NCAA College Football 2012

The newest in a long line of EA Sports’ College football series, NCAA Football ’12 does not disappoint. Whether you are a first time buyer or loyalist to the NCAA Football series, this game has something for you.

New and updated features include “Road to Glory”, where the gamer creates a high school prospect, leads his team to the state championship, and eventually earns college scholarship offers and hopefully a Heisman Trophy. Also updated is the addictive Dynasty Mode, in which the recruiting process and program decisions are more realistic than ever.

Other features new to the game are customizable conferences, which allow the user to create their own specialized versions of the Big 10, Pac 12, and more, and the “Coaching Carousel”, where the user competes for coveted coaching jobs. Lastly, EA Sports has perfected authentic gameday traditions to enhance the game atmosphere. Pre game rituals such as Notre Dame’s “Play Like A Champion Today”, Colorado’s “Ralphie the Buffalo” and Ohio State’s “Dotting the I”, among many others, are included.

While the aforementioned features are geared towards the diehard college football fans, game features such as “One Button Mode” and mascot games are still available for the younger game players and family play.

Game features that EA Sports missed on are limited in my opinion. One thing that stands out is graphics. Comparable games such as Madden have sharper, more realistic graphics. Accuracy of player and coach looks could also be improved upon. As far as game play is concerned, not much has changed from the previous year.

The simple control scheme allows for casual game players to have a great experience. However, advanced controls such as audibles, defensive shifts, and hot routes are still available for those who really know their football. Ultimately, the beauty of this game is that it can be made complicated enough for even the best players, yet someone who has never played the game before can compete with ease.

Another strong point for NCAA Football ’12 is the announcing team. Brad Nessler and Kirk Herbstreit are back in the booth, along with Erin Andrews’ sideline reporting. The announcers flow very well with the game and give it a nice realistic feeling. Gone are the days when the announcers say the same thing every ten plays. Nessler, Herbstreit, and Andrews have a rather large arsenal of vocabulary for a video game.

With all things considered, EA Sports has put together a great video game once again. Features such as gameday traditions, dynasty mode, and the broadcast booth make NCAA Football ’12 an addictive, realistic game. Not only will seasoned veterans of the series enjoy the new features, but simple game play allows beginners to gradually learn the game and become quite good. This is a great purchase for any individual who enjoys college football.