Great graphics, solid gameplay - but at a price.

User Rating: 5.9 | NCAA Football 07 X360
Being an avid fan of college football and owner of the last several years' worth of the NCAA series I was looking forward to the 360 version with much anticipation. I could not wait to be wowed by the graphics, the presentation, and the extra goodies that one would expect on a next-gen system. While the graphics are nice and the gameplay is fun, the overall experience is underwhelming, especially when compared to the past few games on regular Xbox.
The game begins as with most EA Sports games, allowing you to select instant action, dynasty mode, mini-games, options and extras. So far, so good. So I select my favorite (and local) team, the Louisville Cardinals, a team that has been in the AP Top 25 consistently for the past several seasons and is ranked #10 in the game itself. My screen backdrop changes to familiar views of U of L cheerleaders. the band, the mascot and all is right with the world. I fiddle with some of the recreuiting options, then jump into the schedule.
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Instead of the expected Papa John's Cardinal stadium, I get a generic bowl. Funny, it's been fully rendered every year for the past 4 that I know of, but ok..... so you are greeted with the usual pregame blather, but without benefit of any TV-style overlays, players to watch, etc. No active crowd, just poorly animated masses of fans colored to match the team, with a small spattering of away-team colors. The game opens with a camera 'in the stands and slowly (very choppy) pans to the field. There's the coin-toss and the teams finally take the field.
The on-field graphics are generally very good. The players and uniforms look very sharp, the animations are decent, and the game features a number of ways to select a play - by formation, by 'featured player', Lee Corso's 'pick' and more. The AI is smart and plays pretty well on both sides of the ball, and so far I haven't found any 'money plays' but my experience is still somewhat limited. The gameplay is fun, but really fails to draw you into the spirit of the college game unless you play one of the very high-profile teams. Sure, the Swamp looks great, the fans do the Gator Chomp ands all, but the overall presentation wrapped around the gameplay is little more than advertising. I'd like full-screen replays of big plays, I'd like highlights and insight bits during halftime, I'd like the occasional momentary focis on the fans and team bench/mascot. Nope. The 360 gives you none of that, but is sure to let you know that Old Spice sponsors the Red Zone, and you'll hear about Pontiac and Coca-Cola too.... how about in-game updates from other Top25 games? How about a little more atmosphere, school chants, better fight songs, some kind of 'halftime update' instead of what is essentially the pause menu? Many of these things were here last year, the fans were a bigger part, we had all of the stadiums, Division 2 teams, and much more. I can't imagine that this is a 'limitation' of the 360 so much as some idiot at EA insisting on a simultaneous release for all platforms. I understand that EA plans 'updates' va Xbox live, but to pay $59 for a game with nowhere near the same features as the $49 version for PS2 and Xbox is a travesty. BOOOO EA........ now, if I can find a way to return this heap for credit and buy the Xbox version I'd be happy.