Spring Break
NCAA Football 09 hit for XBOX 360, struggles for Wii
Brett Fischer
Issue date: 7/25/08 Section: Sports
Since its release as Bill Walsh College Football in 1993, EA Sports' NCAA Football franchise has elevated itself as one of the elite sports video games on the market. And while the game has continued to expand and improve for the next generation consoles Xbox360 and PS3, EA entered unfamiliar territory when it decided to create and release its inaugural title for the Wii, NCAA Football 09. The expectations were high for the greatly anticipated game, but while the franchise delivered a touchdown with the XBox360 version, it clearly took a sack with the Wii version.
Graphics: The graphics for the XBox 360 are absolutely stunning, especially when played on a high definition television screen. Everything from the players to the stadiums is finely detailed. The animations are incredible and give a cinematic feel to the game. This most notably improved with the addition of cheerleading squads to the game that perform cheers in different formations and run with their customary flags that spell out the team names in jubilation after touchdowns are scored. However, the graphics on the Wii are rather horrific. While you get a true realistic feel of the college game on the 360, the Wii version has too much of an arcade-like feel, something that we did not appreciate. We've played games with better graphics on the N64! EA Sports has always prided itself on realism in its games, but it seems that realism was thrown completely out the window when the Wii version was created.
Gameplay: There's always been this mystic about playing the EA Sports NCAA Football franchise, especially given that you always have the ability to run various option plays, allowing you to open up your offensive attack. But unlike older versions, the pitches to your running backs will actually be successful most of the time, even when your ball carrier is being harassed by a pack of linebackers and safeties in tight space. A major addition that has been made is the ability to change your calls at the line with relative ease. In the upper left-hand corner a menu allows you to not only change your offensive and defensive schemes, but also allows for bluffs so as to confuse the opposition. The only downside to this feature is that you must get all of your audible calls in on defense before the offense snaps the ball. One major problem that has not yet been fully corrected is what we like to call the "Reggie Bush factor." That is when the star players on a team can essentially elude anyone trying to tackle them, even if it means breaking ten potential take downs on one play. The reason this is even more frustrating is that EA Sports attempted to push the "big play." But to be quite honest, there are too many open cutback lanes and the ability to juke defenders is way too easy for our liking. Nevertheless, the gameplay is fast-paced and will have you on the edge of your seat as long as you can avoid the frustration of many plays for long gains due to the "Reggie Bush Factor."
Graphics: The graphics for the XBox 360 are absolutely stunning, especially when played on a high definition television screen. Everything from the players to the stadiums is finely detailed. The animations are incredible and give a cinematic feel to the game. This most notably improved with the addition of cheerleading squads to the game that perform cheers in different formations and run with their customary flags that spell out the team names in jubilation after touchdowns are scored. However, the graphics on the Wii are rather horrific. While you get a true realistic feel of the college game on the 360, the Wii version has too much of an arcade-like feel, something that we did not appreciate. We've played games with better graphics on the N64! EA Sports has always prided itself on realism in its games, but it seems that realism was thrown completely out the window when the Wii version was created.
Gameplay: There's always been this mystic about playing the EA Sports NCAA Football franchise, especially given that you always have the ability to run various option plays, allowing you to open up your offensive attack. But unlike older versions, the pitches to your running backs will actually be successful most of the time, even when your ball carrier is being harassed by a pack of linebackers and safeties in tight space. A major addition that has been made is the ability to change your calls at the line with relative ease. In the upper left-hand corner a menu allows you to not only change your offensive and defensive schemes, but also allows for bluffs so as to confuse the opposition. The only downside to this feature is that you must get all of your audible calls in on defense before the offense snaps the ball. One major problem that has not yet been fully corrected is what we like to call the "Reggie Bush factor." That is when the star players on a team can essentially elude anyone trying to tackle them, even if it means breaking ten potential take downs on one play. The reason this is even more frustrating is that EA Sports attempted to push the "big play." But to be quite honest, there are too many open cutback lanes and the ability to juke defenders is way too easy for our liking. Nevertheless, the gameplay is fast-paced and will have you on the edge of your seat as long as you can avoid the frustration of many plays for long gains due to the "Reggie Bush Factor."
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