NCAA Football 07
Encyclopedia
NCAA Football 07 is a collegiate football
video game published by Electronic Arts
. The product features former USC
player Reggie Bush
on the cover. While there weren't any stunning new features added to the PS2 and Xbox games, tweaks were added to improve the existing features.
The theme for 07 is "Turn the Tide." Like the 2005 version
said for home-field advantage, this year's version emphasizes that momentum is more important in college football than any other sport. This is illustrated by a momentum meter on the score graphic at the top (or bottom, in the case of the Xbox 360 version) of the screen. The more the meter is shifted towards a team, the better its players will perform (ex. If momentum bar is all the way full with a +5 number below it (or above it), all players on the team will have their attributes boosted 5 points).
NCAA Football 07 also includes spring drills, an update to Race for the Heisman mode called Campus Legend (which plays more like NFL Superstar mode in Madden
), ESPN
integration, and a spring game in Dynasty and Campus Legend modes. ESPN integration is expected to increase with the next NCAA Football releases.
A demo was released for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace
for download on July 12th. It was announced by Major Nelson
on his podcast. Eagles NFL Quarterback Michael Vick
appears in an opening cameo for the Virginia Tech Hokies
, where Vick attended.
Campus Legend was not available on the Xbox 360 Version of the game.
during the 40 Yard Dash.)
Another change in NCAA Football 07 is which schools you can attend. Rather than choosing one of three scholarships or applying as a walk-on to another program, performance in camp determines your points and the distribution of those to your player will determine the caliber of your player (between one and five stars). This in turn determines how many of the 119 schools one can sign with and how highly those teams are ranked that you sign with. For example, a five-star recruit has the option to sign with any Division 1-A program of any rank and has a 50% popularity bonus, while a four-star recruit can sign with any Division 1-A program without the bonus. The lower the caliber, the fewer schools and lower rank one can choose from.
, 1-AA team nicknames, sports geography). Academic performance will improve a player's ratings, but one must choose a major that improves relevant ratings. For example, a quarterback would not want to major in something that would improve his tackling ability. In your dorm room, there is also a fan mail box, where you can read generated mail from your fans. Also added is an NCAA progress report, where you can check your GPA, athletic goals, attribute point bonuses, and popularity; a computer to check rankings anywhere from the Heisman watch to All-Americans to the coaches' and AP polls; a closet to edit appearance, gear, and attribute points; and a school magazine chronicling headlines from your team (or, in case of a senior year, they will boast about the player). The dorm room also featured a picture of the player's current girlfriend, with the beauty depending on the player's success; this feature was removed for the NCAA football 08 edition.
, where the player is put at the 20-yard line of the opponent's end zone and a touchdown is considered a strike
and if a touchdown scored on a second down play is a spare
, as in bowling. Graphics in the game were well-done and showed great representation. Other problems with the game were offensive or created or edited players in the game imported to Madden NFL 07
were un-signable at a rating of "99" and contracted at a high amount of money which were over the game's salary cap. Also draft classes had defensive players as listed as top five picks and very few offensive players were top five or top ten picks in the NFL Draft. "Create-a-player" required the player to insert the player's name and gear, but the player's look or appearance could not be changed after the player was created. Also unlike Madden NFL 07
players ratings and names could be edited.
version of the game is the most critically successful, receiving an 87.8% on GameRankings.
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
video game published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
. The product features former USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
player Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
on the cover. While there weren't any stunning new features added to the PS2 and Xbox games, tweaks were added to improve the existing features.
The theme for 07 is "Turn the Tide." Like the 2005 version
NCAA Football 2005
NCAA Football 2005 is an American college football video game which was released on July 15, 2004. The product features former Pittsburgh Panthers and current Arizona Cardinals standout wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald on the cover. The game is the NCAA Football series released by EA...
said for home-field advantage, this year's version emphasizes that momentum is more important in college football than any other sport. This is illustrated by a momentum meter on the score graphic at the top (or bottom, in the case of the Xbox 360 version) of the screen. The more the meter is shifted towards a team, the better its players will perform (ex. If momentum bar is all the way full with a +5 number below it (or above it), all players on the team will have their attributes boosted 5 points).
NCAA Football 07 also includes spring drills, an update to Race for the Heisman mode called Campus Legend (which plays more like NFL Superstar mode in Madden
Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 07 is the 2007 edition of the popular Madden NFL series. It is the first in the video game series to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is on the cover.-Features:...
), ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
integration, and a spring game in Dynasty and Campus Legend modes. ESPN integration is expected to increase with the next NCAA Football releases.
