Bowl-Bound NCAA Football 11 Review

One of the most difficult tasks at the Orlando-based offices of EA Tiberon must be determining what features to add to the yearly iteration of their sports titles. If the developers overreach with a exceedingly ambitious component, the game might ship late. Even worse, it can hit retail shelves with a glitchy, half-baked element, souring the admiration of faithful  fans. Of course, playing it safe by including minimal changes will lead to accusations that this year’s version offers little more than a roster update.

Play through a few games with the recently released NCAA Football 11, and you’ll discern a number of significant improvements to the perennial franchise. After spending a season or two with the title, a number of smaller details become apparent- from meticulously crafted stadium lighting to sideline catch animations which show receivers dragging their feet. Considering the amount of transformation in this year’s college pigskin title, series enthusiasts will likely find enough supplementation to warrant the game’s $60 price of admission.

Arguably, one of the most intelligent additions to NCAA 11 is the incorporation of the “Truschool” system. In previous years, there was a element of homogeneity to each of the game’s school; each college shared a similar playbook and common artificial intelligence. Now, offenses and defensive strategies reflect genuine Saturday behaviors. When facing Oklahoma, the computer’s  adherence to its potent ground game proved to be eerily realistic, with the college dictating the tempo of the game. CPU blocking has frequently been a stumbling point for the NCAA franchise, with computer controlled athletes sporadically loitering about on the field. This year’s game makes some significant strides, fixing the read and triple options.  It’s gratifying to finally see your offensive  guards  doing their jobs consistently.

Like FIFA Soccer 10, NCAA 11‘s ‘Locomotion’ system moves the game away from the rigid, motion-captured animations of previous years, allowing for a much more natural movement system.  Now, athletes aren’t bound by canned animation routines as a variable push of the right stick can influence a momentum-gaining lean. Press too much and the athlete’s center of gravity is raised, which could send him toppling forward with any kind of low collision. Whereas last year’s game displayed a redundancy in run and hit animations, now NCAA 11 looks much more life-like in motion.

Sadly, not all of the game graphical elements convey this same sense of accomplishment. Sidelines reporter Erin Andrews apparently was too busy to offer any new footage for the Road to Glory cutscenes, meaning players will be watching last year’s recycled footage. On-field player numbers and positions are rendered with a particularly primitive font, recalling a typeset of the 16-bit era. While stadiums, skies, ground textures and audience close-ups have all been improved, medium shots of fans can occasionally look pixelated.  On the field, the player models have been supplemented, with facial expressions that reflect triumph, disappointment, or pain. The game’s incorporation of ESPN graphics could almost fool a passerby into thinking they were watching a real game, yet sadly  Kirk Herbstreit’s commentary isn’t quite up to snuff. The analyst’s observations can intermittently veer into vague or erroneous  territories.

If devoting hours to the game’s career or seasonal isn’t enough for players, the title’s Dynasty Anywhere component allows players to take of the helm of a college’s football program from any web-enabled computer (Hey EA, how about an iPhone app?). Coaches can access stats, schedules, handling recruiting duties, and even create screenshot-enhance blog posts. Being able to receive e-mail updates, RSS feeds, tweet, or post this information onto your Facebook page means that NCAA 11 has the potential to fill the workday of diehard enthusiasts.

Despite a few niggling graphical and aural hindrances, NCAA Football 11‘s recreation is remarkably robust, setting the a pinnacle for college pigskin. Once again, EA Tiberon has added enough content to make the title a viable consideration for the annual purchaser, and enough polish and sizzle to satisfy even casual football fans.