NCAA Football 07 Xbox Review

Kobra’s NCAA 2007 Current Generation Review


Let me start off saying first, I admittedly am not as hard core of a NCAA Football player as I am Madden football player. Don’t get me wrong, I have been playing NCAA Football since Bill Walsh College Football on the old Sega system. I can remember buying the NCAA 98 game that had Gator quarterback Danny Wuerffel on the cover. That game was one of the best in the series.

Over the last two seasons (05-06), I have lost some interest in NCAA football. Sure I still would play the game just to keep up with the strategies for the filmroom, but not like I did in 2004, where I couldn’t put the game down. I know a lot of you feel the same way about that version of the game. It was one of better ones in the NCAA Franchise series.

In my opinion NCAA 2007 brings the fun factor close to the same levels as 2004. From an Xs and Os stand point, there is a lot to like to like about this year’s game on both sides. On the offensive side, the revamped playbooks are best the Madden or NCAA have ever seen. There are so many types of schemes you can run, you cannot possible get bored of this game any time soon. The Spread Option, Power Run Game, Pistol Offense, West Coast, Run and Shoot, etc. are all represented.

You will find yourself for weeks trying to find a scheme that fits your style. Once you find that style, then you will have master all the plays. I am sure somewhere out there a high school head coach is all giddy because of the offensive plays he can incorporate into his team's offense in real life. The playbook team EA Tiburon out did themselves and should be applauded for their hard work and effort.

The passing game has been greatly improved this year compared to the last two seasons. I know some of you will disagree with me on this, but college football is a more wide open game than the NFL and therefore scores are generally higher. In NCAA 2007, I feel the game does a good job at reflecting that. Granted there are some passes I have seen that shouldn’t have been completed. Still I will take the good with the bad.

As far as the run game goes, I am not a power inside runner, so I can’t really give an honest opinion on that portion. However, I do like to spread the defense out and run the option. I feel that part of run game is right on par with what you see in the real game. If you have a QB that can move, you will have success with the option. If you don’t then you won’t, it’s that simple.

Screen passes to the HB work amazingly well in this game against the blitz. If someone cares to argue with me about them, feel free to comment on it in this thread. I run the HB Screen pass at least 4 or 5 times a game with great success. The blocking actually works, I hope that EA team can do the same with screens in Madden 07 as they have in NCAA 07.

If I have one gripe on the offensive side of the ball and that is the amount of fumbles I have encountered just after I catch the ball. I know I have pressed the Y button (triangle on PS2) one too many times amd that may have caused me to fumble more often than I am use to. If you guys haven’t figured it out yet, if you press the Y button, your ball carrier will either stiff arm or change hands.

While he is doing this, the chances of him fumbling are enhanced. Most of us pretty much use the y button to jump up for the ball to make the catch. I have to wonder if we are pressing the button again after the catch is made and that’s why we are seeing fumbles. I have been trying to press up on the R3 stick as soon as the ball is caught, the reason I do this is so the receiver will cover the ball up, which will lessen the odds of him fumbling the ball. Also covering the ball up while in control of a running back or quarterback is wise when you are just about to be tackled.

On the defensive side of the ball, the defensive individual playmaker options really help with making adjustments on the fly. If you see your opponent is exploiting a weakness in your defensive scheme, you can make adjustments on the fly to plug the hole. Having different defensive playbooks is another welcome addition the game that’s been long over due. Right now I am running the 4-3 defense, but I may be switching to the multiple playbook that way I can get more variety of formations to throw at my opponent.

I am glad that EA didn’t put random blitz angles in NCAA 07. I like knowing that the defenders are going fill the correct gap to blow up a run or shoot through a gap to put pressure on the QB. Some will argue that not having random blitz angles makes it easier to set up nanos and enhanced blitz packages. Well I beg to differ, with the offensive side of the ball having slide protection, hot route blocking, screen passes, and play action, there is no reason that a nano or an enhanced blitz can’t be countered. I have several enhanced blitz packages I like to run (I will be posting them in the NCAA Filmroom), but I don’t get to the QB every single time. In fact I have been burned my share of times because my opponent made the correct pass protection adjustments.

When it comes to defending the athletic QB in NCAA 2007, I feel it can be done, but you've got to bring your A game. If you can contain a fast QB in this game, then you should have no problems in Madden defending Vick or any other fast QB.

The Spring Swat Drill is a great place to learn to defend the pass. Even if you don’t like NCAA all that much, that drill alone is worth the price of admission if you plan on manually defending receivers in Madden. I wish EA would add that drill to Madden this year.

Ratings really play an important part in the game to me. If you have a dominant defensive end and he is matched up with a weak offensive tackle, there is a good chance he going to get in to pressure on the QB. If you got an impact player running back, he really makes a difference in the outcome of the game.

The new momentum feature in the game really has effect on the teams perform throughout the game. One play can swing the tide into one teams favor, just like real college football. In this game I never feel I am out of it. I was playing the other day and I got down 21-0 nothing in the first quarter, but I never felt I couldn’t come back. I knew all it took was a few big plays on both sides of the ball to get me back in the game. By the time the game was over, I lost, but the final score was 31-28. Even though I lost, I felt good that I was able to come back and make a game of it at the end.

Overall I really like NCAA 07. For those of you who like wide open football, NCAA 07 is a great choice. If you like more of defensive game, you may want to wait for Madden. As I stated earlier, NCAA College Football is more wide open game than the NFL, because there is such a difference in teams and players. That’s what makes the college game different from the NFL. Not every player is gifted.

Finally, I know there are some questionable game play issues in the game, but I feel that EA put some serious effort in bringing back the fun factor in the franchise. To me that’s what it’s all about and NCAA 07 on the current generation consoles delivers in a big way.

PS, I am writing this review on 4 hours of sleep, so forgive me for my grammer.