A demo was released for download on the Xbox Live Marketplace
Xbox Live Marketplace
The Xbox Live Marketplace is a virtual market designed for Microsoft's Xbox 360 console that allows Xbox Live members to download purchased or promotional content...
for download on July 12th. It was announced by Major Nelson
Larry Hryb
Lawrence "Larry" Hryb , also known by his Xbox Live gamertag Major Nelson, is the Director of Programming for the Microsoft gaming network Xbox Live. His blog "Xbox Live's Major Nelson" provides an "inside" look at operations at Microsoft's Xbox division. He picked the gamertag Major Nelson after a...
on his podcast. Eagles NFL Quarterback Michael Vick
Michael Vick
Michael Dwayne Vick is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League...
appears in an opening cameo for the Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams officially representing Virginia Tech in college sports. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 19 varsity sports. Virginia Tech's men's sports are football, basketball, baseball, cross country, golf, soccer,...
, where Vick attended.
Campus Legend
Campus Legend, for the most part, runs on the same system as its predecessor, Race for the Heisman. One creates a player, goes to a football camp, performs in drills, and is awarded a scholarship to play for a Division 1-A program. However, changes begin right from the start of camp.Campus Legend was not available on the Xbox 360 Version of the game.
Camp
Rather than picking one drill to participate in, the player participates in a series of four drills which vary by position. (e.g. player gains attribute points - one to sixteen points depending on the performance - by repeatedly tapping A on the XboxXbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
during the 40 Yard Dash.)
Picking a school
The Dorm
Once moved into the dorm, a player is required to choose a major. While some are legitimate (e.g. chemistry, sports medicine, English), others are rather odd (e.g. ESPNESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, 1-AA team nicknames, sports geography). Academic performance will improve a player's ratings, but one must choose a major that improves relevant ratings. For example, a quarterback would not want to major in something that would improve his tackling ability. In your dorm room, there is also a fan mail box, where you can read generated mail from your fans. Also added is an NCAA progress report, where you can check your GPA, athletic goals, attribute point bonuses, and popularity; a computer to check rankings anywhere from the Heisman watch to All-Americans to the coaches' and AP polls; a closet to edit appearance, gear, and attribute points; and a school magazine chronicling headlines from your team (or, in case of a senior year, they will boast about the player). The dorm room also featured a picture of the player's current girlfriend, with the beauty depending on the player's success; this feature was removed for the NCAA football 08 edition.
During the year
Campus Legend introduces a challenge for the player to balance academic performance, athletic performance, and campus popularity in hopes of becoming the greatest to ever attend his school. Each weekday on the calendar in the dorm has a morning, afternoon, and evening event. The morning event is always classes (with the exception of the midterm and final exams), and is automatically simulated (unless it's an aforementioned test). The afternoon event is always practice, where one can earn attribute points if he performs well enough. The evening event gives the player a choice of studying (a pop-up on the screen that gives the answer to a potential exam question), meeting with a tutor (a two-night event where one receives a five-question quiz to improve his GPA), participating in a position drill (a two-night event where the player takes part in one of his position's four specific drills from camp to earn attribute points), or participating in a campus social activity, which boosts popularity. Weekends are simulated except for the game, if there is one that weekend.NCAA Football 07 on the Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 version of the game was thought by many to be incomplete as it lacked features of the console versions such as Campus Legend mode and Spring Drills. However the game featured several mini-games of its own such as bowlingBowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
, where the player is put at the 20-yard line of the opponent's end zone and a touchdown is considered a strike
Strike (bowling)
A strike is a term used in bowling to indicate that all of the pins have been knocked down with the first ball of a frame. On scoresheets, a strike is symbolized by an X.-Scoring:...
and if a touchdown scored on a second down play is a spare
Spare (bowling)
A spare is a term used in bowling to indicate that all of the pins have been knocked down after the second ball of a frame. The symbol for a spare is a slash mark ....
, as in bowling. Graphics in the game were well-done and showed great representation. Other problems with the game were offensive or created or edited players in the game imported to Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 07 is the 2007 edition of the popular Madden NFL series. It is the first in the video game series to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is on the cover.-Features:...
were un-signable at a rating of "99" and contracted at a high amount of money which were over the game's salary cap. Also draft classes had defensive players as listed as top five picks and very few offensive players were top five or top ten picks in the NFL Draft. "Create-a-player" required the player to insert the player's name and gear, but the player's look or appearance could not be changed after the player was created. Also unlike Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 07
Madden NFL 07 is the 2007 edition of the popular Madden NFL series. It is the first in the video game series to be released for the PlayStation 3 and Wii consoles. Former Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander is on the cover.-Features:...
players ratings and names could be edited.
Awards & Reception
The XboxXbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
version of the game is the most critically successful, receiving an 87.8% on GameRankings.
Awards
- Received IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's award for Best PS2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
Sports Game of 2006. - Gaming TargetGaming TargetGaming Target is a website covering video games and gaming culture that was founded on February 17, 1999 by Matt Swider.-History:When it launched in 1999, Gaming Target focused solely on the Nintendo 64 and Game Boy Color...
- "52 Games We'll Still Be Playing From 2006" selection