EA Sports should have taken another couple of weeks to finish refining this game.
How many losses should I have to accept at the cost of better graphics? Let me tell you what you are not going to get if you buy the 360 version of NCAA 2007:
1. As mentioned above—no Big Man on Campus mode
2. No Defensive hot routes! (You can still shift you line, linebackers or change up the coverage of your DBs, but you can NOT tell a specific LB or DB to blitz, spy, or cover zone).
3. No substituting players by formation, what the heck EA?! Why would you NOT have this?
4. No Div I-AA schools nor will you be able to create a school. (You can still create a player though).
5. No ESPN magazine covers or “articles” (in all fairness you can still see the Coca-Cola P.O.T.W., who is leading in the Heisman race, conference standings, and BCS standings).
6. No unlocking pennants, cheats, historic or mascot teams. (I could care less about these features, I would rather they save the memory and time to make the college fight songs sound better).
7. No player discipline problems as there were in NCAA 2006.
8. No rivalry game trophies (UGA vs. Florida is still called the “World’s Biggest Cocktail Party,” but there is no graphic for the “Battle of the Jeweled Shillelagh”).
9. No “Create a Sign.” (If you have a mascot, say Harry Dawg, you’ll see him do pushups, dance, etc, but the crowd at UGA is pretty lifeless. Sometimes the fans on NCAA 2006 got on my nerves, but I must admit they did add to the atmosphere of the college experience. I haven’t played FSU or UF, but I hear the fans do the Tomahawk Chop and the Gator Chomp respectively).
10. No extreme player celebrations or user controlled celebrations.
11. Only 2 players can play at once and loading multiple profiles (if you have a several user dynasty) is a pain in the arse.
12. No custom playbook! ! !
13. You can NOT coach individual units during a time out.
14. No player composure (the green and red meter that showed if your players were composed or rattled).
15. No in game stat boost or drops. As far as I know, you 89 overall rated QB can throw 15 interceptions and still be rated an 89 the whole game.
Things I like:
1. The 360 version does have the “trick” plays and the Pistol formation. Huge playbooks (maybe even a little overwhelming).
2. Graphics are good. Stadiums look great, but I think some of the player motions look funny.
3. I like the multiple ways of calling a play: by formation, key player, or type of play. BUT, if you are playing against a cheesy opponent, who looks at your play calling screen, you will have to “bluff” the play call EVERYTIME.
4. In Season recruiting seems much the same so far.
5. Players now have a plethora of more stats. Elusiveness, BC Vision (I don’t know what this does though?), trucking, kick/punt return, and many others.
Overall, it is a good game in my opinion, but I would have been MUCH HAPPIER if EA had taken more time to add, the ESPN magazine, the ability to sub a player by formation, defensive hot routes, custom playbooks, and made the passing hot routes easier. You have to cycle to the player whose route you want to change, press Y, and then select of 1 of 8 hot routes.
For me, it is imperative that EA add all of the above features by the 2008 version and they can scrap all the mini-games for all I care, they are crap.