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NCAA Football 08

EMAIL PRINTxbox360

7.7 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 30 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 41 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Tiburon

Genre(s): Sports, Football

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: July 17, 2007

Summary

In NCAA Football 08, players look to be a leader and become a legend on the field. With all-new Leadership Control, players now lead by example and control the action on the field and can increase their sphere of influence by improving their players' personal ratings on each big play. For the first time, the game features a new and deeper recruiting system and an all-new Campus Legend mode. [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: NCAA Football 06 NCAA Football 07 NCAA Football 2003 NCAA Football 2004 NCAA Football 2005

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central GameFAQs GameSpot Guide

Also On The Web: Official Website RollTide Trojan Update

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

Games Radar (in-house)

Easily the best football game yet for the Xbox 360. Sporting a beautiful look and feel and more modes than you can shake a stick at, it’ll cure your football fever all season long.

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Armchair Empire

The band playing the classic school fight songs, the cheering of the crowd and realistically rendered stadiums combine with the smooth animations that the 60 frames-per second NCAA Football 08 delivers for a magnificent gaming experience, including a perfect balance of solid running and passing controls.

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PGNx Media

NCAA 08 is more fleshed-out than its predecessor and by being so improves on the key complaint against that game.

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AtomicGamer

A silky smooth 60 frames-per-second performance benchmark.

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Electronic Gaming Monthly

Two necessary fixes, EA: 08 needs more online options, and let my QB get some air under the ball. Otherwise, this is brilliant. [Sept 2007, p.87]

Team Xbox

While this year's iteration fell just a bit short of greatness, we'll just have to wait to see if the game strikes the Heisman in during its junior year.

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1UP

From the very first snap, you'll notice this game runs a whole lot faster and smoother than last year's edition, thanks to the necessary bump to 60 frames per second.

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Gaming Target

This year's game isn't drastically different from NCAA 07, but NCAA Football 08 is still a lot better than its predecessor. Added depth means you'll play a ton longer, and tightened up gameplay makes for a game that plays much better than before.

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Gaming Nexus

For this year's version of NCAA Football 08, EA has included some features that they shouldn't have omitted from last year's version. The graphics haven't taken a great leap but it's been polished up a little more. The campus legend mode isn't to bad and I do enjoy that you can participate on only defense or offense if you so desire.

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XboxAddict

I would recommend speeding the recruitment phase up a little, you can get lost in the moment and spend more time recruiting than actually playing.

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Gamers' Temple

NCAA Football 08 is a good step forward for next-gen, HD college football gaming, but there's still plenty of room for improvement

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Console Gameworld

Online issues aside, EA has never released such a feature rich and incredibly polished college football game.

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IGN

It's on the edge of greatness as well, particularly thanks to a deeper Dynasty mode and inclusion of Campus Legend mode that helps add to the replayability of the title. However, the game still features a number of technical and balancing issues that keep it from being a truly great football game.

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Gaming Age

It's nice to see such a strong effort come forth from EA and I only hope they keep this kind of intensity in the future with their other franchises as well. NCAA Football 08 is a must buy for any fan of the grid iron.

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GameZone

EA has made some strides over last year’s college football game, and the main reason why is that they finally included all of the features from previous console generations game.

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GamerNode

The addition of Campus Legend adds a lot of value to the title, despite the still-lacking online portion.

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GameDaily

NCAA Football 08 does for EA's vaunted franchise what Carson Palmer did for USC a few years ago -- it ushers in a return to glory.

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Gamer 2.0

The gameplay could have been enhanced a bit more, but the same great football game you have come to enjoy over the years is still the best any fan can hope for.

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Game Almighty

The game's still not perfect, but the end result is a college football title with the depth to appease fans of the sport yet simple enough to attract newcomers. Hardcore fans might be disappointed with the presentation, which doesn't always feel like college football, but there's no denying that the gameplay has been tuned to perfection.

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GameSpot

The in-game presentation doesn't have much of a college football feel to it, and the amount of turnovers will likely frustrate many hardcore fans. But even with these issues, NCAA Football 08 is a great game and another step in the right direction for the franchise.

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Game Informer

For all that it does right, perhaps it’s telling that this series has improved its presentation off of the field, while still lacking some of it on the field. It’s these kind of intangibles (and those above) that need to be addressed to unify all of NCAA’s elements – as well as some of them are done – to create the ultimate college football experience.

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Official Xbox Magazine

Feels slighly unfinished: the load times are long, the camera hiccups and stutters on occasion, and some of the onfield play should be tighter... but the game's bright spots are so good that we're still enthusiastically playing. [Sept 2007, p.82]

Game Over Online

A very good football game. It's not without it minor flaws, such as some clipping in animations, weird AI issues from time to time, and some awkward looking hits and collisions. None of these tend to affect the gameplay at all, however.

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Operation Sports

It’s the best football game available on the Xbox 360 and a solid improvement over last year’s maiden Next Gen voyage.

