I think it plays much better than last years from what I've seen so far.. I'm just not big into the recruiting portion of the game, so I'll still probably pass on it.. but for those of you who liked last years.. I think you'll like this years even more.

Even though it was just a bit over the top...I agree with Hell Atlantic. Last years NCAA was well beyond any game I have ever played. They could have even just rebranded 08 as 09 and given it the online dynasty feature and I would still be stoked. If this years is an improvement, I'll be in FOFC MP heaven.

Dude, when I see you in my Xbox Live friends list, you're always winning NCAA or Madden by scores of 84-7 or something like that. How can you complain about winning 21-0 in the demo, especially when you're going to drop the full version down to the baby level and crush the AI every game? :)

All they have to do is two things:

1) Fix the INT problem (and no super human linebackers).

2) Fix the option.

There are perfect games out there. The difference between those games and the current state of most sports franchises? Sports games are forced to release a new game every year by the executives of the company.

I have no problem if they release a brand new game every other year and then release roster/logo/uniform updates in the off years. The problem with that theory? They don't get you to fork over $60 every year. As a result, we get half-assed upgrades every year instead of an innovative new game every other year. Hopefully the Madden and NCAA games continue their double digit losses in sales for a 3rd straight year and EA finally figures out 'Oh, we need to put out a good game?'. But I won't hold my breath.

Um.... No.

not likely. it wouldn't be a good strategy for a company suffering such huge losses on a product to invest *more* resources into improving it. i think we'd be more likely to see a discontinuance of new features and selling the game in stores and EA essentially selling downloadable rosters and uni's in the Xbox Live marketplace and similar for PS3. this would eliminate the need for such high overhead (namely salaries of developers) and still be able to generate revenue cuz they'd only need to keep a handful of people to update rosters and uni's. this is a more likely route than "i guess we're forced to dump even more money, time and resources into this product that generates losses for us".

Yes, please point us to perfect *sports* games. It's easy to create perfect games in other genres when realism/stats/ability to have the AI perform exactly as you see them on Saturdays and Sundays isn't an issue.

MBBF is like that best guy friend your girlfriend has. She tells him all the problems you have, and he tells her all the reasons you're wrong for her, all the while angling himself in for the kill. Then when the chips are down, he fails to deliever and stands outside her door blasting Phil Collins, only to be denied.

there is no such guy/scenario.

Which song, "Against All Odds"?

Translation: DeToxRox is headed back for another round of rehab.

If you're able to show me that EA is constantly pushing the envelope to improve the sports game genre, I'll be happy to retract my statement. I believe that EA Sports is the main reason that sports gaming is as lousy as it is right now as you correctly cited. When an industry leader makes it the norm to provide slight upgrades each year rather than full innovation and will buy up licenses or companies to make sure that status quo holds, there's a big problem. It's inexcusable.

I think NHL 08 is an awesome game (one that I still play). The deke stick and the use of analog controls for shooting definitely pushed the envelope.

I disagree. That's a great short-term solution but long-term it will kill the franchise. People won't come back unless they get new features.

The bottom line is, though sales are down, it's still profitable. I'm sure they're trying to figure out the most cost-effective solution to drive more sales. That's what companies that want to stay in business do.

You only further my argument. The sports where EA faces stiff competition are the ones where they tend to do a better job of adding features to keep up with the competition (though I still think it's not nearly as good as they could do given the large amount of assets at their disposal). That doesn't happen where competition has been removed.

Thus far, their solution has been to dump millions into PR campaigns. That hasn't worked over the past two years. A third year of 10%+ declines in the Madden/NCAA franchises may force them to rethink that strategy.

Can't you download the demo on the PS3. I did.

What does any of this have to do with the "perfect games out there" that you claim? Seriously, waiting on a list of these sports games.

And for the record, as I've stated many times in threads like this, I have no problem with enjoying these games for what they are. I'll spend $60 on what amounts to basically a roster update. I spent about $100 on beer the other night and don't even remember most of it. I'll get months of enjoyment out of Madden/NCAA because I take them for what they are and I'm not driving myself crazy when something unrealistic happens. Now if other people don't feel that way, of course that's fine.

GTA IV is pretty damn close to a perfect game in my eyes and I'm sure there are others out there (Besides GTA, I've barely played any non-sports game in years). But you have to admit that sports games in general are at a significant disadvantage when it comes to realism.

Well, duh!

Hey, you asked me for an EA game that pushed the envelope and I gave you one. If you wanted a different answer that fit within the comfy confines of your argument, you'll need to be more specific next time.

As I stated before, I totally agree with you. Sports gaming is at an all-time low and most of that can be directly or indirectly attributed to EA. It's a shame, but it's very true.

