was disappointed in last year’s NCAA for a few reasons. The main one was that I felt that the game artificially created too many big plays in an attempt to replicate the feel of college ball. Ironically, this title is all about creating that same atmosphere, and I couldn’t be happier about how NCAA goes about doing it.
For big rivalry games or in certain stadiums, home crowds will go crazy (you can pump them up with L2). It makes the camera shake wildly and your palms sweat. The effect of this is that your wide receiver might not be able to hear his hot route because of the noise (and therefore he’ll run his original pattern instead), or a rattled QB might choke and overthrow a key third-down pass. Under these circumstances, you’ve got to keep your composure. You can check how everyone is doing before the snap with the Match-up stick (the right analog). Now you can pick on a shaky linebacker with a sweep to his side or send a stud cornerback to blitz an already frazzled QB. I like this method of creating atmosphere because you can control it, instead of it feeling like the AI is deciding things for or against you. For instance, you can quiet a hostile crowd and boost the confidence of your QB by completing a few easy passes to start the game or through a strong running attack. I loved scoring first as an away team and causing the crowd to eat a big plate of shut the hell up. You can also get things under control by calling a timeout, during which your coach boosts the morale of a particular segment of your team, such as the WRs. This is what a big-time NCAA game feels like, and I love it.
The game also contains some nice brutal hits, including user-controlled ones by pressing the L2 button. In all, it felt like the players had a slightly lower center of gravity. This allows not only for a good running back to become extra shifty through better lateral movement (without even having to use the juke button), but it also gives defenders an extra punch to their hits. You can feel textbook tackles where guys really plant and drive a running back. If there’s a few sticking points, it’s that I still feel like players sometimes automatically engage each other like magnets (such as when you’re trying to sack the QB and you instead become locked up with a nearby lineman). Also, the AI can take some bad angles to the ball carrier.
Yes, there are improvements to Dynasty mode that I could also go on about, such as reprimanding players for breaking team or NCAA rules, a new scouting option when recruiting, and points you can earn to improve your school’s program. However, that’s all stuff for the dean’s office. I want to get out there and feel the love and hate of a stadium full of fans ready to celebrate the heroes and villains of a Saturday afternoon.