NCAA Football 08

"A Touchdown Game That Misses the Extra Point (just barely)"

I'll start off by saying that I'm a huge College Football Fan, my favorite team being the Arizona Wildcats. I get this game every year on opening day - and this surely won't be one of the games that stand out for better or worse. Its a solid game that, but it doesn't do much to distinguish itself from the rest.

Gameplay: 9/10
What I expect from EA Sports, plain Football fun. The addition of the Campus Legend feature is great, and as an added bonus you put your player through his High School playoffs, this determines where he gets offers/what his position will be on the depth chart when he gets there. Dynasty is pretty standard, put a team through multiple seasons, trying to achieve a 6-Star prestige. There is a new recruiting system in place, which adds depth to recruiting new talent - while keeping it simple and somewhat quick.

Graphics: 7.5/10
NCAA Football 08's graphics are on par with other games on the Xbox 360, the stadiums are beautifully done - and the player's uniforms look very good. The biggest downside is that there are a few things missing, such as refs, cheerleaders and players don't make footprints in the snow. Player animations are pretty realistic looking, and the fans look good enough.

Sound: 6/10
Lee Corso, Brad Nessler, and Kirk Herbstreit return to the series, doing a mediocre job announcing the games. The dialogue between the three is great at first, but after playing for a little while it starts to sound awful familiar. The crowd could be better as well, in situations where fans should be going absolutely bonkers, I can barely hear them - which takes away from the atmosphere in a big way. The music is pretty good, just the teams fight songs and the like - you'll get bored of the soundtrack if you don't like fight music.

Pros:
- A good amount of features, that will keep you busy for a while (especially if you are a football fan)
- Players and Venues are authentic (except for a few stadiums that didn't make it in)
- Nessler, Corso, and Herbie make the game sound like an actual football game (for a while at least)

Problems/Good Ups:
- The game's announcers can get behind the game, for example you may here "HES AT THE 30!" when you've already gotten to the endzone
- I've had the game freeze a couple of times, not a huge issue though
- Heisman Votes can be way off, Example: my HB at LSU has 2200 yards and 35 touchdowns. I came in second, the winner was also a HB, he has 1500 yards and 24 touchdowns. I would've been angry, but I was too confused

Overall, this is a good - not great football game. If you like football video games go ahead and buy it, but if you are just getting into the genre/aren't a huge fan then rent it first.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 08/15/07