I'd give nods to Mass Effect, Gears of War, and Metal Gear Solid 4. All three of those games are just about as good as it gets IMO.

I'll end the suspense. No amount of resources will ever make a sports game perfect. Ever.

The best video game is the one where I go outside to play. IT'S SO REAL!

But when you die, you don't get another life.

This word "Perfect." I do not think it means what you think it means.

A guy over at OS noticed that if you reset your 360's clock to a date in Nov-Dec prior to starting the demo, you get a night game rather than dusk. I'm not entirely sure why this is the case, but I tried it and it definitely works.

Notes for playing three demo games so far.

Game play wise, looks like NCAA2008 again, it may be playing via varsity mode, but my thoughts so far.

TE Crossing routes over the middle are overpowered yet again.. had three 50 yard+ plays in three demo games so far.

Scrambling QB's are over powered. just hike the ball, and bootleg to one side, and either run for a first down or throw.

Pass defense looked better, but not quite there yet

I disagree. Especially since EA has a huge deal with the NFL for exclusivity. I can't imagine a company like EA saying "well it keeps losing money, so lets make it worse". When your sales are down, you're losing customers. A smart business would work to get them back.

And honestly, I think they try to make the game better, but have executives so out of touch with reality they can't. It reminds me a bit of what ESPN did to sports television. EA has put this image in their head of their customer that is so far off from reality. They think their fans care about soundtracks and Madden cards. That a create-a-ring feature is going to gloss over the fact that the AI can be abused to death. Think about some of the features this company has added over the years, it's laughable. If you had told me there was a create-a-fan function being added to a game, I'd have thought you had read it off The Onion.

As for the demo, it reminded me a lot of last year's version. I did play two full games and had 3 pick-6's between the two games. Hope this is just a factor of the level the demo is set on.

Ditto. Seems to be the exact same game to me as well with a ton of interceptions and long run backs. We'll see how the release build plays, but right now I am still skeptical it will be that much improved.

One very cool new feature that I have been wanting to see added to Madden/NCAA forever is that when I hit the jump button at the goalline my running back *gasp* actually jumped over the pile instead of sliding along his belly for a loss.

FIFA 08 was great also.

Agree, and the following soccer game, UEFA Cup is even better. They have improved a lot the soccer franchise in the last year. I think it's not a random thing but that in soccer games, Konami and their PES was way better on sales and gameplay, so they had to step up, unlike with football games where they have the exclusivity.

I wouldn't give EA too much credit in this regard. Rumors are flying that EA is about to land an exclusive deal with two of the big Euro leagues and is looking to get more to leave PES without many licenses. They're doing the same thing now in soccer.

Well, another thing to add to this is that PES gameplay hasn't stepped up the past few years. It's as if they rested on their "we'll always be better than EA" laurels. Yes, EA's getting the licenses, but they're also hitting PES in the one area it had an advantage: gameplay.

PES definitely didn't help themselves last year. That build didn't add much at all.

QFT.

I've always been a PES guy as the rosters/mod available for download to the Xbox made the lack of license a non-factor. However, I heard that gameplay was better in FIFA 08, so I gave it a try, and it's true.

I thought PES innovated heavily on the Wii this year?

It did, but the 360/PS3 versions are stagnant and perhaps taking steps back.

Btw, Bill Abner received his copy of the game from EA and will be talking about it tonight:

http://nutweasel.blogspot.com/

I like how reviews are embargoed until July 15th. :)

I messed around with the demo, finally. Based on it, I will definitely not be buying NCAA this year.

Well, according to Bill, the interception problem that ruined the game last year is still in the game. Way to go, EA.

Guess I'll cancel my pre-order and put it on NHL 09.

Sounds like Heisman is the way to go on it according to Apter.

Wow...that's no good. He's optimistic after one half on Heisman about the INT's. But if the INT's are ridiculous then that does not bode well for my playing future of NCAA... Last year's game was garbage to me due to the ridiculous INT's. Yikes.

The INT issue is all I care about and the deciding factor in whether I buy this game or not. The demo was bad, but I was hoping that was due to the level. I really can't believe they wouldn't have fixed this, it was the only major gameplay flaw. It was the most talked about on every forum.

Abner on his Heisman game:


Now, onto the Heisman game.

Now, this might have been a fluke, too. Just like the 6 picks I had on AA lvl in 3 quarters.

But the USC game was one of the very best NCAA experiences I have *ever* had. And I lost 27-13.

Now, the sliders I used were WAY favored toward USC (100 QB ACC...) but the flow, and the playcalling, and the feel of the game was spot on awesome. The INT I mentioned earlier was the only one for the game. Well, for USC at least. Boeckman wasn't so lucky. Was that due to Heisman or the 100 ACC? Again, I have no idea; again -- sample is too small.

