NCAA Football 07

NCAA 07 Football knocks us flat with flawless graphics and some of the best sports gameplay ever.

Although the franchise is one of gaming's longest running sports series, NCAA Football is, in many ways, a game of firsts. Never before has a college football game been this fun or looked this good. The level of visual brilliance featured in NCAA 07 is unrivaled in any current sports game, even outdoing EA's own masterpiece, FIFA World Cup. At last, EA Sports has managed to elevate the presentation and graphics to match the broadcast quality commentary and sound. Every character on the field moves with life-like fluidity while the jerseys and helmets reflect light and show dirt and wear just like a real college game. Plus, the great play-by-play is now accompanied by school-specific crowd cheers and realistic fan sections to match the action on the field.

Winning Tradition
Mysteriously, the Xbox 360 version of NCAA Football 07 is missing a few play modes standard in the other (otherwise inferior) console versions. The Campus Legend mode (in which you develop the career of an all-star player from high school recruiting to choosing a college major and competing for the Heisman trophy) has been inexplicably removed from this version, leaving only the traditional Dynasty mode and a handful of multiplayer options and mini-games. However, these fun new mini-games are hardly insignificant afterthoughts, as the Bowling, Tug-of-War, and Option Dash games are ingenious and excitingly fast-paced, cutting straight to the action and offering a terrific competitive two-player dynamic. Other new additions include the easier Varsity mode (designed for series newbies) and the all-new play calling system, which proves a huge step forward in strategic play selection and makes duping your opponents so much easier. The new analogue controlled kicking scheme is also present here, whether traditionalists like it or not; although why anyone wouldn't like smoother PAT's and kickoffs is beyond us.

King of the Consoles
Without a doubt, NCAA 07 Football is a must-own title and one of the greatest football games to date. While some Xbox 360 games are hard to distinguish from their last-generation counterparts, this version of NCAA 07 is by far the superior title and is well worth the extra cash. Football fans who put off buying an Xbox 360 to wait for Madden 07 might want to consider making an early purchase to pick up this paramount achievement in sports gaming.

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