NCAA Football 2005

"Nice touchdown but was it called back due to a penalty?"

Sports games are by far my favorite genre because no two games are alike making the replay value infinite. I especially like football games. NCAA Football 2004 was by far my favorite football game ever so I had reservations about 2005 and whether the new game features were worth another $50 of my hard-earned dollars. My take:

Graphics (8): I love the new animations and more TV-like presentation of the game. I enjoy the multiple replays from different angles of big plays. Nice touches like more realistic looking cutbacks on runs and a player having to support himself with his hand when making a sudden cut is very cool. The big hits look real and painful as well. In my opinion the overall look is diminished from last year. In last years game the colors were very vibrant, sharp and one of the best looking sports games I have played. This year the colors are much more subdued and washed-out and the overall look to me is more muddy and less sharp. Almost all games seen to be effected by a haze or fog in my opinion. I use S-video and have a TV with good resolution and the difference between this year and last is startling. The players look a little more life-like than last year but still sport essentially the same face for each player. There also is lack of sharpness in my opinion. Its still looks decent and I'd say overall the new animations balance out the otherwise more subdued look to make the score a wash. Collision detection is back from last year with players and coaches walking through solid objects. I enjoy the shots of fans in the stands but they look like mannequins. Its still a fun addition.

Sound (7): Much like the graphics the sound has taken a few steps forward and a few back. Some people are critical of the announcing in the game but I find it to be top notch, although I agree there is little difference from last year. The sounds of football are outstanding and with the new homefield advantage you really feel like you are there depending on the stadium. More on that later. I find the overal clarity of the sound poor compared to last year. It sounds more muffled to me and sometimes harder to understand. It may be because of the homefield feature drowning out the announcers but even in stadiums where the homefield noise is minimal the sound still seems muffled from last year.

Gameplay (7): Keeping with the theme of a few steps forward and a few back I find the overall game play slightly diminished from last year. My personal opinion is that EA overtweaked the AI making passing very difficult, mainly due to drops, and running too easy. Judging from many posts I have read this seems to be a common complaint. The computer defense is much better overall and seems almost super-human in pass coverage but as mentioned the computer is poor at run defense. The homefield feature is very cool to hear and feel but I have to wonder about its value in stadiums that aren't in the Top 25? Its easy to maintain the meter in those stadiums and next to impossible to get the crowd pumped in the lower rated stadiums. I agree there should be a difference but perhaps its overdone. It also seems odd that the announcers make the same comments about the crowd whether they are loud or not. The composure/match-up stick feature was my biggest concern prior to the games release. I felt that if it was subtle it would be a great feature but if it wasn't it would hurt the game. My concerns were well-founded I feel. The effect on the gameplay is too high in my opinion. When a player is rattled its basically hopeless throwing to them and if they are a defensive player they will get beat. I don't feel running is effected but as I said earlier the ease of running in the games keeps the RB's rating high for me. I have read that even rattled players will make a big play here and there but I really haven't noticed it. Unless I don't have a choice I won't throw to a rattled player anymore or run behind a rattled lineman. Some will say this is realistic and I agree but as I said the effect should be more subtle. This, coupled with all the drops that occur in the game by the receivers anyway can lead to alot of 30% passing days. I know college players aren't pros but they aren't that bad. Special teams in the game seems overtweaked too. There are far too many fair catches and I'm not finding the higher rated special teams of certain teams makes much of a difference. Dynasty mode is essentially the same as last year but the new discipline feature adds alot. You must keep your team in line or risk the wrath of the NCAA. I have read about game freezes with the Dynasty mode and especially the create-a- team/player mode but haven't noticed it so far, knock-on-wood. Creating-a-sign is a great feature. The user celebrations are great too but I'm having trouble getting them to work. I would think as soon as play is complete you could immediately hit the buttons but it rarely works for me.

Overall impression (8, not an average): As I stated earlier I loved 2004 and if they hadn't released a new game for 2005 I would have been very happy with what I already had. I don't have any regrets buying the new game but aside from the homefield advantage and discipline feature I wish the gameplay itself was more like last year. I felt the gameplay was a little more balanced last year. Yes, passing may have been too easy last year and running tougher but EA overcompensated I feel. I'm trying not to let the frustration of passing (especially all the drops) cloud my opinion but 8 is still a very good score and I can recommend the game. If you have 2004 however and liked that game like I did I would recommend renting 2005 first and play it extensively to make-up your mind.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/20/04