But we now know one thing -- it IS possible to play a game without the CPU handing it over to the human player via turnovers. And that's important. I think Sanchez ended up like 22/30 for the game, and only one pass should have been picked but wasn't.

Now, there remain a few concerns:

--Punt and kick coverage need major help. I still have WAY too much open field on punt returns, as does the CPU. The coverage is just crap. Not sure what to do about that.

--I saw more than one weird open field AI glitch. The score in reality SHOULD have been 34-13 but the AI juked in the open field when I was running 5 yards behind the WR and it allowed me to catch him. Kinda odd.

I have never lost a game and felt so happy afterward.

Of course a lot more games need to be played, but just knowing that the AI CAN play a competent game is a big step in the right direction.

Need to take a break and put my daughter to bed, but I'll get one more game in tonight if possible.

The demo is also an earlier copy of the game than the one that the hands on folks had. Apparently there are significant advances in some aspects of the retail version than in the demo. Though if the int problem remains, it won't make a lick of difference to me.

Re; Abner's review, that's semi positive, but the problem is going to be when you pick a team with a semi-decent defense and then go and play a cupcake, just like in the old versions of NCAA, and just like in Madden. These crappy QBs are still no doubt going to throw a shit load of horrible picks due to their crappy accuracy rating.

So the problem is sort of fixed if I'm playing against one of the best teams/QBs in the game with the sliders maxed out in the computer's favor? Seems to me the problem with the AI is still there.

At least we have the mascot game though.

and cheerleaders, you forgot them! If only we had black shoes for tHe University of Podunk - that would complete the immersive experience for me!

Yeah, I was having an awesome time with the game last year before I noticed that the visors of the defensive backs on my team who kept picking off the AI's passes 7 or 8 times a game were in fact dark instead of clear - a violation of NCAA rules. This completely shattered the illusion of reality for me, and I turned it off before my CB even reached the endzone for the 9th time.

Sounds like we aren't getting any clear indications. I guess we'll have to wait until it comes out. I wonder if this is why EA says no reviews until the 15th.

I'm still all in for 09. I played 08 online with my best friend who lives in NY all the time and had no problems. Now with online dynasty, I'll just be playing that much more with human opponents.

Abner posted more:

I stopped the game at halftime because -- hey I'm tired and can't stay up like I used to.

31-7 Ohio State on Heisman. The good news? This had nothing to do with INTs. OSU is just better. In fact the Iowa QB is 13/18 with zero picks in the first half. Woo hoo! I think we need to be careful, though. QBs DO throw picks. Just because we see one doesn't mean we should get upset. There just needs to be a balance to it all.

This was also with QB ACC at (I think) 60. Very promising. But to me it seems clear at least thus far that it's w/o a doubt a Heisman thing. The game just flat plays better on this level and look..I'm killing Iowa so it's not like the AI is going to whip you at this level mercilessly.

Right now my number one concern on this lvl is the return game. I ran a punt back for a TD which was cool but I'm telling you -- it's REALLY easy. Something ain't right with the coverage. I guess if one thing had to be broken...

So I go to bed tonight optimistic. It started off a tad rocky, eh? I will revisit AA lvl with different teams to see how it shakes out but I'm thinking it's Heisman for me this year.

The online dynasty with Todd and Billy Baroo will be a go but I can't test that until the game is out. I do love the feature set for that mode, though. I'll try to post some tomorrow but it being the 4th, we'll have to see. Knowing me...I'll find the time to play a few games

Had a blast playing SirFozzie tonight on '08. Maybe it'll be a just play folks online game. That wouldn't be terrible, if we had a good bunch of guys to play.

If the shoelaces for UTEP isn't the official black, EA can forget about my money. I don't care about the 8 interceptions a game, I just want realism with my virtual player's shoelaces.

Amen, brother. Amen!

I hear you GH, oversights like this are ridiculous....On top of the visor issue when I checked my BYU roster I noticed 95% of the players were white...............oh wait. ;)

Abner sounds impressed. He said the game is a thing of beauty and that since his first two games with adjustments he isn't having INT problems at all. Take it for what it is worth.

Those impressions sound wonderful. I think there will probably be an occasional game where the QB gets rattled and throws a ton, but it sounds like the INT slider may actually be working. If it worked last year, I'd still be playing that game now.

Yep. Really glad to hear they fixed the depth chart bug as well.

Me too. I can't tell you how many games I'd be playing a quality opponent and my offense was struggling, yet I was up 17-0 because of 2 defensive TD's and 3-6 other INT's. I would always think how awful it was that I was ahead because of my inept offense.

Hopefully that will be a thing of the past. 10 more days! :)

Yeah, after reading Bill's follow-up impressions, I'm very much looking forward to this one. Fortunately, a business trip that was to run the 16th-18th has been delayed two weeks. Phew!

