NCAA Football 11
Producer: EA Sports
Release Date: July 13, 2010
Platform: PS3
Rating: Everyone
Genre: Sports Action
Revamped, Re-energized, Ridiculously Fun
Written by Albert Marrero, Jr.
I’ve been playing NCAA Football on the Playstation since 1997. In a college dorm, with other college football players, mostly getting a mud-hole stomped into me by my fellow teammates. Well that was 13 years ago, the power paradigm has shifted in college football – things aren’t what they used to be – and that couldn’t be more apparent for NCAA College Football 2011 (PS3).
The first thing you notice about this game is the graphics overhaul. Remember Madden 2009 when you would see its game demo in an electronics store and be amazed at the detail that went into the game? The same holds true for NCAA College Football 2011. The details in a player’s muscles are spot on, the stadiums look and feel authentic, even the player animations, like pumping up the crowd, are realistic. The facial expressions on the player’s faces add a deeper layer of realism to the gameplay. If you’re hanging your head in shame because you just suffered a sack on 3rd and long, so is the in-game QB.
The gameplay realism has definitely been amped up. When playing as Texas (vs. Oklahoma no less), I was covering a receiver on a 3rd and long play when the Oklahoma QB tossed a prayer towards the sideline. I was all over this receiver like flies on manure, so I didn’t feel the need to risk a PI call and push him out of bounds since he was already on the sidelines. Miraculously, he catches the ball and they call him in-bounds. Stunned, I slowly began to realize that the realism has definitely been upped in this game. This is further illustrated by the really cool ESPN cut scenes. Last year, you’d see the standard replays, and of course Corso would always add his two cents (we’ll miss you Lee), but this year, the ESPN replays just make it feel more like you’re watching it live. As I mentioned, Lee Corso is absent from this years commentary, and he is sorely missed. I dunno, something about Herbstreet just annoys me. Herb, not everyone punts on 4th and long!
Outside of the cool graphic changes, they 86’d the vision cone (which was pointless in my opinion), and added perhaps the most genius feature I’ve seen in the past few years. Instead of cycling through players pre-snap, you can now hold O and use the D-Pad or analog stick to simply pick which player you want to control. I can’t tell you how frustrating it was to want to move my defensive end out wide in anticipation of the option and only cycle through to the nose tackle by the time the ball was snapped. Thank you EA, I’m eternally grateful. It’s also nice to see more authentic catches and improved AI. I tossed a ball into the endzone and my receiver “snatched” it and quickly tucked it away in anticipation of getting hit, just as he would in a real game. I liked that element. I also liked the new blocking scheme because it now actually works. Before, I’d always blow by my fullback, because he wouldn’t really do much anyway. Now, it pays to stay behind the big fella because it might just net you a few extra yards.
However, before we crown this year’s edition with the Holy Grail moniker, it should be noted that there are a few bugs. If you’re running a bubble screen and you want to see the play, the black box that contains the bluff, show play, etc. info stays over the exact route you’re trying to look at. In fact, any play that’s behind the line of scrimmage to the left you’ll have to remember, cause the black box blocks you from viewing it. Also, for no apparent reason, the computer AI decided to simply let the play clock expire late in the 4th and take a delay of game penalty. I thought they were just trying to burn clock, but the QB just never hiked the ball. And he put his flanker in motion three times. Bizarre.
Outside of the actual gameplay, the story modes haven’t changed much from previous iterations of this game. Personally, I don’t mind, because as much as I’d like to create “myself” in high school, be a beast on the field, get recruited to UNC, and lead them to a national championship, I’d rather just play the game. For those that actually get into the Dynasty Mode, little has changed. There is a new StoryBuilder which allows you to post opponent-dissing headlines, and the recruiting tool is pretty cool if you want to think like a coach. Starting in high school and taking your character all the way to the pros is pretty cool, if you have the patience for it.
Ultimately, this years NCAA Football is da bomb, like the Geico gecko. The graphics overhaul and added realism really show that the folks down at EA Tiburon haven’t been just putting a new paint-job on last year’s model. They’ve actually done work and it shows. By far the best of the series, it’s definitely a game that die-hard fans and newcomers can definitely enjoy.