EA’s NCAA 08

Alright. I’ve always wanted to play football. I didn’t really “make the cut” in high school, and I’ve admitted to myself that I’m never going to play college or pro ball, but I love the game, and I’ve always liked to play. But I’m not the kind of guy who memorizes the stats of certain players, or can tell you who played in the 1998 All-Star game, or even who the big rivals are. I just love the game of football itself.

I’ve played Madden™ before, as well as NFL Blitz™ and NFL Street™, but I was never really impressed. I mean, sure, you can play the big teams against themselves, and you can even track your scores, but it just never felt as immersive to me as I hoped it would be, so I kind of put the genre to the side.

Imagine my surprise when I, on a whim, rented NCAA 08 from Blockbuster™. Thankfully, Blockbuster lets you keep the game for a week, and I happened to have a few free weeknights. I found my college team, and started into the Dynasty Mode.

The first thing that hits you about this game is the depth that you get into as you play it. Not only are you playing a mild game of football, but you’re tracking the progress of your coach, the stats of your players, and the status of high school senior college hopefuls. You’re literally tracking just about every aspect of your college, down to the trouble that some of your college players get themselves into. Bowl bids, Pac-10 championships, rivalries… It’s all in here.

A good friend and I both have started another Dynasty Mode together, and it always comes up between us. We ask how the other is doing, even though we both can just check it on the machine. We know each other’s players, and when we play against each other, it feels like it actually means something.

Now, this may sound strange to be talking about a video game like this, but I think it has really helped me to understand what “sports guys” really go through. I know that if one of my key players was injured on a play, I’d be pretty upset. When one of my guys cheats on a test and I have to pull him out of the game, I feel not only the stress of the NCAA breathing down my neck to do something, but the fear that we’re going to be underhanded for next week’s game against USC.

It feels that real.

I believe that any sports game, or even any game for that matter, should be using this as a model. Gamers truly want this much of an experience. We want what we do in the game to actually mean something. Ever wondered why EverQuest™ or World of Warcraft™ are so popular? It’s because the actions in the game actually affect things. In NCAA 08, there’s no extra lives. There’s no continues. If you lose, you lose, and that’s all there is to it. If you win, then you progress. If your player gets himself into trouble, you really have to discipline him, or you’ll get into trouble with the league. You want to win the Division championship? Then you better put the work in and win, but not against just anybody. You have to challenge the big schools.

I’ve always been disappointed with games that show a definite lack of depth. Gamers want to be able to customize their experience. They want to not only have a character that is interesting, but one that you can make your own. You need to be able to change the look, accessories, the weapons, the abilities, and the actions. You need to be able to make the game yours.

Everything about NCAA 08 is about pulling you into this fictional universe. And it’s about the details. From the game’s tracking of unnumerable stats and rankings, to the fictional ESPN Magazine stories, to even the little blurb spots about which teams have won or are winning during the same game that you’re playing. It’s immersive, it’s addicting, and it’s fun.

I guess I’ve gone on long enough. In essense, if you want to play a game that really rocks your world, and you like the game of football, I would pick up NCAA 08. When I finish with it, (at least for a while), and I want to track my alumni players in the pro leagues, I’ll pick up Madden 08 as well. More on that to come, I promise.

- Kyle

~ by Karratti on Tuesday, 6 November, 2007.