Reviewed: August 1, 2006
Reviewed by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Electronic Arts

Developer
Tiburon

Released: July 18, 2006
Genre: Sports
Players: 1-2
ESRB: Everyone

7
6
7
6
6.8

Supported Features

In the case of NCAA Football 07, where there was no launch title, we have nothing to compare it to except for the competing formats, which makes it all the more obvious when you start compiling the list of missing features and game modes. And even though you are getting a fraction of the game, prepare to spend nearly twice as much for the dubious privilege of playing it on the Xbox 360.

So while we won’t be playing Campus Legend, Race for the Heisman, or creating our own schools (just to name a few of the missing features), we are treated to enhanced gameplay, cleaner collision-detection, and some truly remarkable animations.

You’ll also get some improved controls, courtesy of the Madden engine, which was already ahead of its game last year. The face buttons all offer unique move sets and these can be shifted with the left trigger. The right trigger allows you to sprint while the left analog stick moves the player and the right analog initiates bone-crunching hits, and a hopeful fumble.

AI offers up some interesting situations no matter what team you are playing. Interceptions are way too easy (23 in my second game ever played – two of which I ran back for TD’s). Some players will run their assigned routes while others won’t, or possibly run the reverse route even when you didn’t flip the play.

I love the passing game, and thankfully the AI cannot intercept nearly as well as I can, since most of my offensive game is in the air. There is nothing more satisfying than having the QB drop back and launch a perfect spiral then switch to the intended receiver to complete the route and snatch the ball from triple-coverage. The running plays are also fun and the implementation of the pitch button creates some strategic possibilities.

Even playing defense is fun with the intuitive analog hit stick and fluid movement controls that allow me to twist and snake my way through the offensive line for the occasional sack. In most football games I merely pick an out-of-the-way player and let the computer handle the “D”, switching at the last minute for a possible interception or at least to bat the ball down. If it’s a run play I will always do a hard hit and try to force the fumble.

Kicking is now more like swinging a golf club. Gone are the arcs or circular kick meters for power and accuracy. You now move the stick down and up to recreate the kicking motion with power and accuracy being determined by timing and any lateral errors in your stroke. My only complaint is that the meter is small and fast making it extremely hard to hit the max power mark. I never missed any PAT’s, but I did miss several FG’s that I probably shouldn’t have.

College football is often more about the fans (and alumni) than the players on the field, and a good crowd can actually affect gameplay. This “home field advantage” is now reflected with the all-new Momentum system. It might be new to the NCAA game, but NHL games have been using this “morale system” for several years now, but even after a full season of gameplay, I’m still not sure just how this system works.

There is a meter with a neutral point and when either team scores the meter fills toward their end, or at least it should. Often, I would be up by three or more TD’s and the opposing team would score and I would lose all my momentum and they would get it. I also couldn’t detect any contributions to momentum based on home team advantage – obviously playing at home should give you more fans and greater momentum. And nothing seemed to factor in for the time remaining. If the score is tied with 90 seconds on the clock the stadium should be deafening.

But most of all, momentum doesn’t seem to affect the players. I wasn’t expecting turbo boosts on their running speed or anything, but it would have been nice to maybe lower their fatigue or raise their endurance a bit to account for the increased adrenalin. As it is, momentum is nothing more than a way to dictate crown reactions and enhance the overall presentation of the game.

NCAA 07 offers all the standard modes including a disappointing Dynasty mode that is so limited you wonder why it’s even here. You’ll likely sim through most of it, and going through 60 years of Dynasty for the achievement points is a 5-hour test of endurance made easier with a TV with PIP. At any time you can jump in and actually do something or play a game rather than sim it, but it’s just not that much fun to do.

The 360 tries to hide its shameful lack of features with mini-games; three to be specific. Option Dash, Bowling, and Tug-of-War are good for a few hours of casual entertainment but don’t come close to replacing what is missing in NCAA 07. Option Dash has you running the same play over trying to net as many yards as you can within the time limit. Bowling puts you on the 10-yard line and gives you two chances to score. Scoring on the first try is considered a strike. Tug-of-War is probably the most inventive and challenge of the games. You basically swap field position and plays as you slowly fight your way to the end zone.

EA makes limited use of the ESPN license and Xbox Live by once again streaming real-time sports news onto the ticker that runs along the bottom of the screen. You can also opt to have your own season data displayed instead of actually sports news. But it all stops there. There is no ESPN Radio and no ESPN Magazine and where is all the pre-game and post-game studio shows, sideline reports, and anything else that might be considered “presentation” value.

You do get game commentary but ONLY on games that are flagged as being televised. If you are playing as a lowly school or even a major school with a lowly game, all you’re going to hear is the hollow voice of the stadium announcer. EA might call this realistic but I calling it boring. I am really starting to miss the SEGA/ESPN collaboration of the past.

EA didn’t even bother to draw on the ESPN library of classic games. Sure, we get the standard rivalries for each school, which can even be selected as the default for a quick game, but we cannot relive or recreate any historic games. This is a feature that I thought was becoming a standard in sports titles.

There are plenty of clipping issues but these are mostly in the post-play cinematics where players will pass through one another as they mill about the tackle zone. During the actual gameplay, collision detection for player-to-player and player-to-ball contact is spot-on.

Regardless of what time you start your game and how long you setup the quarters, each game spans noon, twilight, and possibly nighttime lighting. I’m not sure if EA simply wanted to show off their lighting system or somebody doesn’t know how to tell time. I can’t recall the last football game that started at 11am and ran into darkness – especially with 8-minute quarters.

Lighting and shadows are accurately reproduced with single shadows during daylight and four shadows during stadium lit games. It gets weird during cloudy days with no stadium light. Without shadows, the players seem to lose “touch” with the field. Weather effects are particularly painful with horrible rain and snow effects that are more visually distracting to the player than how they impact the gameplay.

While a majority of the graphics in NCAA 07 just plain suck, the details seem to have been covered extremely well. Players look amazing with all sorts of fabric details in their uniforms, glistening helmets, and more than 70 stadiums recreated in stunning and accurate detail. These players look great during the play, but they really stand out in the post-play cinematics. Interestingly enough, this entire game reminded me of the 2K Sports launch games for 360 where you had next-gen players on last-gen backgrounds. It’s just weird.

I really miss the overall ESPN style of coverage including the painfully absent studio reports, predictions, highlights, sideline reports, interviews with coaches, players, injury reports. Where are my halftime shows, marching bands, and drunk alumni getting bounced by security? NCAA 07 is all about the game and nothing about the pageantry surrounding it.

Static presentation is amazing, perhaps the best element of the graphics, with all sorts of splash screens and menus for each of the colleges and a chalkboard font. I actually saw several IU students playing the game and when the IU menu screens appeared they got all excited because they actually recognized two of the cheerleaders and somebody in the crowd. Now that is bringing the game home.

There is a great selection of music including all the theme songs for the various schools as well as cheers and fight songs during the game. The crowd noise is powerful, perhaps not as thunderous as the crowds in FIFA, but it does synch up with the new Momentum meter.

The 60-year Dynasty mode might just take that long to finish if you actually did everything manually, but most will mash the A button for 4-5 hours to check off this 100 achievement point objective. There are 50 Achievements in all, and most can be obtained through a few causal games and tweaking some options like difficulty and quarter length. There are even a few that you can get while “simming” through the Dynasty mode.

At the most, I can recommend that college football fans rent the game, at least until the price drops to $30. Considering you are only getting half a game, you should only pay half the price.