NCAA Football 11 Review

The time has come football fans! NCAA Football has hit shelves once again and what a difference a year makes. Though most of the core gameplay has not been drastically altered, some of the little tweaks make this the most complete college football experience yet.

Possibly my personal favorite in terms of improvements made is the TruSchool System. This allows for much more in-depth views into the actual school behind the team. As a Clemson fan, seeing the Tigers run down the hill brought a warm feeling to my heart, as I have seen it many times in person. The same is true for all 120 schools, although I’m not sure if the more obscure teams have their traditions recreated. However, the biggest and most notable traditions in the major schools have all been faithfully animated and will bring a smile to even the most casual fans.

As for the core gameplay, there were a few changes. There is a new dual stick control system that makes the running game much more intuitive. In short, the left stick controls the upper body of your runner, and the right controls the bottom. I find this system not only simpler, but much more immersive than simply flicking the stick left or right.

While the running game is important, one man can’t make a team. EA paid special attention to the playing styles of the different teams. Clemson and Florida run the spread just like in the real world. Georgia Tech will default to their patented option offense. These styles are interchangeable between teams, so if you think you’re a better coach than the one on the actual sidelines, the power to change it up is in your hands. All of this, with new realistic AI and formation subs, makes for the most involved college football experience to date. Careful though. This is also the hardest NCAA game yet.

While Dynasty and Road to Glory has pretty much been left unchanged, a very central element has been greatly improved. The recruiting engine has become much easier to use and actually a little fun. The phone call with your prospect is now more a game of chance and observation. It doesn’t feel so much like a chore and when your 10 hours for the week is up, you will play the game for your team simply to get some more recruiting time for the next week. While not only being more fun, dynasty and recruiting is now more convenient. Dynasty Anywhere allows for all of your dynasty needs to be met through dynasty.easports.com, and can be accessed through a PC, iPhone or even the new iPad. Recruiting is also accessible through the internet and every option available on the console is ready to go on your device of choice.

EA brought out some nice aesthetic changes for this year’s game. Aside from adding new stadiums, including a new indoor practice stadium and the Cowboys Stadium for the Cotton Bowl and Big 12 Championship, there is a plethora of new graphical content that puts this game at the top of its field. The lighting is much more realistic and the shadows are actually relevant to where the sun is during the game. When you look at the sky, whether rain or shine, you might want to blink a few times and make sure you aren’t really at the stadium.

When you add in the same realistic stadium sounds from years past, all you are missing is the smell of hotdogs while tailgating. My only gripe, and I am pretty sure that I am alone in this, is that Lee Corso is absent from the experience. His old-school view of the game, while kind of whiny at times, is what really makes me feel like I’m playing a college football game. Still, I am sure that I will get over it thanks to the stellar job EA did with everything else.

Online, NCAA 11 has some minor flaws. As of this writing, there is a glitch when running a play-action that forces the QB to keep running with the ball outstretched until he runs clean out of field. Pretty comical in a friendly game, but in a serious ranked game, I can see where it would get really annoying. There isn’t much lag, which is surprising for a new EA game, but there are some jumps in-between the time you press the snap button, and the time that the ball is actually handed to your quarterback. The Online Dynasty works pretty well, and is enough of a positive part of the experience to help overlook the small inconveniences.

Overall, with the great additions and tweaks, NCAA 11 is a must-buy for fans of all kinds of sports. Even offline, the game never fails to present a challenge. Dynasty will take enough of your time to get your $60 worth and with the new improvements to the actual gameplay, even exhibition will keep you entertained for hours on end. The Online-Pass code is in effect as with all new EA Sports titles, so make sure you buy the game new unless you don’t mind paying extra to go online. This is a great game to pass the time until the football juggernaut, Madden 11 , hits shelves. It is also great for year-round play. EA seems to really be hitting it hard this year to impress gamers, and for me at least, it’s working.