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DarkStation

It has done a great job of moving in the right direction in this game, but you still feel it could have been much more in the future. However if you're a fan of the series and need your college football fix for the year, this game is a great option for you.

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GameTrailers

An example of misappropriated resources. The things that weren't broken have been changed, and lingering issues have gone untouched. With that said, there's plenty of game here.

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Game Chronicles

I gave this game a 7.8 more because it is better than last year’s version, but not a lot better. In my gut I don’t think it deserves that high a score, but the fact is it has improved graphics and gameplay, it’s just lacking in everything else.

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GameShark

Playing in a multi-player Dynasty is A Grade fun despite the flaws, Campus Legend is certainly worth investigating and online play remains a bright spot. So even though the game is peppered with major and minor annoyances, there is definitely fun to be had. It just all depends on your perspective.

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Game Revolution

Buggier than Missouri in July, and I don’t want to see you go bat crazy again like you did when I tried to change the save settings or save highlight film at the end of the game. By and large, these bugs are probably just growing pains, but you better work those issues out with the team therapist before I catch you organizing dog fights.

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Cheat Code Central

I just wish that it looked a little nicer, and there was more depth of gameplay added to the Campus Legend mode.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 7.7 (out of 10) based on 41 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

aj jay gave it a7:
Like any other EA game, it's chock full of bugs, but thankfully most of them aren't show stoppers. It's quite a bit better than last years model, and probably not as good as next years. In general though, it's a good amount of fun.

Jaguar gave it a5:
NCAA 08 is a let down. There are many little bugs. EA doesn't even try. I've only played through one season and so far I've noticed my defense lining up backwards and throws straight up into the air. Is it really that hard to keep players from bumping into each other and walking through each other? Why do my players stand around and look confused so much? Then there are the rediculous amount of interceptions and turn overs. Like others said, defense doesn't matter much, you can pick anything really. The game also recommends the wrong players a lot, it's very annoying. It only displays in 720p? That's how they met the frame rate target, by dropping the resolution. Overall a pathetic game from EA. I feel ripped off.

Spongeee gave it an8:
My first NCAA Football game - I must say, it's pretty fun. I am a diehard Madden fan so I was reluctant, but NCAA delievers, esp with the 60fps which Madden will finally get. The game is based on raw talent and emotion, unlike the Madden game, which is more professional and precise. The motivation factor is a great additoin too.

Slingblade gave it a3:
My biggest gripe is the slow speed and poor running animations. If a guy runs a 40yd dash in real life at under 4.5, that should translate to the virtual field. It doesn't. I tested it and the fastest guys run the 40 a full second slower. That may not seem like a big deal, but mathematically, that's like a 20% decrease. In a game where timing is everything, fouling up this aspect of the game is unforgiveable. If you want to stare at nice stadiums and player models and could care less about how exciting the game is to play, this is your game. Best bet is to rent first before you buy. Guarantee you won't rent twice much less buy.

Steve R. gave it an8:
NCAA Football 08 is a solid entry into the EA Sports college football series. At 60 frames per second, NCAA 08 runs smooth and plays fast. New additions to recruting in Dynasty mode will keep gamers busy between weeks in their seasons. Campus Legend mode allows users to create their own prospect and take them through high school playoffs and into the cutthroat world of NCAA football. To be a legend, players must practice hard and work hard in the classroom to maintain a minimum GPA so they can stay on the field. These modes are fun and will take up most of the user's time. Another key addition is the Shrine and highlights aspects, which allow gamers to view their greatest plays and all of those hard-earned trophies.On the downside, turnovers are too rampant, while penalties are non-existant. Some graphical issues (players going through one another) arise, but aren't too distracting. Finally, Create-A-Team, alternate uniforms, D-1AA teams, referees, cheerleaders, and chain gangs are missing. These are minor gripes for this reviewer, but some feel that next-gen gamers are being left out of some of the best parts of past NCAAs. After weighing the pros and cons, 08 is still a great game that will not disappoint any football fan.

Rob S. gave it a7:
Negatives: Excessive interceptions, slow downs during menus between plays, recruiting drags and becomes more work than fun, crowds are generic still, not much different graphically with the players than last year, college atmosphere is lacking (mainly due to the poor crowds/sideline graphics). Positives: gameplay is better, blocking is realistic, fun factor is higher, very very smooth with the higher frame rate. Madden fanboys and 2K fanboys are ruining the honest reviews on the net so please be VERY wary of what you read...any rating of 10, or ratings less than a 4 for either EA or 2K is nonsense.

Jason S. gave it a4:
Obviously EA doesn't make this game as good as Madden because no one would buy Madden a month later if this title was up to snuff. Limited options make this game average. A great example is the replay function. You can only save replays from one of the predetermined angles instead of more compelling alternativesl. Not a bad lead-in to Madden, but that's all it is for this gamer.

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