NCAA 07 XBox 360 Thread

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:23 pm

bdunn13 wrote:I managed to get my hands on the xbox copy. Its a solid experience. I have only played one game to date but I can say if I did not have a 360 or the 360 game sucked, I would be content with the xbox version.

I was thinking of doing the same thing if the Xbox version was cheaper than the 360. But it's not, correct?

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:30 pm

10spro wrote:
bdunn13 wrote:I managed to get my hands on the xbox copy. Its a solid experience. I have only played one game to date but I can say if I did not have a 360 or the 360 game sucked, I would be content with the xbox version.
I was thinking of doing the same thing if the Xbox version was cheaper than the 360. But it's not, correct?

Of course it's cheaper. 10 bucks at least.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 3:47 pm

I played four games of the demo today and thought it was a lot of fun. It's a bit stuttery and won't win any art design awards, but it injected a bit of newness that this series has neeeded for a while. I didn't play Madden 360, so it may seem more fresh to me.

It does suck to lose some of the peripheral features, but most of the stuff that's been cut from the 360 doesn't really matter to me. Now I just have to decide if I want to drop another fifty bills so I can have the correct player names.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 3:49 pm

Brando70 wrote:I played four games of the demo today and thought it was a lot of fun. It's a bit stuttery and won't win any art design awards, but it injected a bit of newness that this series has neeeded for a while. .

Im hoping that the stutters will be gone in final version...but ..yeah Im with you I did like the feel of the game...

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:01 pm

XXXIV wrote:
Brando70 wrote:I played four games of the demo today and thought it was a lot of fun. It's a bit stuttery and won't win any art design awards, but it injected a bit of newness that this series has neeeded for a while. .
Im hoping that the stutters will be gone in final version...but ..yeah Im with you I did like the feel of the game...

They are gone. The demo plays nice, but the final retail version is a much more polished experience. Much better than the demo.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:04 pm

Sully wrote:
XXXIV wrote:
Brando70 wrote:I played four games of the demo today and thought it was a lot of fun. It's a bit stuttery and won't win any art design awards, but it injected a bit of newness that this series has neeeded for a while. .
Im hoping that the stutters will be gone in final version...but ..yeah Im with you I did like the feel of the game...
They are gone. The demo plays nice, but the final retail version is a much more polished experience. Much better than the demo.

Great to hear ....

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:13 pm

I like the overall size of the field and stadiums, too. You really feel like you're in a huge stadium.

The playbooks absolutely rock, and I also thought the offsenive line AI was a lot better. It seemed like when a defensive linemen made a good play, it wasn't because of bad o-line AI, but a good move, a lopsided blitz, etc.

I liked the overall feel of the game better than NCAA 2006 on the XBox. I've always felt that the NCAA series had more of an arcade feel than Madden (not that that's a bad thing). The momentum, the blocking, the way receivers get open...it all felt a bit more realistic than in past games.

The real key will be how the CPU AI calls plays. That's always been the Achilles heel of this series.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 4:58 pm

Brando70 wrote:The real key will be how the CPU AI calls plays. That's always been the Achilles heel of this series.

It's tough to tell from the demo since both teams are similar. It will be interesting to see if running teams pound the ball like they should. The playcalling AI of Madden 360 is a strength, so I have my hopes up. The CPU mixes up the pass pretty well in the demo from what I've seen.

I really like the running game in the demo version. Actually, there's not much I haven't like about the demo version besides the graphics, presentation, and the less-than-ideal framerate. I ran a kickoff back for a TD, actually blocked a kick, enjoy trying to "jump the snap", and have had a lot of variety...or as least as much variety as you can see with two teams and one minute quarters. I'm very excited for this title. I actually found it today at Wal-Mart, had it ready to checkout, but the POS system rang up as "Do not sell" so no dice for me. Oh well, just two more days really since I know it will be in stores on Tuesday.

billharris44 · Post by **billharris44** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:13 pm

Brando's right on. I was able to rent the 360 version at Blockbuster today and I certainly see improvements. They've added a decent amount of new animations, the WR dropsies seem to be gone, the stadiums look great, and the playcalling interface is pretty slick.

And even though it was totally idiotic to ship with ONE camera angle, I'll give them credit for making it a good one. I'm really picky about camera angles, but this one is playable, at least.

