NCAA 11... one week later... MY TAKE...

[jaymo76]

Well the pre-release reviews for this game were off the charts and on release day I heard a lot of people here and at OS claiming this is the best NCAA game ever. Of course we heard many of the same things last year and after a week the sky had fallen and the game was viewed by many as a bust. So after one week does NCAA 11 have that special something we football gamers are looking for???

TWO burning questions:

1. Is NCAA 11 the best NEXT GEN college game ever? ..... YES... but...
2. Is NCAA 11 the best college game ever? .... NO... but...

This is by far the best "next gen" college football game and the best next gen football game period. There are just so many positives. These include:

-locomotion
-fluid run game
-cpu run game (with serious slider tweaks)
-formation subs (my personal favourite)
-ESPN integration
-team entrances / cut scenes / pre-game / post-game
-equipment upgrades
-amazing visuals
-autosave feature
-bowl specific presentation
-recruiting and the recruiting slider
-speed slider (slow is def. the way to go)
-MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS GAME IS JUST FUN TO PLAY!!!

However, there are some areas that need serious attention to improve upon the overall quality and experience of this game. Some items include:

-some weak/innefective sliders & penalty sliders
-man pass coverage~ DB's run the routes better than receivers
-broken zone D
-"holy leaping linebackers Batman" ~ seriously enough is enough!!!
-ESPN good start but needs more depth
-lack of stat overlays before, during, and after the game
-screwed up injury updates
-absolutely awful crowds
-home field advantage is very weak at best

In order for this game to rival IMO the best football game ever (NCAA 06) I will need to see the return of some basic features still missing from next gen. These include:

-matchup stick (best feature ever in the NCAA series
-FCS teams
-coaches on the sideline
-custom playbooks
-spring game
-heisman show
-blue chip prospects
-cpu auto mass subs
-height and weight editing of players (and throw in dreads too for the hair lovers out there
-gatorade shower / coaches being awarded the Bowl/Nat championship

So what features could put this game over the top and make it even better (if that's possible) than NCAA 06? In my opinion a lot could be done including:

-dynamic commentary
-dynamic rivalries
-weekly wrap-up show (similar to the extra point)
-coaching carousel
-calendar format similar to NCAA BASKETBALL 10 as your dynasty hub

Now overall I am really enjoying this game. After one week I give this game a solid 8.5 /10. It's a really good game. It's not great... yet... but it has so, so much potential. I believe the Tiburon developers are finally back on the right path and I see amazing things for NCAA 12 and on, AS LONG AS THE DEVELOPERS ARE AS COMMITTED AS THEY HAVE BEEN THIS YEAR.

NCAA 11 is my 3rd fave NCAA game of all time. I finally feel like I'm playing the quality of last gen games on my PS3 and I look forward to seeing how this game will continue to develop.

My top three of NCAA:
NCAA 06 (PS2) 9.5 /10
NCAA 07 (PS2) 8.75 / 10
NCAA 11 (PS3) 8.5 /10