NCAA Football 07 (Xbox 360, 2006)

Presentation (7/10)

A few things are missing in this year's version. The first problem is that the pre-game show is missing from this years version. This is not too bad because it was simple and didn't serve much of a purpose anyways. The menus in this game are also somewhat difficult to navigate through. You need to use 2 buttons at the same time in order to navigate through the screens. Announcers are solid like always, and if you listen closely, you will notice some unexpected comments and stories from our good friends Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso.

Graphics (10/10)

Being the first NCAA game for 07, the graphics were and be impressed over and over again. A new thing NCAA added was the realistic stadiums. EA actually had their designers go to 70 stadiums and put them into the games. Now you will finally be able to see Touchdown Jesus over Notre Dame Stadium when you score a TD. Weather is also simulated beautifully and realistic. Players jerseys will gradually get more dirty as the game progresses. The only problem I have with the graphics is that there are a few stadiums that didn't get the new treatment that other teams did. They were stuck with generic stadiums that don't represent their stadium.

Sound (7/10)

The sound in this game is impressive, but still not yet what I would need to really feel immersed into the game and the college football atmosphere. The crowd is still considerably noticeable and you can tell when a big play is happening. And don't forget about the crowd giving their opinions of when they feel you should block the punt or kick. The sound is important in this game because one of the things the NCAA has on the NFL is the loud stadiums and incredibly passionate fans. Having high definition TV would help to make the sounds as good as they can possibly be. High definition would be much more realistic than a regular TV's version of this game.

Gameplay (9/10)

First off, I will say that I feel make this the best actual gameplay of a football game (Madden or NCAA) ever. Ability to break tackles and make more plays is as realistic as ever. The animations continue to become more real after each instalment. It seems almost every game I play I see a new animation on offense or defense. The running back stick is my favorite addition to this game. The more powerful running backs will drop their shoulders on defenders, while the smaller running backs will try to juke away a defender. The controls on this game are fitting and make a lot of sense in my opinion. The momentum meter is a decent addition that adds a new dynamic to football games. Realism has been addressed, and I think EA delivered.

Pros:
Animation of players
Running game is incredibly fun
Being able to block kicks
Momentum meter
Kick and punt returning

Cons:
Lags a small bit at times
Defense is somewhat difficult to get a hang of

Features: (6/10)

The lack of features the current gen system has is somewhat disappointing. This game missed out on the Heisman mode that current gen systems still have. Dynasty is the same as always, which is a slight disappointment as well. EA added some new and fun drills that will practice your offensive efficiency, option play, and rushing abilities.

Final overall (8/10)
Pro and collegiate fans would enjoy this game. The fast paced offense and running game is easy to get the hang due to the running back stick and better offensive line blocking and awareness. Only football fans will enjoy..

EA finally released their first collegiate sports game on the 360 a couple months ago with NCAA Football '07. It's a game that is unbelievably 10-12 times better than Madden NFL '06 for the same system (Look at my review for Madden NFL '06 if you haven't yet). However, Madden '07 has stepped up its game as well, but that's another game for another review. Let's get down to business with NCAA.

GAMEPLAY

The speed of the game is lightning quick. It is so unbelievably fast (I say this because Madden '06 ran so slow), options and trick plays are ran with relative ease. One of my favorite features is having the ability to jump the snap on defense by pressing Y. If you can time this right (HINT! Keep an eye on the center. Don't let the camera fool you.), you can blast through the offensive line and either disrupt the quarterback (increasing your risk of snagging a pick) or sack his @$$ altogether. The intelligence of the game is unbelievable as well. It feels as if the CPU can automatically adjust to whatever your doing (that is, if you play on "Heisman", the most difficult level like I do). This is a significant improvement that didn't get much attention on XBox & PS2. On average, a great player could take a mediocre team (say, Oklahoma State) and cream a prestigious team (say, Ohio State) by 3 TDs. You can still blowout people on 360, but they are going to be weak squads like Navy and Army. You won't be doing that to top ten teams (at least until you master the game, but it will take you longer).