Crisis averted!

I'm planning to take 2 vacation days the week NCAA comes out. That means I'll have 4 days off instead of 2. Huzzah!!! :)

(Shakes fist & glares at NCAA 09...don't disappoint me!)

Bill has put up another post in which he has proclaimed the INT issue gone with the use of the interception slider, even on AA. However, he is seeing the ghost juke fairly frequently (5 times so far over a few games.) He mentions a few other issues as well, but they are all things that I think will be much less annoying than last year. He also says the gameplay is the most fun so far since 2004.

I'm sticking by what I said to my brother after I played the demo. This will be the highest ranked next generation football game.

What does this mean?

There has been some times where the CPU had open field for a touchdown and just randomly performed a juke move. This allowed the defender to catch up and make the tackle.

I'll just pretend that they are a relative of Leon Lett, and have taken to showboating at an unfortunate time. :)

Leon Lett must have a lot of offspring then :p

As we learned from the Thanksgiving Day game against the Dolphins, Lett would jump on pretty much anything that moved.

/Rimshot ;)

I've been playing the demo almost every day now. My excitement for the new game is reaching a fever pitch. I hope there's nothing gamebreaking in it. Reading Bill Abner's impressions is helpful...but we'll see how things go. Some flaws I can live with, but things like excessive blocked kicks or excessive turnovers (flaws with 07 and 08) would be game-killers for me. We'll see.

9 more days? ;)

Some kind of announcement is going to be made about the game tonight at 9 PM EST. Nothing regarding a new feature in the game but the developer believes the community will be pleased. I am praying this is a pushed up release date and not something like free mascot pictures.

Maybe they'll announce that the game is suppose to play, gasp, like an actual football game. :)

Rats, definitely not about release date.

Where you reading this? OS?

OS mentioned it - the actual announcement is being made over at pastapadre.com so it's not actually from EA. The more I look at it this might just me some kind of mini-publicity stunt by that website. They might just announce something like "Hey, we have a copy of the game and will take questions!" Sure will generate some traffic on their site though.

Yeah, I wouldn't be surprised at all if this is just Pasta Padre announcing that he has the game and will take questions. I don't think it would be the first time he has overhyped something.

Yeah, it's not the developer making the announcement, it's Pasta. He probably has the game early and will be posting videos and stuff. Why he needs to wait until 9pm to do so doesn't make sense to me, however.

Wow. Pasta Padres announcement is for the 360 he has rosters done already and available in his EA Locker.

So, I'm coming to realize that I suck at these football games. I need to bone up on my skills before I start playing in these online leagues. Does anyone know of a thread or site where I can learn how to suck less. I need pointers and practice!

I usually let the CPU playout the games because I suck at passing the ball. Far too often I either get sacked or press the wrong button and pass it to the guy with 2 DBs all over him.

Very glad that this mode is back in for NCAA 09.

Check out operation sports. There are several good (recent) articles for beginners/rookies.

I've been playing some games of NCAA '08 online to knock the rust off. I'd be glad to play you if you likel. :)

Cool. I can play most any night during the week at around 9:00.

Logan and Ironside need tips on how to play too. They suck. Eat it.

I'm up for games as well: SirFozzie2 is the nick, if you don't see me there, PM me here

Good enough to whip Colorado's bitch ass with Colorado State last year.

Cheat codes. Sure hope you're not planning on using your Game Genie come league kickoff.

Gonna be different year, same result.

Hahahaha.

9:00 is tough for me because that falls in my son's bedtime window. And I'm the one who always puts him to bed. 10 pm is more workable for me, and 11 pm almost always works if I know in advance.

I'm so excited about this game.

Why does EA always have to torment me so? :(

I'm heading online right now, if any FOFCers want to play NCAA 08. :)

Is there anyone online who doesn't select the fastest QB to run playaction, drop back 30 yards, and wait for someone to get open? Everyone I play against who is not from FOFC does this. Tonight, this dude was running up the score and going no huddle when he was way up. Dude, I'm IU, and you're Virginia Tech. Don't think you're good or something. My team just doesn't have the personnel to match up.

Online play against random opponents in sports games is, in theory, a great idea. In reality, not so much. For every game of Madden or NBA 2K I've played online against an opponent who plays the game without abusing the engine, there are 30 or so others that have.

Yep. Dudes who think beating up on IU with Virginia Tech gives them bigger testicles.

I sold my copy of 08...I'm half tempted to rent it just to get through til the 15th...but I am leaving for Vegas on Saturday morning and not coming back until the night of the 15th. Just have to make it through Saturday!

Regarding online play with Madden/NCAA...it's an absolute joke.

dola

Who is this "Arden" fellow?

So, I guess I should work on my sportsmanship, eh? ;)