The one thing I can't do right now is turn off the player name display during the game. It may not be possible, because there are basically zero display options that I can find. It amazes me how they can do significant things to improve the game and then totally drop the ball on the simplest kinds of options. Well, that's EA.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:30 pm

billharris44 wrote:Brando's right on. I was able to rent the 360 version at Blockbuster today and I certainly see improvements. They've added a decent amount of new animations, the WR dropsies seem to be gone, the stadiums look great, and the playcalling interface is pretty slick.

And even though it was totally idiotic to ship with ONE camera angle, I'll give them credit for making it a good one. I'm really picky about camera angles, but this one is playable, at least.

The one thing I can't do right now is turn off the player name display during the game. It may not be possible, because there are basically zero display options that I can find. It amazes me how they can do significant things to improve the game and then totally drop the ball on the simplest kinds of options. Well, that's EA.

You sim a season and check out the top 25?

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:36 pm

Sudz wrote:
billharris44 wrote:Brando's right on. I was able to rent the 360 version at Blockbuster today and I certainly see improvements. They've added a decent amount of new animations, the WR dropsies seem to be gone, the stadiums look great, and the playcalling interface is pretty slick.

And even though it was totally idiotic to ship with ONE camera angle, I'll give them credit for making it a good one. I'm really picky about camera angles, but this one is playable, at least.

The one thing I can't do right now is turn off the player name display during the game. It may not be possible, because there are basically zero display options that I can find. It amazes me how they can do significant things to improve the game and then totally drop the ball on the simplest kinds of options. Well, that's EA.
You sim a season and check out the top 25?

Some have been simming seasons over at OS, and posting the results. At least after the first season, the Top 25 looked believable.

billharris44 · Post by **billharris44** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 5:58 pm

Sudz, here's a season I just simmed. This is after the conference championships (Coach's poll):
1. Ohio State (Bill A., I must have your copy of the game)
2. West Virginia
3. Arizona State
4. Notre Dame
5. Clemson
6. Miami
7. Tennessee
8. TCU
9. Nebraska
10. Michigan St.
11. Florida
12. USC
13. Texas
14. Florida St.
15. LSU

Louisville was #20 and Boise St. was #21. I've seen some people post simmed seasons that had Boise St. as high as #2.

I'm going to use FK's roster set and hopefully the ratings will make team strength reflect the real world, but those results seem pretty reasonable.

It takes about 5 minutes to sim through the regular season.

Individual stats don't look totally crazy this year. So the Heisman winner isn't going to have 50+ T.D.'s and 3 interceptions. At least not in the first year, anyway.

Like I said, if I could just turn off my player's name on-screen, I'd be pretty pleased at this point.

billharris44 · Post by **billharris44** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 6:09 pm

Here's one more thing. I simmed a second season and there were no Boise State's/Lousivilles in the top 20. Boise State was 25. Again, pretty reasonable.

The Heisman winnner was a Junior quarterback from Arizona St. Season stats:
263-403
4241 yards
44 TD's, 14 interceptions

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 7:20 pm

Badgun wrote:
bdunn13 wrote:I managed to get my hands on the xbox copy. Its a solid experience. I have only played one game to date but I can say if I did not have a 360 or the 360 game sucked, I would be content with the xbox version.
My son is getting a free copy of the 360...I certainly wouldn't pay money for it. After playing the demo and reading the 100+ page thread at OS, I'll be picking up the Xbox version.

If you bothered reading the post of those that have the game, your outlook of the 360 version may change. However, if you choose to focus on the missing features and not the gameplay, I can see how you'd be disgusted with the 360 version. I'd say, play your son's 360 version before spending that $50.

kevinpars · Post by **kevinpars** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 7:55 pm

Not to defend EA, but I have seen a few articles mention Boise as this year's potential BCS buster - 18 starters back, weak schedule and a new coach who has been the offensive coordinator. If they went 12-0 in real life, some people would vote them top 5 just because they are undefeated and ignore the schedule. Maybe the polls are just a reflection of the joke that is the BCS today.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:44 pm

I'm totally enjoying the demo. I've seen a lot of cool animations. The tackling animations are the weakest by far, but some of the other ones are great. The CPU hurdled one of my players going low on a tackle on a kickoff and then got about 25 extra yards, which looked cool. I also like how passes actually look like they are being caught. I've seen plenty of different pass reception animations. I really dig the running game and especially how the CPU utilizes the stutter step and how players will finally "get skinnky." Not much, if any, "Mario running." I think they fixed the return games too.

