammates something, i get it now its not just x& o's there has to be some balance..

seanmac, i am not following your argument bro, i dont know how bad you want these guys to play,

i thing usc ,ight beat the lions i'm serious

# 42 JAYMO76 @ 07/20/09 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hipster-Doofus


	I see what your saying, and I guess I was venting over the wrong thing. What I was arguing about is not the presentation persay, but more the atmosphere of the game. When the bands play after a big play, it seems like they don't even want to be there.....no excitement. When you break a long run, at a Key point in the game....all the fans in the stands are two busy texting on their IPhones and not paying any attention. When you break a long run, or get into the EndZone with 1 minute left to go ahead, every just goes back to huddle and you are left to celebrate on your own, (oh yeah the mascot....haha give me a break). There is a lack of excitement, a lack of emotion, a lack of, well atmosphere. Your right, you don't watch the games for the presentation, you watch them for what they are...games. However watching a Ohio State Michigan game, with no excitement on the field or in the stands would drastically change the way you look at college football forever. "Oh yeah, they did implement the Defense....Defense....Defense chant". But when was the last time you watched a game being played in the Swamp and 90,000 fans were yelling Defense....Defense.....Defense? They yell like a bunch of drunken mobster....until their voices go out. I guess I might be nit picking here, however I just feel that EA could capture the essence of the game so much better. Maybe I'm looking into this to much, I mean, I am playing the hell out of this game so I guess EA did to something right. or maybe it's because it's my only option. I'm not asking EA to capture the college football experience perfectly, and give me the same emotions and excitement I get from watching it, all I'm asking them to do it Try. Try and make it as close as possible, don't jsut "go through the motions" on the very thing, the very reason we are even playing.

Let's be clear, it's not one or the other. ATMOSPHERE and PRESENTATION ARE BOTH TERRIBLE THIS YEAR. The sad reality is that the presentation is stale and repetitive and no where near as enriching as games like 06 and 07 on ps2. Where are detailed stat overlays, where are coaches, refs, gatorade showers, pre game and post game shows, and where is the beloved 07 prediction desk? Regarding atmosphere, I want to see people in the stands, I want to see the players warming up, I want to see the gastorade shower, etc. etc. etc.

The tough thing is that we had ALL these things in 06 and 07 and for people like myself who have been playing close to TEN years it's tough to play a game that is still missing so much stuff. Hey, NCAA 10 is improving and is the best on next gen but the improvements are sooooo slow. Let's hope EA hears our voices and gives presentation and atmosphere some love in 2011.

# 43 marcoyk @ 07/20/09 09:41 PM

Nice post, I'll probably be buying it tomorrow.

# 44 blackscorpion11 @ 07/20/09 10:06 PM

I think this review is weak and pointless.. He's rehashing thoughts about this game that are two years older than dirt!

We already know everything he said, mostly from 2009's game.. Did he tell us anything new? give us a new perspective on anything? No

And like any true ncaa *****/ madden lover, he ends with the tired madden comparison asking "why wouldn't they wait to get madden"
CAUSE IT'S THE DAMN NFL AND WE WANT TO PLAY A COLLEGE GAME..!!!

weak review..

# 45 blackscorpion11 @ 07/20/09 10:12 PM

i agree with this 100%

# 46 HiTEqMETHOD @ 07/20/09 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aimiami


	ncaa 10 is the best game out now

This is why I both hate and love opinions, don't get me wrong I respect your opinion and would fight for your right to have one even if all you chose to do with it were make ridiculous remarks like that one. But as someone who has played NCAA Football since 2001 this game feels so boring it's amazing. The presentation feels so dull and empty it takes the fun out of playing the game,which is suppose to be about college football yet it fails to capture anything similar to the feel of an actual game. This is the first time I haven't bought the game in a long time. It's a waste of money,I'll wait until Madden and hopefully next year EA decides to bring the hammer down on Tiburon and make a decent game but right now I'm disappointed.

# 47 seanmac @ 07/20/09 11:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnalnirvava


	hipster i hear you bro, i just converted a 4th and 17 with 2 mins left down by 3 and the dude just got back up and walked to the huddle like it was a 5 yd catch in the first Q.... atmosphere is lacking, that place should have been wild, some helmit slaps from teammates something, i get it now its not just x& o's there has to be some balance.. seanmac, i am not following your argument bro, i dont know how bad you want these guys to play, i thing usc ,ight beat the lions i'm serious

USC would lose about 56-3 against the Lions. I'm serious. It would be an epic beatdown.

