RSS FeedSportable Reviews: Upon Further Review, NCAA ‘08 Still Owns
Posted by ryan on July 15, 2007
We promised a review and here it is. Thanks to the kind folks at EA Sports, Sportable was able to secure a retail copy of their new release, NCAA Football 2008. Last month, I was able to get an early peek at the game at the Tiburon Studios in Orlando. The game that I saw there made me excited about football video games again. The finished product has confirmed that excitement. This game is a must-buy thanks to a bunch of new features and animations.
Before looking into the new bells and whistles of Dynasty Mode and Campus Legend, you need to break down what really matters here: the gameplay. Complaints over a herky-jerky NCAA 2007 on next-gen have been addressed in the best way possible. Instead of the game playing at 30 FPS (frames per second), it’s now playing at 60 for the XBOX 360. This means the game will be playing smoother than ever, which makes those new animations look even sweeter. It’s a change you’ll notice right out of the box and it’s one of the reasons the hardcore players are loving what they’re seeing thus far. You’re in control of your player at every possible second. Instead of an animation controlling you, you’re controlling the animation.
With the improved framerate of the game, you’re able to see plays unfold like never before. Offensive line play is greatly improved, which makes the running game an absolute blast. An early game with Arkansas and the 99 overall Darren McFadden showed exactly why. Because of improved fatigue settings, I felt like I was able to wear down an opponent thanks to the running game. This led to McFadden getting more breathing room and the chance to break off some nice runs. Past titles didn’t seem to place enough emphasis on progressive fatigue but in NCAA ‘08, you can effectively wear down the opposition or viceversa.