The best thing is that I've had very few "WTF" moments besides a few instances of bad collision detection (one "phantom" sack and PI call each) I love all the errant passes. I've had a few drops, but it's realistic. I really enjoy playing QB. I think there is some "lead passing" but it's not overdone. Since the pass blocking seems much more realistic than any previous EA football game, I finally get the feeling that I am passing out of an actual pocket.

If the full game plays as good as this I'm going to be a VERY happy camper. I'm not a big franchise player so I can live with those inevitable flaws. I'm not very happy with what I've seen and heard about the speed of running plays just using the A button, but as long as it's the same for both the human and CPU I can live with it.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:49 pm

Leebo, I've been playing the retail version for 2 days now...mostly on Heisman. I enjoyed the demo, and I can honestly say that the final build is much better. I'm still in the honeymoon stages with the game, but I've not noticed any glaring gameplay issues. The passing and running game are the best I've seen in a EA football game.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 10:50 pm

Sounds great! I'm getting sick of the one minute quarters

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:21 pm

Leebo33 wrote:Sounds great! I'm getting sick of the one minute quarters

No s*** ...how about it...Im looking forward to a grind em out drive...

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 1:31 am

One thing I'm noticing a lot more in the demo is something that pissed me off to no end in ESPN 2K5.

If your qb has the ball and is getting ready to throw it and a defensive player hits him before he totally releases the ball, it becomes a sack. I even saw Drew Weatherford literally pull the ball back just a milli-second before releasing it and get sacked just because he didn't complete his throwing animation before the defender hit him. It happens way too much in the demo for my liking.

SoMisss2000 · Post by **SoMisss2000** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:04 am

Badgun wrote:One thing I'm noticing a lot more in the demo is something that pissed me off to no end in ESPN 2K5.

If your qb has the ball and is getting ready to throw it and a defensive player hits him before he totally releases the ball, it becomes a sack. I even saw Drew Weatherford literally pull the ball back just a milli-second before releasing it and get sacked just because he didn't complete his throwing animation before the defender hit him. It happens way too much in the demo for my liking.

i'd rather have that than it be like in Madden 360, it becomes a damn fumble. That pisses me off to no end.

Boom · Post by **Boom** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:34 pm

I've been playing more and more today and the more I become familiar with the controls and gameplay engine the more I realize that All American is like Varsity of years past.

I just took CU into Happy Valley on default All American level and layed the wood....48-16. Like that's gonna happen anytime soon.

My last few wins on default All American have been some serious blowouts. Haven't tested Heis yet though.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 9:46 pm

Maybe it's been mentioned before, but I didn't know there were replay reviews in the game. I didn't even realize the play was being reviewed, but on a close play near the sideline it flashed "Challenged Call Upheld" or something like that at the bottom of the screen while I was picking my next play.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Sun Jul 16, 2006 11:12 pm

billharris44 wrote:Sudz, here's a season I just simmed. This is after the conference championships (Coach's poll):
1. Ohio State (Bill A., I must have your copy of the game)
2. West Virginia
3. Arizona State
4. Notre Dame
5. Clemson
6. Miami
7. Tennessee
8. TCU
9. Nebraska
10. Michigan St.
11. Florida
12. USC
13. Texas
14. Florida St.
15. LSU

Louisville was #20 and Boise St. was #21. I've seen some people post simmed seasons that had Boise St. as high as #2.

I'm going to use FK's roster set and hopefully the ratings will make team strength reflect the real world, but those results seem pretty reasonable.

It takes about 5 minutes to sim through the regular season.

Individual stats don't look totally crazy this year. So the Heisman winner isn't going to have 50+ T.D.'s and 3 interceptions. At least not in the first year, anyway.

Like I said, if I could just turn off my player's name on-screen, I'd be pretty pleased at this point.

thanks!

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 1:04 am

kevinpars wrote:Not to defend EA, but I have seen a few articles mention Boise as this year's potential BCS buster - 18 starters back, weak schedule and a new coach who has been the offensive coordinator. If they went 12-0 in real life, some people would vote them top 5 just because they are undefeated and ignore the schedule. Maybe the polls are just a reflection of the joke that is the BCS today.

I heard the same things about Boise State last year going into the Georgia game. That was over 2 minutes into the first quarter.