# 48 Swanison @ 07/21/09 08:35 AM

ncaa 10 producers are going so far off from where they should be heading. there main goals this year was teambuilder, season showdown, and online dynasty. why are they putting all these extras into the game when they dont even have a solid foundation to work from. EAs motto is "its in the game" and nothing in college football shows in ncaa 10. instead they have mascot game, special teams mini game, option dash, bowling, and a whole bunch more crap that has nothing to do with wat they should be doing. And wat they should be doing is finding every aspect of college football and put it in the game. the commercial is lying to us when they show ncaa 10 highlights an say its in the game bec nothing good is in that game. step 1 to making a good college football game would be to make a real to life physics engine that changes dynamically based on players attributes. this gameplay engine would make it real and different everytime you play step 2 is to make a solid ai and make each team different and play based on how they do in real life. this and all the coaching options ever would make each game strategic and different each time you play. step 3 would be to bring college football to life. using your espn contract make the games life like. emotion and excitement with tons of crowd animations based on wats going on in game. mascots, student section, homefield advantages, band, cheerleading, ect. 4th step is to bring everything in football to the game. exs let me see the coin flip and captains meet up. chain gain, refs, cameras, advertisement, kicker warming up, coach cut scenes, replays on big plays, bench interactions, halftime show, pregame show. 5th step is to put the extras and gamemodes into the game. EX online dynasty, road to glory, offline dynasty, create a whatever, season showdown, coop onlie, and maybe fun mini games

this is not going to take just one year to do exceptionally well. im more of a gameplay guy then to watch scenes of things i usually skip but thats just me. if they were to get down he gameplay i would be happy but they cant even do that. EA would rather have there main feature be teambuilder. i can understand nhl to be having teambulder but not ncaa 10. they have to start over before they add in there junk. nhl series has a solid gameplay and all there doing is improving. by nlh 11 they will have over the top game modes bec they already worked on the gameplay and presentation. all ncaa has done is took out stuff that were good and put stuff in that is pointless. EA needs to stop turning the ball over every single year. they need to make a coaching adjustment or they are not ever going to make a good gam. ps last 2 sentences are reallly dum and cheesy but true

# 49 Hipster-Doofus @ 07/21/09 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seanmac


	USC would lose about 56-3 against the Lions. I'm serious. It would be an epic beatdown.

Yeah I agree with you there, the Lions would beat USC, or any other College Football Team, and to say otherwise is just inexcusably egocentric. However, that is not the Point.

No one is questioning the talent on the field when comparing the NFL with colege. It's an obvious arguement that is not worth anyone's time. But, talent, is one of the very reasons I sometimes don't enjoy watching the NFL. Thats what it's all about to those guys, their talent. They all think that their Crap don't stink, and only care about themselves. It's all about the money to those guys, no passion, no "team" implement, no I'll do my part for the team, it's all, a I'll do my part for ME. You do have your Brett Farve's out their who just Love playing the game, but those individuals seem to be few and far between these days. There jsut doesn't seem to be any passion for the game anymore, there is just passion for making more money.

I've been to plenty of College Football games, and plenty of NFL games in my day, and no NFL Stadium, no NFL Crowd, no NFL atmosphere even comes remotely close to, say "the swamp", "beaver stadium", "the shoe", "the big house"...etcc... It's about the passion, and the electricity in the air on game day.....the ATMOSPHERE

Thats what it's all about in my opinion, if all I cared about was watching the best players with the most talent, then yeah I'd be a NFL junkie. But I don't care about that, and thats what I think lot of people just don't get, they don't understand what it's all about. To me, the NFL is just to BLAH for my liking, at least compared to College. Now I'm a football maniac, so I watch the NFL don't get me wrong, I'm just comparing the two is I see them.

A few college athetes might get "some" money under the table, but 99.9% of them don't. Yeah they get scholarships, but they don't get that pay check, worth millions of dollars, whether I'm second string, whether I'm hurt and not playing, whether I am a starter.

It all comes down to this, at the end of the day, what are YOU playing for? Your Family, your wife, youself, your passion for the game, money? Unfortunently, the Ladder is where a lot of the NFL athletes stand. And, that drastically changes the way they look at the game

# 50 StingerC @ 07/21/09 12:58 PM

My biggest pet peeve about this game is the horrible disparity in line play. My offensive line turns to keystone cops with the simplest of blitzes leaving me to scramble like mad just to get a pass off to my dump off receiver. Meanwhile a heavy blitz from me seems to be picked up rather well about 40% by the computer. Even their running backs seem to throw wicked blocks while mine just kind of hovers around and lets guys get by him. they need to fix this because it's quiet annoying.

