Madden Planet : NCAA 08 First Look

NCAA 08 news starts dropping

After a press event at EA Tiburon in Orlando this week, we now have a better idea of what to expect from NCAA Football 08. EA chose to reveal some information about a few of the features that they will be including in the game this year and we're cautiously optimistic about all of them. Here's a rundown of what each of the three major gaming sites have reported, with an additional breakdown on the new features.

IGN

IGN pays particular attention to the gameplay developments for 08 :

"The focus on the field is dynamic gameplay, and thanks to a new branching animation system, your quarterback can sprint left on the option, get gang-tackled, pitch the ball to a halfback before falling down, who then sprints to the sideline to outrun a defensive end before cutting straight upfield, hurdling into the air before being spun around by a mean-spirited free-safety that doesn't like guys hurdling on his football field."

"Our senior CB happens to be an impact player, and his influence extends to the rest of his team. As part of NCAA Football 08's Lead By Example feature, the rest of the team is so enamored with our senior CB's score that they are in the zone, bursting with confidence, ready to run right over their opponents straight to the nearest sorority house."

"Campus Legend makes great use of the new Super Sim feature that allows you to skip single plays or to the next change of possession. You can still watch every play from the sideline through the eyes of your legend, but you can also skip ahead to the next time he takes the field. Super Sim is available in every game, which will come in handy during Dynasty mode when you want to get your second stringers on the field to mop up."

The full preview at IGN is here.

Gamespot

At Gamespot, they covered the gameplay and an interesting new video feature :

"As featured in the game demonstration, the motivation system will reward individual players with boosts to their motivation level when they perform well on the field. The better and more consistently a player performs, the more motivation he will earn as he goes. As the old saying goes, success begets success, and as motivation builds up, that player will eventually get into the zone (something previously reserved only for the aforementioned impact players). If you've got a player in the zone and he pulls off a huge play, such as a big touchdown run or a game-changing interception, he can inspire the entire team with a huge performance boost. It's known as "leading by example" in the game, and these kinds of huge-motivation moments can change the direction of a game."

"An improved replay system will let you go back and revisit practically any play in a game (though producers were quick to point out that you could only do so in games with shorter quarter lengths). Once you've found a highlight you're particularly fond of, you can then choose to create a highlight of that play. This lets you choose from multiple camera angles to take a snapshot or segment of game-generated video. From there, you can either save these photos or videos on your hard drive or upload them to share with friends."

"With NCAA 08's Campus Legend mode, you'll start out by playing in a high school football tournament. Your first few games as a player will be played in small high school stadiums. Once your team makes it to the championship, with you leading the way, naturally, you'll get your first taste of college atmosphere when you play in a college stadium for the first time. Play your high school tournament in Tennessee, for example, and your championship game will take place at Neyland Stadium (home of the Volunteers). After each game in the tournament, you'll get a feel for your performance, as well as an idea of the various scouts that were in attendance to check you out. The higher you're rated as a performer, the more options you'll have once it comes time to commit to a Division 1-A team."

The full preview at Gamespot is here.

Team Xbox

Entertaining guests has never been so easy :

"Those saved videos and photos are displayed in the all-new 3D shrine that acts as a home base behind the menu system. The shrine not only sexily displays a reel of your videos and two photos, but it also houses the newly arrived trophies that you’ll be able to earn. There are tons of trophies to earn, way more than the sizable trophy case can hold. Chris Fowler will provide an audio clip for each letting you know a bit of a backstory. You’ll need it too, some of the trophies are so eclectic that you’ll likely have no idea what they are, or the story behind them. Still cool nonetheless."

Back to campus legend mode and :

"On your off-days in Campus Legend mode you’ll have the option of a few collegiate activities. Granted you’ll have to go to practice, and that entails running through ten plays to try and up your attributes before your next game, but you’ll also need to decide how to spend your free time. Playing in a pick-up basketball game could get you some higher attributes, or it could break your ankle, ruining your chances of overtaking the senior that currently starts in your position. There are plenty of different activities to try, some safer than others, and no, drinking at a frat party and hitting the bong are not options (though they certainly should be)."

"Remember how older versions of NCAA would assign a score to your game, letting you know how it ranked against great games of the past? Well now you’ll get what’s being called a Greatness Score for each and every play. There’s some long and drawn out formula that churns out the score, it takes into account the players in the play, the teams playing, conditions, and so on. There will undoubtedly be achievements tied to this, and it will be a comparative gauge for you when you hoist your plays up online."

The full article at Team Xbox is here.