NCAA Football 2007

Nothing embodies the college atmosphere better than collegiate football, and EA Sports captures that experience in NCAA 07 Football. NCAA 07 Football doesn’t hold anything back and delivers a true college football experience by providing all the trickery and pizzazz that’ll be sure to bring out that face painting insanity we’ve left behind in those crowded dorm rooms.

Features

• The complete college football experience on the PSP
• Complete listing of the Division I NCAA teams from all the major conference
• Deepest football experience including “Dynasty” mode and an expansive multiplayer.
• Wi-Fi and Ad hoc multiplayer playability

Gameplay
NCAA 07 Football has traditionally been the “little brother” to the more popular professional football simulator Madden games; but this time, NCAA is on par in every aspect with the Madden franchise. Due to licensing regulations, the NCAA is not allowed to have the players’ names in the game but every player’s number is true to form. While on offense, every kind of formation can be executed on any down. While running the controls haven’t been changed so any previous experience in last year’s football titles on the PSP and PlayStation 2 won’t hurt. The passing game is the same as always; after the snap, the camera widens and your receivers can be seen and you can choose which receiver to throw to by pressing the corresponding button: either “Square,” “Triangle,” “Circle” or the “Left Trigger.” If the pass is close to the receiver, the camera zooms to the receiver. This gives the user the chance to quickly take control of the receiver and earn user points. While running with the ball, the “Circle” button allows the user to spin, to stiff arming the defender, pressing the “X” button can be used; and pressing the “L” trigger will the juke out the defender. Traditionally, defense has been the most difficult aspect of the EA Sports football titles, and the play calling isn’t too difficult. There are two different types of defensive plays, man coverage and zone coverage. Changing defensive players is the “Circle” button, tackling is the “Square” button, and sprinting on both sides of the ball is the “R” trigger. When kicking the ball either on a punt or a kicking off to determine how much power the kick will get, the user will have to hold down the “L” trigger and move the analog stick.

It’s finally nice to see EA Sports blitzing the PSP capabilities by bringing the entire game from the PS2 to the PSP. EA Sports took the time to make the transition of a PS2 game to the PSP and did so in time for a simultaneous release. NCAA 07 Football includes the “Dynasty Mode” which you play as your favorite school trying to bring your team to the promise land of the NCAA Bowl Championship Series over a ten year span. The “Dynasty Mode” offers the most control over your football program by allowing the player to control the pre-season moves such as picking a schedule, and red-shirting players for the upcoming season; and during the season ESPN analysts will add their two cents by offering information such as power rankings not only of teams but stadiums. Other modes include the “Rivalry Mode” which breaks down every school and its record against their fiercest rivals. After defeating your most hated rival school, kick back and enjoy a Mascot game where those oversized plush toys take to the gridiron. At any point in the game, the momentum can swing. EA added a momentum feature which effects both teams: if one team is cruising to an easy victory, but a couple of good defensive stops occur, the momentum will begin to swing to the opposing team.

Visuals/Audio
EA Sports doesn’t hold back in the aesthetics department. The players both on defense and offense look incredible, and the stadiums have their distinctive qualities. The player models don’t melt through each other to a noticeable extent but the blatant lack of referees makes for a cleaner graphical experience. The graphics take a nose dive whenever there is a close up on the crowd. Sometimes when a pass is offline or a kick goes wide, the camera will follow the ball into the stands. This is where the ball takes a trip through time back to the 16 bit world. ESPN has an exclusive contract with EA Sports, so every game is just like a game on ESPN on a lazy Saturday afternoon, which means…a lot of corporate sponsors. Some sponsors include Coca-Cola and Pontiac. About three years ago, EA Sports added a feature to the game that takes effect more in college football than in the NFL, this feature is the crowd and the noise level in the stadium. Most of the sound in the game takes place on the field and that sound is mostly the crowd. If the game is tight the crowd seems to get more into it, but if the home team is blowing out their opponent, the crowd can get pretty crazy. When not on the gridiron, the sound is mostly college bands playing their fight songs and other college band favorites.

Overall
NCAA 07 Football is the most complete version of a console title in years. EA Sports took their time in creating a deep football gaming experience with its extensive gameplay modes and clear visuals. NCAA 07 Football should be a model of what developers can do with the PSP and truly make it a PlayStation Portable, which is what Sony had intended from the beginning.