NCAA 07 Review

[Krans24]

So I've done this a few times on here when i've needed help with something and it's worked out pretty well.

So for the paper, since summer content for sports is pretty slow, i thought it would be kind of cool to write a review of NCAA 07 to run in the sports page next week. Since this site has been the best community for this football series i figured you guys would all have great input and if you want i could add some of you in as quotes again (similar to the NCAA expansion article)

Anyway i'll probably get started later tonight, i still need to play the game more as i've only got a chance to play it for an hour or so since i got it. But i've got free plans tonight so i should be able to dig into it, anyway leave your responses or post questions if you aren't sure about something,

thanks guys.

[Krans24]

wow not much interest in this post eh hah well anyway i just wrote up my draft and i haven't really proof read it much and im about to fall asleep but i figured id post it on here if any of you want to post your thoughts

Its a review for the 360 version of the game, i added some hawaii stuff but it might be as a sidebar or part of the article haven't decided yet but since its the UH paper i need to put some relevance to the school in there.

Let me know if you think something should be added or taken out, don't worry about grammar and all that i'll fix that tomorrow. well here it is

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NCAA Football 2007 shows skeleton of the future for the next generation of college football video games
By Keane Santos
Ka Leo Sports Editor


Once you experience the atmosphere of college football you realize there are few experiences like it. The roar of the crowd, the heart of the teams, the highs and lows of emotion that flow through players, coaches and fans throughout the stadium.
For years EA Sports has attempted to recreate this college atmosphere in their NCAA football video game series. The series has advanced throughout the years from simple introductions and stadium renditions to mascots, cheerleaders, touchdown celebrations, and more and more accurate stadium atmospheres and fight songs.
This year NCAA 2007 made it’s debut on Microsoft’s Xbox 360. Although the game was also launched on the standard Xbox and Playstation 2, the 360 version gives fans a view into the next generation of sports video games and the NCAA series itself.
The first thing you will notice about the 360 version, especially if you view the game on HDTV, is the detail put forth in 70 specifically designed collegiate stadiums. When you select teams you wish to play with the screen instantly transforms into the stadium of the home team, the fans come to life and the commentators begin the introduction to the game.
Hawaii’s Aloha Stadium is no exception to the graphically impressive design. Nearly everything about the stadium is accurate; the students are in the correct section, as are the band and the visitors. The scoreboards and video screens are in the correct places while the background, depending on which side you view, has either beautifully done mountains or buildings. The stadium is so accurate that if you zoom in on the stands around the stadium, the correct section numbers are listed from A to ZZ. Basically everything looks the same as it would if you stood in the middle of Aloha Stadium and looked around.
Once you get past the stadium detail and begin a real game the graphics are still a sight to behold. New animations have been added and you’re likely to see new tackles and juke moves that haven’t been seen on previous year’s versions. The game isn’t perfect and you’ll still see some scenes that don’t quite look right, but in general the animation is done well.
The graphics do falter in some places. One particular area is in some weather conditions such as rain and snow, where the precipitation still looks a bit fake.
The gameplay itself also seems to have improved from past versions. Offensive lineman will create more of the proper holes and will make more of an effort to recover and block their man if a defender gets by them and will block players downfield if the running back gets past the line of scrimmage. Defensive lineman are a bit more creative and will swim move and spin to get past offensive lineman more often. You can still do a lot of creative things after selecting a play. On defense you can shift players, show blitz, call an audible, or attempt to jump your lineman just before the snap. On offense you can send players in motion, call a hot route, reverse the direction of a running play, or audible the play itself.
New to this years game is the momentum meter. During key plays the momentum player will shift to your favor or against you. The team with the momentum will perform slightly better and if the home team has the momentum the fans and players will get slightly more excited after a big play. The passing cone, which allows you to look directly at certain receivers to make passes more accurate, has been added but is an option you can turn on and off in 2007. Also on the 360 version you can take snapshots during a game and save it to your photo album to look back on later. There are three mini-games, bowling, tug of war, and option dash, which aren’t featured on the other systems as well.
Sadly however, the 360 version lacks many of the features that the game has offered in past years. Many presentation facets such as the pregame commentary booth, the players running onto the field, the cheerleader and mascot cutaway scenes, home-field advantage, the touchdown celebrations and more were left out of the 360 version. Also some game modes such as Create-a-team, spring games, and Campus Legend mode have also been left out. These features can still be found on the Xbox and PS2 for fans that wish to use them.
In a sense the 360 version of the game is on a separate plane than the other two platforms. While NCAA 2007 has more of the features fans of the series might come to expect on Xbox and PS2 it is likely the last installment on those systems. The game on 360 however is more of a starting point on which EA can build its successful franchise into the next generation of video gaming. NCAA football 2007 would be a good buy on any of the three platforms, it just depends on whether you are looking for a few more features and game modes or if you are looking for an experience of what direction the series is headed.


More on Hawai'i in the game
As mentioned in the review Aloha Stadium is done beautifully and is stunningly accurate in design and placement. In addition to the stadium however, there are other features Hawai'i fans may be impressed by.
When picking your favorite team in the beginning of the game, if you select Hawai'i you will see pictures of the football team, Manoa Maniacs, and cheerleaders in the background menu of the screen.
Hawaii’s uniforms in the game are silver helmets, black jerseys and silver pants for home games, and all silver for away games. There may be an update in the future to add more uniforms to the mix through and online download.
Quarterback Colt Brennan and Wide Receiver Davone Bess are Hawaii’s impact players in the game, while Safety Leonard Peters is the defensive captain.
EA redid the playbooks in 2007 and Hawai'i was one of the teams with a featured playbook. On the NCAA football 2007 website http://www.easports.com/ncaa07 there is a section with ten schools and a unique play from there playbooks, Hawai'i is the second school on the list. The unique playbook feature is offered on PS2 and Xbox but not yet on the 360.

[WKUsSledgehammer]

I just saw your post, Krans. It looks great, and is a very accurate review, IMO. Very nice. Same with the NCAA tourney column you did a few weeks back. Good stuff.