Sometimes, you play a game and it just feels right. While there may be a few annoying bugs and a few quirks about a game, it still doesn't diminish your overall opinion of that game.
I felt this once already this year with MLB '08: The Show. I have seen more strange little bugs and have had a few fairly "out of this world" experiences with that game. But I also truly believe it is this year’s best sports game to date.
As a writer and reviewer of some titles, I cannot take the promise of a future patch into consideration when issuing a score on a game, just like the NFL could not hand the Patriots the Lombardi trophy just because they were favored to win.
However, I can say that when the time comes for the end of the year awards, a patched NCAA Football '09 on my little PS3 could be in the running for the Game of the Year.
As it stands right now, NCAA Football '09 is a game which is extremely fun to play and as such warrants a high review score. While there is just enough wrong with the gameplay out of the box to hold it back from receiving a nine or higher, I would give it a score somewhere just below that mark if I were the one reviewing the game. Most of the initial issues can be band-aided with a right set of slider settings, but it's hard to discount the game favors the offense heavily right out of the box. I am already almost finished with year two of my dynasty, and I have only had the game for two days. Even though I am getting older (in my early 20s), I cannot remember ever playing that much NCAA just after its release.
Overall, the Playstation 3 version of the game runs similar to its counterpart on the 360 and looks very similar as well. I would bet both versions with an HDMI output into my 42" TV would look rather similar if they were running side by side.
As with most sports games, the choice on which console you want to play on simply rests on which online service you prefer.
Speaking of online play, I have logged just two games in thus far and both were score-fests to the highest order. Both games were frustrating, yet fun experiences. Frustrating because my defense couldn't manage a stop minus a turnover, but also fun because the games were close and you just knew the next play could be "it."
EA was touting this to be the main goal for this year's title, and I would have to say they accomplished their mission.
In single player Dynasty mode, with some slider tweaks to the kicking power and accuracy as well as to some other variables, I have managed to get an NCAA which I am getting very realistic scores and very realistic results.
So far, losing just means I made the wrong calls at the wrong time. I have never felt cheated and my losses have never felt cheap. Dynasty mode itself has not been improved drastically like last year, but it has been given a facelift, making it very accessible to all players.
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