The best football game EA Sports has produced that I have played!
I wasn't expecting much from this game, but it really showed me otherwise. One of the first things I've noticed was the movement; it's so much more fluid and realistic than Madden 10's. And along with the more fluid movement came better animations as well, whether it's runing, tackling, blocking, even the celebrations are better. Now, the fact that I am impressed with animation says a lot because I know animations are obsolete, especially in a football "sim." or any sim for that matter. I firmly believe that all movements should be actually simulated instead of animated in most, if not all, modern video games, but this animation is pretty damn good, and does a pretty decent job at mimicing realistic movements. Another thing that I noticed was a huge improvement was the AI - it's so much smarter! I now have decent run blocking and some time in the pocket! And on the other hand, my money plays don't always work! I can't believe I'm excited about that... The gameplay is several steps above Madden 10's in every aspect. Now, outside of the actual gameplay, I was really impressed by the Dynasty mode. I just spend hours on it, trying to get best recruits I can, constantly messing with formation subs to adapt to the AI's adoptation, and overall there is a lot of strategy and is really immersive.
The presentation is something that can use a little work. On one hand, it has some excellent voice acting on commentary in the game, and it does a great job of giving each school it's unique personallity. The downfall is the lack of variety - too much commentary is recycled, and it's always the exact same pre-game presentation, and hardly any variarity in the post-game wrap up. For me, personally, it's a hit or miss. But, it's still several steps above Madden. Another thing that was a hit or miss was Road To Glory. It's missing a lot of personality. I appreciate where this is going, but it's too impersonal.
Now, one of my biggest complaints about this game is the AI as well - It tries too hard to even out the game. Despite the fact that I have superior gameplan, with better players, sometimes the opponent will pull some juggernaut crap right out of their a**'s. Particulalry, when UCLA's HB could run over 3 of my defenders (My school is Cal) on the same play for a 60+ yd TD run, but my created 250lb HB with maxed trucking gets stopped in the open field by a safety 90% of the time. Despite the fact I had such a substantial lead, this type of AI really kills the gameplay for me, at least until the next drive. For others, it may keep your skills sharp, but I play this for fun, not for compitition. Other than that, there are some small things to complain about, but nothing that really kills the overall gameplay: there are some glitches in the animation, lack of physics/momentum, and the HB almost never holds the ball on the outside, which makes stiff-arming really sluggish and maybe the run is difficult to stop. Almost all of this are easily worked around, and it's still a lot of fun to play.
I love this game, and my most memerable game was my season opener at Alabama where I barely snuck a 20-16 victory with Cal. Now, this is the first time I actually had a game I could remember since ESPN NFL 2k5, when I passed 22/24 with 258yrds and 3TD's with Rich Gannon and the Raiders. This could only mean one thing: It's a damn good game for anyone with the appreciation of football.
Bottom-line: If you love football, but you're broke: GET THIS GAME! This game as left such a good impression on me that I'm serious considering buying NCAA Football 12 instead of paying my $64 parking citation...