FRANCHISE
If anyone played franchise on Madden '06, you know that they ripped out a lot of stuff for last gen (XBox, PS2) and did not place it in for 360. However, EA made the Franchise mode for NCAA '07 on 360 very respectable. During the course of the season, you have in game recruiting. Basically, you pick your target prospects that you will need for the upcoming season, assign each player a certain number of recruiting points every week, and adjust accordingly to interest. Players with higher interest you can reduce points on, and give to players not as interested yet. Also, Player Of The Week is still available to look at, as well as awards finalists for the end of the year. EA did leave a couple of things for last gen so they don't feel left out. What's NOT on 360 is a campus life simulation. In it, you can study for exams, go to parties, and practice for an upcoming game (all of which can negatively or positively affect your ratings). However, seeing as how this is only the first iteration on 360, expect the game to be a lot more interesting in coming years.

INTANGIBLES

In addition, the game can be played on XBox Live. Also, the crowd meter is back, but EA did not make it to where it is downright impossible to surmount a comeback against your opponent when you are on their turf (if you ever played NCAA Football '06, you know what I am talking about). Stadiums are unbelievably detailed, and the crowd looks more realistic than ever. Plus, you can challenge questionable calls via replay (FINALLY!)

OVERALL

It is simply amazing what EA was able to do with the six months it was given between Madden NFL '06 and NCAA Football '07. Madden was OK, and that's not a compliment. However, they did their homework, and was able to pick up the slack. While not perfect in any sense, they game is very playable, and enjoyable for months to come (at least until '08 drops). 5 OUT OF 5.

I've owned every NCAA Football game from ea sports since 2001. Every year, ea will add little minor tweaks here and there but never really did much improvement to the game until the 360 version came out. This game is what I've been wanting for years now, even though there are some flaws to the game.

First, the good. The game is better than any other football game out there on any console including madden 07. The graphics and the stadiums are very well for the most part. Presentation is very well made as well. The sound is superb. I love the smart fans that ea has added to the game and that has added so much to the atmosphere and has made it more true. The ESPN tracker is a very nice touch to the game and makes it feel more genuine. I like that the game has many real sponsors to help make it as real as possible. Gameplay is highly better than anything out there and is very responsive. The game can be played much better now on the fly. The animations are also much better this year.

The bad. Even though i cant complain much about this game, there are a few things that really irritate me. One of them being the weather. Rain and snow look horrible. It almost looks cartoonish. When it is snowing, there is no snow on the sidlines. In fact, they are totally green. This should have been recognized before they released the game. Another thing i hate is the player models. Yeah, they are very detailed but they look like they've been on steroids. The quarterbacks in this game look rediculously to big, even for pro football. The framerate actually isnt that bad and doesn't affect gameplay too much, but during some cut scenes, it is very notaceable and detracts from the pleasure of the eyecandy. The momentum feature in this game is a good concept if executed properly. To me, it made the game too arcadish. Fortunately, it can be removed on the options menue. Also watch out if you play online because it sux because of poor framrates. No create a school either.

If you're worried about how the ai is, don't be too concerned. Go into the options and you can tweak the settings of the game to your hearts content. If you do this, there won't be anymore of those 125-3 games anymore. In fact, a lot of my games were close. My team is Michigan, and coming to my 7th season, i still have yet to win a national championship and i am a veteran to the series and take a great deal of time working on stradigy. If you pay attention to the big 10, it is a very tough conference. I was very pleased at how competative the games were and how much fun they were. You will still blow out crappy teams but yet have close games with good teams and always good rivalry games. Its all up to your preference in how you want to play.

If you like to play the game for the right reasons, you'll enjoy the game. If you like all the extra fluff and bull found on the current gen games,then stick to those. Personaly, if the only had a very deep dynasty mode, that is enough for me. And this game does have a great dynasty and is everything youd expect but maybe i want i little more now. Maybe some more coaching options and even a create a coach thing would be cool too, like the tiger woods game face options. But please get rid of the mini games. I don't want to play tug a war, i want to play some old fashioned football.

All in all, if you actually read this long review, it comes down to a very solid and excellant football game for all ages.

