The PS3 looks to be gaining some ground since it’s price drop last month. In June, Sony’s console sold roughly half of the Xbox 360’s 200k units. In July, they closed the gap a ton. Neither one can catch the Wii though, which is now the fastest selling console of all time. Here’s how they all stacked up in July:
EA Sports had to reinvent their football platforms because the last few installments of both NCAA and Madden have been less than spectacular. The only caveat holding them back was the lack of competition. It seemed that since there are no other licensed titles, they were at a crossroads of sorts. It’s safe to say that after this release, EA Sports is back on the wagon for their football titles. NCAA 2008 gets back to the very basics and improves the core game play and delivers a monster title.
I bought this game at launch and really wanted to cover all angles before dropping the review on you guys. I also recently purchased a 46′ Samsung LCD TV at 1080p and 15000:1 contrast, so I really wanted to see the game on the big screen before making my final decisions so I apologize for the tardiness.
Presentation and Graphics: EA Sports games have not changed their menus and I see no reason why they should. If you have played one title, you have basically memorized the layout and thats a good thing. The great think about college football is the music and fanfare and this is very apparent in the game. You can pick your favorite team and will be greeted to their fight song and a trophy hall with the banners of their rivals and an empty case where your trophies will sit after you unlock them. More on that later. The game runs at a smooth 60 fps and looks absolutely awesome on HD. Their is little to no collision detection and the uniforms, especially the helmets really shine. One of the coolest things to do is play on Boise State’s blue field which looks stunning and a nice change of pace from the usual green. There is also a Weather Channel option when on Live. if you are playing in Texas today, and its 95 degrees in Austin, that will be the temperature of the game. 4 of 5
This is the next gen football experience we have all be waiting for. The past installments of both Madden and NCAA have been crappy at best but this year it really picks up. Some noticeable changes are how smooth the game looks at a nice 60 fps. The PS3 version is only 30 fps, so if you have both systems, this is the version to get. Running the ball is a lot more fluid with running backs falling forward and reaching for first downs and actually breaking a tackle when the obviously have the defender beat. I noticed through the first five games I played that the defensive backs know how to defend a deep ball. Last year, any over the top completion was a walk in the park. Especially when the man was a star player, it was almost an easy 40 yard gain. Now, the man has to really be beaten with a pump fake, play action, or even a look off with the QB vision, the passing game is that much better. I have only begun to scratch the surface of the dynasty and create a legend modes. but you can play your H.S glory days by playing the state tourney with your “legend” and making him that much more sought after for the scouts in the crowd. Also, the achievments are actually very plausible with nothing like a “win 50 games in a row online” or anything like that. The only tough ones are the “set the single game record for rushing or passing” which are about 600 and 400 yards respectively.
Expect a full review soon after more gameplay but this is shaping up to be a thirty pack killer.
In contradiction to previous reports, Kendall Boyd, one of the lead developers and producer of NCAA 08, has confirmed that Madden 08 will in fact run at 60 frames per second on both the Xbox 360 and PS3.
NCAA 08, on the other hand, will only run at 30fps on the PS3. It’s Xbox 360 counterpart will run at 60fps.
This makes my decision on which version to get harder. I strongly prefer the PlayStation controller for Madden games, but also like the amount of friends I have on Xbox Live. Decisions….
Yep, you read that right. Madden 08, All-Pro Football 2K8, and NCAA Football 08 will have half the framerate on the PS3 as it’s Xbox 360 cousin.
1up confirmed this information with both EA and 2K Sports. When they asked Sony about the issue, David Karraker responded:
“We have already proven that sports titles can run on the PlayStation 3 at true HD with 1080p output with NBA 07. […] If you have questions about specific third-party games, you should speak to those publishers.”
So that’s just what 1up did. 2K Sports didn’t want to get into any flame wars, so they didn’t comment. But the juggernaut at EA jumped right in, with Todd Sitrin, EA’s vice president of marketing sports branding, replying to Sony’s statement:
With Brady Quinn and company gone this year, what’s to look forward to with EA’s yearly college football title? Well, they’ve added a bunch of new features that should have been in the next-gen games, just like Madden.
Here’s your HD lovin.
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