It's in the game...
With my usual excitement - and with a confused five year old in tow - I rolled in to Electronics Boutique to pick up my reserved copy of NCAA Football 08 for the PlayStation 2.
My buddy, Kinston Free Press sports editor Bryan Hanks, would point out that I should be playing on the PS3. And he's right. But he didn't have to get a wife to sign off on the $500-plus price tag.
Anyway, I got it home and fired up my PS2 and popped it in. Because there are at least seven people interested in my opinion on this newly-released game, let's give it the official review:
PROS
I like the new "Motivation" feature, where big plays can boost your players' ratings by position. The recruiting engine is still my favorite part of the game, with preseason and in-season efforts to uncover the next Reggie Bush or Vince Young.
The folks at EA Sports also did a pretty good job - at first glance - of including incoming freshmen in the game. Clemson has Willy Korn, with accurate ratings and the correct jersey number.
The controls are familiar to NCAA Football vets, yet can be watered down for an easier gaming experience.
CONS
It's basically the same game as last year's version. The gaming engine is almost identical to 07, and aside from a few tweaks, the playbooks are carbon copies from last season.
It's my only complaint, really, but it's one that will probably limit my enjoyment of this game to weeks instead of the usual months. I sat down, practiced for about 30 minutes and then won my first game of a new dynasty (multiple seasons where you can build up teams or just bounce around looking for good jobs) by three touchdowns on one of the harder settings.
SKINNY
If you've bought every one of these games since the mid 90s, then you're going to buy and like this one. I can't help feeling like EA Sports spent all their time and money on the PS3, XBox 360 and Wii versions while just slapping a fresh coat of paint on the PS2 model and then running it out as a new product.
It's still fun, but if you're looking for a bunch of new features, they're not on the PS2 release. Maybe you should check it out on a next-gen system.
Maybe I should too.
My buddy, Kinston Free Press sports editor Bryan Hanks, would point out that I should be playing on the PS3. And he's right. But he didn't have to get a wife to sign off on the $500-plus price tag.
Anyway, I got it home and fired up my PS2 and popped it in. Because there are at least seven people interested in my opinion on this newly-released game, let's give it the official review:
PROS
I like the new "Motivation" feature, where big plays can boost your players' ratings by position. The recruiting engine is still my favorite part of the game, with preseason and in-season efforts to uncover the next Reggie Bush or Vince Young.
The folks at EA Sports also did a pretty good job - at first glance - of including incoming freshmen in the game. Clemson has Willy Korn, with accurate ratings and the correct jersey number.
The controls are familiar to NCAA Football vets, yet can be watered down for an easier gaming experience.
CONS
It's basically the same game as last year's version. The gaming engine is almost identical to 07, and aside from a few tweaks, the playbooks are carbon copies from last season.
It's my only complaint, really, but it's one that will probably limit my enjoyment of this game to weeks instead of the usual months. I sat down, practiced for about 30 minutes and then won my first game of a new dynasty (multiple seasons where you can build up teams or just bounce around looking for good jobs) by three touchdowns on one of the harder settings.
SKINNY
If you've bought every one of these games since the mid 90s, then you're going to buy and like this one. I can't help feeling like EA Sports spent all their time and money on the PS3, XBox 360 and Wii versions while just slapping a fresh coat of paint on the PS2 model and then running it out as a new product.
It's still fun, but if you're looking for a bunch of new features, they're not on the PS2 release. Maybe you should check it out on a next-gen system.
Maybe I should too.
posted by Randy Capps at 11:38 AM
1 Comments:
Cool and thanks for writing about it as I've considered getting it for the ol' PS3.
Just bought my first racing sim, the EA Sports NASCAR 08. Too complicated, but I look forward to playing it more.
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