There are 120 teams in College Football’s FBS division, so it makes sense that the tag-line for NCAA Football 2011 is “120 Ways To Win.” As many college football fans know, each team is unique in their play calling strategy as well as the formations and tempo of the game. These variables are now available to the player to use at their disposal.
Everyone remembers the outstanding success of NCAA Football 2010. With it’s Team Builder feature that managed to steal the spotlight from Madden still a driving force, NCAA Football returns for it’s latest installment. This time, take your created team online in a Dynasty Mode. Speaking of Dynasty Mode, this year’s Dynasty Mode also received a facelift, most notably, in the recruiting aspect. Recruiting is done the same way as previous years, phone calls to prospective players, but this year, the topic of conversation is randomly selected for you; almost like Recruiting Roulette. The option to change the topic is there, but is limited to 3 per call so you better hope your school is good enough in the topics he wants to discuss or you’ll never land that Blue Chip Quarterback.
Once the game begins, you get the feeling as if you are watching a game televised on ESPN. With the trio of Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Erin Andrews on the sideline, NCAA gives a real life feel to the game as you play it. To go along with the unique band performances for the top schools, NCAA 11 incorporates each school’s unique tunnel entrance: from the smoke in Miami to hitting the “Play Like A Champion Today” sign in Notre Dame.
The gameplay also received some upgrades. Now the computer controlled players seem to “know” where to go and who to double team while creating a rushing lane. The Locomotion System also is enhanced, with the ability to “stop on a dime” to change directions and a more natural looking running feel.
One nice addition to the franchise is the “One Button” mode; allowing the most inexperienced player enjoy the game of college football. With the success of the All Play versions on the Wii, it will be interesting to see if this format becomes a trend in sports games.
Although some new features were added, nothing radical was added to this year’s title aside from the Online Dynasty with a Team Builder Team, the good things about previous titles were made better. Visually the game looks phenomenal and the feel of the game is very natural. The presentation paired with ESPN really make for an authentic feel and truly captures the spirit of college football. Once again, EA scores a touchdown with NCAA Football 11.
[starreviewmulti id=2 tpl=20]
Overall = 8.7
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