# 51 twigstudios @ 07/21/09 02:15 PM

I enjoy this game. True it lacks alot of things that could give it that "revolutionary" aspect and the commentary still sucks but for the most part it holds my interest. ActualIy if it wasn't for Teambuilder I probably would have passed on it and continued with 09. I stopped playing Madden after 2004 on last gen. I did purchase Madden 09 for the current gen and found out I still didn't like it. I can't put my finger on why I just can't get into it. I guess because I am more of a college football fan than the pro game. There are tons of things that could improve this series. Instead rehashing the franchise needs to be rebuilt. If you read these forums like I do you would see alot of wonderful ideas the OS family has to give NCAA a second life. Plus this both franchises need competition. How do you know if you are putting out your best if no one challenges you to do so? Which is why I think that why the FIFA, NHL and Tiger Woods series seem more polished than the flagship Madden and NCAA franchises. IDK maybe it's just me.

# 52 moose1234 @ 07/21/09 02:19 PM

I Have A ? Is the PS2 version have all the same issues, or are we just talking about the next gen systems.

# 53 ChiCubs @ 07/21/09 02:49 PM

and yet another stellar release from EA Sports. lol. so sad....so very sad how great this NCAA series could be. great article. the even sadder thing is that you know for a fact that the EA Sports suits and execs know that the product is not close to being as ood as it could be yet for them it's the bottom line that matters- $$$. 'nuff said. again, great article, Jim.

# 54 Hipster-Doofus @ 07/21/09 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moose1234


	I Have A ? Is the PS2 version have all the same issues, or are we just talking about the next gen systems.

We are talking about the NCAA series as a whole, whether Next Gen or Last Gen. The problem with EA, at least in Terms of Football, is they don't have anyone pushing them. They don't have someone breathing down their backs possibly developing a better product. This, my friends, is the problem with Monopolies, and why they are frowned upon. The products that are produced and released are sub par, based on the fact that there is no compitetion, no reason to go that extra mile. Now, I do think that NCAA over all is a good game, and Madden as well (even though I haven't bought one for 7 years). However, these little things we are mentioning here, the little aspects that could really push the game into what we want it to be are not going to be done. Why? Because they don't have the money, they don't have the resources, they don't have the budget? I don't know, whether those are right or wrong, EA just doesn't have anyone pushing them to the next level, forcing them to produce as good a product as possible.

Madden has a bigger budget, and more time and resources, based on the fact that it out sells NCAA. They can spend the time on things like better presentation, atmosphere...and so on. The best thing that could happen to this game is the "rights" ending, and really forcing EA to spew out the best possible College Experience they can. Until then, I think we are going to be forced to play what ever they put out, lack of atmosphere and all.

# 55 Gotmadskillzson @ 07/21/09 03:29 PM

Basically too much fluff in this game. They need to bring back the custom TD celebrations. Have more variety in cheerleader celebrations. Because I am tired of seeing the same toss the girl up in the air celebration.

And why is it that the cpu always overload on the side your play is designed to run on ? Seems like they automatically know what play you are calling. Even if you flip the play, they overload on the side you flipped on.

Defense assist is the most useless feature ever.

EA take out all that mini games BS that nobody cares about and add more atmosphere and celebrations. And fix the mind reading cpu AI. They swarm to the ball at warp 9 it seems. Don't matter if you running or passing or doing a screen, 3 defensive players will be there as soon as the ball does.

# 56 enfilade22 @ 07/24/09 05:48 AM

I agree with your article the game was vapid in about 10 minutes of gameplay. It's Madden 09 with a College wrapper

# 57 sithlord06 @ 07/27/09 05:21 PM

I was also disappointed with this effort, I feel cheated that I bought this college, why did EA buy a license and not fully capture the college football experience? Maybe I need to spend a few more hrs playing it or getting the max out of my purchase but I did not play the game and go....wow...at anything. This is nothing more than NCAA Football 09 Release B. They did not really make any strides with this game. I wish they would drop all this license BS and let others get back in the arena and make a game that is truly for the gamer (hint hint 2Ksports).

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