I must admit, I’ve lost a little of the time that I previously spent watching college football in the last few years. However, after playing NCAA Football 10, I may just have to start focusing back in on all of the conferences and star players that are captured here. The first thing that players will experience are the tremendous graphics that are present at all moments of the game play. Furthermore, the audio rendered for this title will have players looking over their shoulder to see if they had left ESPN Classics or something similar on. When players actually get into the nitty gritty of the title, a number of new and updated options await them.
For those players that have problems attempting to read the defense and find the best course of action, an auto pass option has the quarterback throw (should the player not move the analog stick) to the best available receiver. For those individuals that absolutely love the creation aspect of sports simulations, the Teambuilder option may provide the most fulfilling experience ever present in a football title. This allows players to create their own university of sorts and set them off against either AI or human-lead teams. While not typically a game breaker in terms of purchasing a title, the inclusion of real college football reporters – Erin Andrews and Kirk Herbstreit – further enhance the realism present in this title. Where I feel the game succeeds most would have to be the strategy aspects that are present when the team comes down on the field.
This means that there are chains of plays that make sense together. Where a team would expect a pass after two failed runs, for example, a fake pass may be what is necessary to bust a thirty-yard run.
Finally, the Season Showdown option showcases the work that has to be put in to actually creating a championship-challenging team, as players will gain credits with each game they play, each question they answer, and how well of defense and offense one puts up against the other team. With all of these options available, I think that one of the most authoritative sports titles ever has been released. It will be interesting to see how EA Sports expands on this next year.
Rating: 9.2/10
NCAA Football 10 (Playstation 3) / 2009 EA Sports / http://www.easports.com