NCAA 2010: A Review by a 30-Year-Old
This week used to be filled with anticipation. I’d already have put down my $5 and have my reserve receipt ready. Even find a way to leave work early on that special Tuesday. I couldn’t wait to get the game, get home, and spend basically an entire night with that year’s version of NCAA (yes, most of this all occurred before Mrs. TBG was around…not all of it, but most of it).
This year was a little different. There was no reservation. The anticipation was there, but was somewhat silenced. I didn’t spend countless minutes finding out about new features, player ratings, etc. I had no idea where, or even if, I was going to download rosters. I was ready for NCAA 2010, but wasn’t waiting with bated breath. Maybe it’s because I’m older now. Maybe it’s because I’ve had every single version of the game and am played out. Maybe I just don’t have the desire to play that I once had.
Now, it’s two days later. I didn’t download the rosters. I haven’t been perusing message boards to see what people think of the game play. And I actually haven’t even played an entire game yet. But I have had a chance to take a look at what’s new this year and I’ve come up with my conclusions. Most of which aren’t good. But then again, all I really want out of these games anymore is fun. I don’t need ultra-realistic game play. I don’t need names on everyone (I decided to only name one certain team). And I don’t need fancy new features. I play dynasty mode. That’s it. As long as it remains fun, I’ll keep coming back.
But speaking of those new features (three in particular); I have come to my conclusions. And they aren’t great…
Road to Glory: Isn’t this Campus Legend? Or Race for the Heisman? Is it really an all-new feature if it’s appeared in the past? When this feature first came out, I actually liked it. Or better yet, I liked the idea of it. It was almost like a fun mini-game to pass the time. If you wanted to play, but didn’t feel like getting deep into your dynasty, it was a good alternative. But that’s it. It doesn’t have the staying power of dynasty mode and therefore, probably doesn’t get much more than a glance. But there’s a pro. A big, big, BIG pro. ERIN ANDREWS! Andrews makes her NCAA debut and gives anyone a reason to run through Road to Glory at least once. Or twice. Okay, so this feature is a pretty good. No, that’s not true. Erin Andrews is more than good. She’s a beautiful Florida alum that appears in an NCAA game! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!?
Season Showdown:
Based on what you do in the game, you earn points for your favorite school. When you go online, those points are counted toward that school and ranked against those playing for other schools. In the end, some school will get the Season Showdown National Championship based on what NCAA players do. Snore. I don’t play online. I never have. I never plan to. And I really don’t care if some pimple-faced teenager earns the Gators 10 points by winning a few online games. NEXT!
TeamBuilder: I remember back in the day when creating a school was kind of fun. It was another one of those time passers and offered up a good challenge when you tried to turn a cupcake into a powerhouse. But it ran its course with me. I don’t want to play with fake schools any more. I want to use the real thing. But now they say they’ve improved it. You build your team online and can then import it (or those others created) into your game. So I went to the site and gave it a spin. Unless I’m missing something, it’s basically the same stuff you could do years ago. Yeah, you can upload your own logos now, but that’s about all that’s different. That and when I tried to test it out on my console, it told me I needed credits to be able to download created schools to my game. No thanks. It’s not for me.
In the end, what I’ve seen of the game so far is good. At least the parts I actually use. It fulfills my need and I’m sure it will be fun to play. But it’s yet another year with new features I won’t touch. Luckily (for me at least) they never seem to change the game play enough to turn me off. I can always pick up the new version and get acclimated to it fairly quickly. Now it’s just a question of how much I’ll actually play.