System: X360, PS3, PS2, Xbox
Dev: EA Tiburon
Pub: EA Sports
Release: July 17, 2007
Players: 1-2
ESRB Rating: Everyone
Review by Jonathan Marx

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Review Rating Legend
1.0 - 1.9 = Avoid
2.0 - 2.4 = Poor
2.5 - 2.9 = Average
3.0 - 3.4 = Fair
3.5 - 3.9 = Good
4.0 - 4.4 = Great
4.5 - 4.9 = Must Buy
5.0 = The Best

The sound effects and in-game commentary are perfect. EA always goes for realism and spares no expense when hiring voiceover talent. The trio of Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Lee Corso make the game authentic. All NCAA football gamers love this crew and have become accustomed to the sounds of their voices. Unfortunately, the crowd noise and the bands have seemingly been muted. They don't feature prominently and the game's setting duly suffers. There really should have been a greater emphasis on the inclusion of the marching bands and university specific tunes and chants that are played and sung after scores, on third down, on kick offs, and the like. Menu music is great, being that it is a compilation of the fight songs of the nation's best universities.

The graphics are very good but not great. Everything is well rendered. Player movements and animations are fluid for the most part, marred only slightly by consistent glitches. The stadiums and weather effects look fantastic. Sadly, the crowds are unremarkable, and the sidelines are lacking atmosphere. Players seem distant and uninterested. There are no cheerleaders, camera crews, active coaching staff, and no kickers warming up. I want to see guys sucking oxygen, drinking cups of Gatorade, being grabbed by the face mask by a fuming defensive coordinator, and proclaiming their status of number one while saying high to their mom. At least mascots are present and do a good job of honoring a team's effort. However, I think more attention to detail was needed to help with the overall feel of the game. After all, that's what separates college football from everything else.

Online play is standard. You'll probably notice some lag, but all in all the game plays well. Ranked matches are fun and allow you to build your reputation. The lobby and general interface is clean and easy to navigate. There are always a lot of players of all skill levels to whom you can be matched. You can quickly hop online and find an opponent in seconds regardless of the time of day. I probably won't play online very much. The experience isn't innovative enough to hold my attention. Besides, I prefer to take my buddies to task in my own living room. That way I can be sure and rub dirt in their face after breaking a 60 yard option play. It's nice to have an efficient, well-made online interface though. I can school my buddies from back home and take on the occasional internet chump to hone my skills and gauge my quality. If you're looking for a unique online football experience this isn't it. However, you probably just want to be able to get online quickly and play competitive games. If that's the case then NCAA 08 has it in spades.

I loved this game. It's really fun, deep, and rewarding. If you're a college football fan, and you probably are, then this is a must buy. It will be the perfect Saturday morning warm up before the afternoon games this fall. There have been a lot of upgrades to the game this year and EA should be rewarded for their efforts. The gameplay is great, and the controls are like butter. The sights, sounds, setting and turnovers were a bit of a downer, but that's what will keep us buying next year. Sometimes being the big man on campus can be tough, but EA carries the moniker with ease and swagger this time around.

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Freelance Writer

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