Best Football Game to Date? NCAA Football 2004 for GCN
Written: Jan 24 '04 (Updated Jan 24 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Dynasty mode adds a new dimension and is fun beyond words; challenging AI; infinite replayability.
Cons: Limited defensive playbook; repetitive commentary.
The Bottom Line: A top-notch football game that shouldn't be passed up.
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| Rizz's Full Review: NCAA Football 2004 for GameCube |
NCAA football is a polished and super-fun game made by EA Sport's Canadian division.
The game not only presents you with a realistic simulation of Division-One college football but lets you get deeper by running the profoundly engrossing dynasty mode. The dynasty mode allows the player to control all aspects of his or her chosen team, from red-shirting players to drafting high school players whom he or she will fit the mold of the team and compliment the team strategy. In dynasty mode the player takes on the role of coach and will be presented with a report card after each game, reflecting his or her performance after every game and for the season. The ultimate goal is to win the National Championship, which will be difficult unless the player successfully manages all aspects of dynasty mode.
Those who love college football statistics will happy to know that the game presents the player with the ability to look at any statistic from the game, including individual player performance, team performance, how his or her team matches up against others in the same conference, how they match up to other NCAA football teams, their team's chances of making it to a bowl game (and which bowl game!), and how their players (if any) are doing in the Heisman race. I can't think of any statistic thats been passed over.
This game is all about giving the player an immense amount of feedback, which is something that, in my experience, keeps me coming back for more.
Perhaps NCAA football 2004's greatest asset is the artificial intelligence; it is very tough, relentless and you will lose lots of games as a new player. Especially notable are the defensive backs; cornerbacks will make few mistakes and stay on your receivers with great skill. The safeties are sometimes even more adept and will regularly intercept poorly timed passes. This game characteristic is very important to me because it prevents the player from successfully throwing long pass after long pass, something which can be done in other football games.
A player who expects to win bowl games and national championships will need to learn to call short passes and run the ball, and forget about throwing bombs except in the appropriate and rare circumstance in which a downfield receiver is wide open.
The playbooks are immense: you can choose from over 500 offensive plays, which include a host of option plays popular in NCAA football. The player may either use his or her team's standard college playbook or choose one which specializes in either passing, running, or the option.
Admittedly, I wasn't happy about the defensive playbook which lacks the diversity of the offensive playbook: though you may choose from nickel, dime, goal-line, 4-3, 3-4, 4-4 and 5-2 defenses, most of plays within these formations are basic man to man or zone schemes. In fact, the plays within all formations are almost identical to each other. More diverse defensive plays are something that should be in next year's NCAA series.
I have only one more minor complaint. A big part of the fun is comparing your stats to the opposing teams and their star players. However, the player must set the quarter minutes to 15 per quarter (which means games lasting over an hour) in order to have an accurate comparison. This is because other team and player statistics are based on 15 minute quarters only; this cannot be adjusted.
The graphics are superb. Animation is stellar. And the players often look and move with photo-realistic accuracy.
There are 5 playing views, zoom, NCAA, classic, overhead and sideline. Overhead being the best because you can see the entire field, and on offense, allows the player to keep track of all his receivers.
The in-game commentary is a welcome part of the game: though repetitive at times, there are three announcers who often play off each other's comments and this adds a nice flavor to gameplay. For example, if the player calls a play which results in lost yardage, one commentator will criticize him or her, but another commentator will sometimes jump in to defend the call for one reason or another. In my experience, I still enjoy the commentary after playing two seasons of dynasty mode.
I'm having just as much fun, if not more, in the pre-season than in playing my scheduled games. Recruiting high school players is very fun. Recruiting allows the player to examine every aspect of players in the draft, which includes not only physical attributes but that player's interest in the team that you are coaching. Generally, players within your school's state will have more of an interest in playing for your school than out of state players. But if your dying for that blue-chip quarterback from California, you can spend lots of recruiting points in trying to lure him in. The bottom line here is that in recruiting the player you do anything you want to achieve your goals for the team. You can go the easy route and draft lots of middle of the road local players or target the best players in the country but spend lots of valuable recruiting points in doing so.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Rizz
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Member: Christopher Rizzo
Location: New Jersey and Massachusetts
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Securities and Corporate Lawyer.
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