GB reports:
''Overall, the visuals in NCAA Football 09 are stunning and are once again a strong point for the franchise. The developers did a wonderful job at re-creating that magical college football atmosphere that even fringe NCAA football fans, like me, can appreciate. Being Canadian, I don't get to see too many college football games. In fact, the first game I ever attended was last years Washington Huskies vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes game at Husky Stadium. So when I started playing my season I found it a treat to play the game in some of the historical college stadiums featured in game which were well represented in all their glory. From the improved animations to the more realistic looking stadiums, you can't help but become immersed in the game and truly be impressed the games graphics.
The most noticeable addition this year are the new player animations. Everything is so much more realistic. The way players get hit, run, tackle and catch the ball, you just never know what you are going to see from one play to the next. It makes the game less predictable and more enjoyable in the end. I really noticed the difference with the running backs that appear to move more fluidly this year. Their jukes, stiff-arms, spins, and so much more are rendered to perfection. You will notice a lot of detail in this year's version of NCAA Football. I liked how the defensive and offensive lineman pointed at each other and would make a scene during an offside call. Even when the opposite team scores a touchdown, your players are quick to look down in disgust or look up in disbelief.''
As GamePolitics has reported, Electronic Arts may soon face a lawsuit by retired NFL players who believe their likenesses were unlawfully incorporated into EA's best-selling Madden game. But former college players now want their slice of EA's money pie as well.
SF Weekly reports that a one-time college quarterback is now making the same claim as NFL retirees in regard to EA's popular NCAA Football and NCAA Basketball franchises. Samuel Keller (left), formerly of Arizona State and Nebraska, is the lead plaintiff in the class action suit.
But College athletes aren't allowed to be payed. A roster download is done by third parties, and merely makes renaming every player in the game much, much quicker. Which is what many gamers will do anyway.
And the players aren't always right anyway. Austin English (#33) from OU is black in NCAA 2008, but is clearly white in real life.
I don't know what he wants EA to do, they aren't allowed to pay the players, and gamers want to play as the players. It's a lose-lose.
The NCAA Football 09 $1,000,000 Challenge, sponsored by House-Kidder Entertainment, is a new nationwide Tournament that will allow U.S. video gamers to compete using the NCAA Football 09 video game on the Xbox 360 for a Grand Prize that could be as much as $1,000,000.
Operation Sports' Wil McCombs examines NCAA Football 09's recruiting model and gives suggestions on how to improve it for NCAA Football 10.
Excerpt: "The main system 'improvements' in '09 were, in my opinion, aimed in the wrong direction. Last year, EA developers presented gamers with ways to streamline the process via features like Quick Call and CPU assistance. Sadly, many sports games -- particularly EA Sports games -- yearn for the casual gamer, and these new tweaks made it nauseatingly evident. Considering the over-the-top, hardcore nature of most college football fans (and NCAA gamers), it seems counter-productive to dumb down the product for the masses, at least in this department."