Finally, college football on the 360! EA Sports does a great job of making it feel like a college game with the new stadiums, fans, and lifelike looking players. This game is not a letdown. EA Sports first time college football game scores a touchdown!

GRAPHICS: 9/10
The graphics in this game are insane. The players look so real and they look so real the way they move. The stadiums are done very good. There are about 70 stadiums that are made after the real stadium. The fans are a new feature this year. The fans look good but look choppy sometimes when the camera flies through them. Overall amazing graphics.

SOUND: 9/10
Brad Nessler, Kirk Hirbstreit, and Lee Corso are back for NCAA 07. The commentary is very good called the entire game. Sometimes repeative, but there is so many new sayings and other things which make the commentary score big.

GAMEPLAY: 9/10
The gameplay is great in the game. This year there is the new momentum system. When you get a big play like a touchdown or interception you get bars go up on your side. When you get more momentum your team will get a boost on the field. In instant replay you can take pictures of big plays that happen in your game. The dynasty mode in the game is awesome. You can play so many years and can do things like in season recruiting. The maps are in 3D which make the experience even better. The controls to the game are just a little different but not hard to learn. The new kicking meter is ok but not something im still used to. Calling plays is easier than ever with so many new formations and playbooks. The screen is easy to picks plays because you can pick a play by a formation, ask corso, or use an impact player or key player. On the running game now you can use the R stick to juke left or right like in 06 but you can go up or down to truck a player. The gameplay is great and really keeps you playing.

Walking into a big college-football stadium for the first time is unlike any experience in big-time sports. A few steps into Neyland Stadium in Knoxville or The Swamp down in Gainesville, and you're overwhelmed by the color, the pageantry, and the pounding, throbbing, nonstop hum of the crowd, the band, and the overhead announcer. That very first time, well, you just don't forget it. Entering a virtual stadium for the first time in NCAA Football 07 for the Xbox 360 isn't exactly the same, but it just might be as close as you can get to re-creating that amazingly passionate atmosphere that makes college football the greatest sport in the land. NCAA Football 07 for the Xbox 360 excels not just with its presentation and spectacle but also with its compelling and hard-hitting gameplay. Despite its relative dearth of features, it's a fine start for the next generation of the series. Practically everything in NCAA 07 feels different from the same game on the Xbox or PlayStation 2. Take the loading screen, for example--as a game loads, a panoramic picture of one of the 70-odd stadiums found in the 360 version smoothly transitions into a rendered version of the exact same stadium. All of a sudden, the still fans featured in the picture come to life, wildly cheering for their team, the roar from the crowd intersecting with Brad Nessler's game introduction. Students' sections are placed where they are in real life--if you look closely, you'll even see your school band blasting away on their tubas and trombones or the visiting team holed up in their little corner of the stadium, all donning the colors of their team. During the high overhead shots, you might find other on-campus buildings you recognize surrounding the stadium. For all intents and purposes, you are there on campus and ready to take in an exciting game of college ball.

In essence, the college atmosphere, long one of the greatest qualities in the current-gen version of the NCAA Football series, is taken to even greater heights thanks to the power of the Xbox 360. Oddly enough, it isn't the players that are the real stars here--it's the stadiums. You've seen football stadiums before in sports games, but you simply haven't seen them like this--the nuances and details that give each college stadium its unique character are presented in loving detail, and, when combined with impressive environmental and lighting effects, it adds up to a spectacular presentation. All that's missing, it seems, is the bite of crisp fall air on your face when the game kicks off. The animations in NCAA 07--especially tackles--pack a serious punch; you'll often wonder how your ball carrier got up from the last punishing hit that brought him down. Even better, these animations are context sensitive, so your quarterback won't be able to make a long, cross-field pass unless he's firmly planted on his back foot, and running backs won't be making spin moves unless they've got a solid base, either. Things aren't perfect, of course. There are periodic glitches when linemen shift left or right (and sometimes linebackers showing blitz won't allow linemen to shift at all). You'll notice occasional clipping and collision-detection problems, and the run animation itself looks sort of stiff, especially when sprinting in the open field.