We’re still over a year away from the release of EA Sports College Football. However, fans are so excited they’re already discussing who should be on the cover, and what modes they’d like to see return. While we can’t wait for the revival of the series, we’d like to take a look back. Here’s a list of the top 5 NCAA Football games that we just can’t live without.
5. NCAA Football 2001
The Playstation 1 NCAA game surprisingly holds up very well to this day. Sure the gameplay and animations may be outdated, but there’s a lot to do.
NCAA Football 2001 is on the list purely because of it’s great variety of content. You could create a player, create a school, or create a custom league or tournament. Season and Dynasty schedules could also be fully customized. If you wanted to have a schedule facing off against the toughest teams, the choice was yours.
It was also the last NCAA Football game to have a playoff mode in its Dynasty Mode. Up to 24 teams could play against each other at the end of the season. What made this fun was that it wouldn’t just be the no. 1 and 2. teams anymore playing each other at the end. Now they had to prove their worth against the other teams who fought hard during the season.
Gameplay wise, NCAA 2001 introduced a couple of mechanics that were fun. One was being able to play as any player on either side of the ball. Want to just be the WR and let the CPU do the passing? Go ahead! Want to be the halfback before the QB even takes the snap, the world is yours.
It was also nice being able to edit player names, as NCAA regulations at the time prevented real player names from being in the game. It was a nice workaround. NCAA won’t let you play with real player names? That’s fine, you can just change it yourself.
Fun fact: Shaun Alexander, the cover athlete of this game, is also the cover athlete for Madden NFL 07, another great sports game.
4. NCAA Football 2004
Another great NCAA game on one of the best eras of console gaming. NCAA Football 2004 had many similarities to 2003. Gameplay wise there isn’t much to talk about. It’s still a fantastic college football simulation game that comes with what you’d expect.
However, what makes this game stand out is the new features implemented into the title. Creating a school gave access to a whole suite of logos with customizable colors. You could also edit the team’s mascot, playbook, play style, rival, and all sorts of stadium details. The result was an extremely immersive college football game with a boat load of stuff you could do.
The game also had updated presentation features. You could see players heading out of the locker room and running out onto the field. Touchdown celebrations could now cause unsportsmanlike penalties, making the experience more real. Dynasty Mode gave you access to a Sports Illustrated page that highlighted everything going on in the league. From there you could see things like Preseason Polls and Heisman watchlist.
NCAA 2004 should also be credited as the first game in the series with online play. But if you’re looking to play by yourself don’t worry. You could still play Dynasty Mode, Mascot Game, and re-live historic moments in College Football moments.
3. NCAA Football 2008
NCAA 07 was great, but its Xbox 360 edition lacked some of the game modes that its predecessors had. Then, NCAA Football 2008 came around a year later, and all was well again. It introduced the next-gen improvements that fans were expecting in 07. It’s understandable that the transition to a new console may cause some hiccups, but it’s good to see the series got right back on track.
The game introduced new features that were great for the time. Player motivation was a big factor and it made sense. Is your starting QB struggling? That may affect his overall play. But if he makes up for it with a streak of good performances he’ll improve. Recruiting also became a lot more in depth. It allowed recruiting visits, and was the first NCAA Game could make promisees.
Is a highly valued prospect thinking of coming to your school? You can sweeten the pot by promising a certain amount of playing time, offering a starting position day one, or other things.
Create a player was still fun as ever, though it was a shame that you didn’t control the whole team anymore. Regardless, the gameplay experience was still a blast. There were more animations and more stadiums, meaning you could play longer without getting bored.
2. NCAA Football 11
One of the last NCAA Football games ever made, and still one of the greatest. It’s important to take a step back and appreciate everything NCAA 11 did as a game. The new engine created more realistic movements. Referees were finally on the field, auto-saves were convenient, a deep team builder mode was implemented, and more.
It was the first NCAA game with ESPN presentation too. Even the little details were great like numbers on player helmets, better detailed gear, and team-specific game entrances. And the gameplay was phenomenal. Both the offensive and defensive side of the ball was much easier to control. It all made for a great experience, whether you were just playing an exhibition match or playing in Dynasty Mode.
Speaking of Dynasty, there was an all-new addition in the mode that we’re sure many fans dearly miss. Dynasty Wire was awesome at the time and it was sad to see it go. In Online Dynasties you could see a web-generated report that covers all the major happenings in your league. So you could showboat to your friends when your team climbs up to #1 on the rankings, or if you break a league-wide record.
It may not be the absolute best NCAA Football game, but it’s near-perfect. In terms of gameplay and presentation it stands as one of the best football games ever.
1. NCAA Football 14
EA Sports’ last NCAA game is by far the greatest in the series. It expanded on the gameplay and presentation we all came to love with the NCAA series. It introduced a whole new suite of gameplay features too. Stumble Recovery, Power Recruiting, Coach Skills and Contracts, Neutral site games, More chants and fight songs, the list goes on and on.
Gameplay-wise it stands as the best in the series too. There’s more animations meaning most tackles don’t look the same. Dynasty Mode was bigger and better than ever, and you could customize the league any way you wanted. Want to move Oregon State to the Big Ten Conference and Ohio State to the FBS? Go ahead, it’s your game. With 126 schools to choose from, it was hard to get bored with all the variety.
That crisp ESPN Style presentation was so awesome and immersed the player even more into the experience. There was even a halftime show with Rece Davis and David Pollack. The menus were simple and easy to understand, and you didn’t feel intimidated.
To this day people still play NCAA 14, and for good reason. Good luck trying to get a physical copy nowadays, as prices have skyrocketed to upwards of $300 (USD). If you held on to your copy, cherish it. Who knows if we’ll get a game this good again.
For more sports video game articles and news, check out ClutchPoints Gaming for more.
Follow Us
Subscribe