NCAA Football 06

Written by Adam Woolcott  on August 15, 2005

Review: Now all that's really missing is paying off players.

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After years of progress and enhancements, NCAA Football 2005 was the first step back for EA's celebrated franchise since the game started to rival, if not top, its own Madden NFL franchise. While it was the first time that Xbox owners could play the game via Xbox Live, the game was hampered by busted AI, plodding gameplay, and constant slowdown that could not be ignored, unless you dumped it and bought the smoother PS2 version. Considering they were the only game in town for college football (due to others being terrified of EA's dominance, I guess), there was little anyone could do aside from sticking with NCAA Football 2004. This year though, it's unquestionably the only game in town due to EA's agreement with the NCAA, but unlike last year, EA Tiburon went back to the drawing board and fixed what was wrong with 2005 for NCAA Football 06. Though not an overhaul, NCAA 06 fixes many problems and adds a very cool new playtype, and thus is nearly back to the standards set by the amazing NCAA 2003 and 2004. With the series likely leaping to next-generation consoles next season, EA has gone out and proved some critics wrong by actually fixing what was broke instead of resting on their exclusivity contract.

The Heisman Trophy is the ultimate individual prize in college football, and is probably the most recognized trophy for singular success. Players across the country dream of winning this coveted trophy, but the club of Heisman winners is an elite one. However, EA Sports is giving those with the dream a way to realize it, in video game form. While the Heisman has been awarded in many previous NCAA Football games, NCAA Football 06 is the first to really put emphasis on it, making it an actual mode of play, called Race for the Heisman. It functions somewhat like a stripped-down Dynasty, though the emphasis is on you, or the player you create. At the start you're trying out for scholarships, and depending on how well you do in a drill (based on the position you choose), you'll get offers to play for a handful of teams. Once you choose (or tell them to piss off and walk-on to another school), you can customize you player before he's thrust into the starting lineup as a Freshman. Games themselves play out like normal, but obviously you want to do as much as possible with your player. You don't have any voice on personnel decisions, you can't transfer, or anything like that, instead you sit in your dorm room and read fan mail, oogle at your girlfriend, read the campus newspaper, and whatnot.

Depending on how well you do, you'll build up your Heisman Hype and put yourself in the position to be a Heisman finalist. You can theoretically win every year you play, there's no bias against Freshmen or Sophomores. After 3 years, you have options Ц you can ditch for the NFL and import your player into Madden NFL 06's Superstar Mode, or stay for one more year. Regardless, after your Senior year, you either go into the NFL, or you can retire and go into coaching, and you'll take over the team you're on in a traditional Dynasty. Because it lacks much of the depth of Dynasty, it might appeal to those who don't wish to have all the responsibility, but those who love recruiting and screwing around with all the options will likely view it as a novelty. At the best, it allows for a bridge between NCAA and Madden; though you could always import your draft class, this time it goes beyond that and continuing your career in the pros with the player you built and made a star is a good reason to keep going.

Otherwise, much of the features from NCAA Football 2005 return. The EA Sports Bio, a staple of the last couple years of EA Sports games, has been wiped away, which is disappointing. EA also got rid of those college classics that were a part of 2004 and 2005, so no more replaying some of the greatest moments in college football history. The Dynasty mode has been further deepened Ц the addition of in-season recruiting is really cool. While the offseason does function the same, you can win over prized recruits easier this time around, by going after them mid-season. Perform well, and they'll take interest in your offer. You can invite them to games on campus, and if you play well then, you might win them over completely and sign a great player before anyone else can. Of course, the game also features many create-a modes, for creating players, teams, and whatnot. You can even have the game auto-name players, so it's not just numbers out there until you get recruits on the team. And last but not least NCAA 06 is naturally Xbox Live compatible for online play.

One of the biggest problems with NCAA '05 was the flawed passing game. Past NCAA games have never really had the same precision passing as you'd find in Madden, unless you played as a team with a strong quarterback. NCAA 2005 was worse than ever, thanks to DB's that moved at the speed of light to break plays up. Almost every pass was contested with a doubleteam, and even finding an open receiver was a pain. Thankfully, NCAA 06's passing game is far more open, and though it doesn't use the vision passing of Madden 06, generally the passing game is more generous and realisitic. It also can be a bit easy, but sliders can adjust this to be more challenging. The running game hasn't changed much, and it's still pretty simple to run up 5-6 yards every run, especially when you run a play meant for north south and ultimately go east west around the line. However, new defensive changes make the linemen far more fierce and hit very hard and actually can cause some damaging injuries if you're not careful. And though it's been 3 years since Visual Concepts implemented the 'getting skinny' move to get around linemen, EA has yet to do anything about this, so you can expect the infamous Mario running (where you just hit the wall known as offensive linemen until you break free) once again. I certainly hope for the next-generation versions, this is fixed.