At midnight on Tuesday morning, a group of at least 60 gamers lined the outside of Gamestop in the Mall of Louisiana to get their hands on the first copies of the long awaited video game NCAA Football ’08.
Gamestop, which recently took over Electronics Boutique’s mall location, is one of hundreds of stores that opened their doors to let fans get an early start on mastering the new game.
NCAA Football ’08, available for both Microsoft Xbox and Sony Playstation, is the latest installment of a heralded game series that allows players to fully immerse themselves in the world of college football.
The 2007 version sold a record 2.5 million copies. While many waited in lines to receive their pre-ordered games, copies are still available at area game stores.
The series is known for its depth, giving gamers total control of their team. This year’s game expands further upon the off-the-field features of the past. Users can now grow their own high school athlete, compete in the playoffs and even develop an itinerary when prospective players come to visit their school on recruiting trips.
Electronic Artists, the game’s developer, also integrated Internet capabilities of the next generation systems into the game. This gives gamers up-to-date clips from ESPN’s SportsCenter, a sports news ticker and real time weather conditions at stadiums provided by The Weather Channel.
For example, if a user wants to play a game in Miami while a hurricane is over Florida, the game will reflect this with severe weather.
Communications senior Chris McConnell said he has been waiting for the next version of NCAA Football since the game’s release date was announced in February. McConnell was one of many waiting for his pre-ordered game.
“Every year I always look for graphics … and better game play,” he said.
McConnell said he first started playing the game when the 2003 edition was released. Gerald George, a salesperson at CompUSA, said he started playing college football games on the Sega Genesis console. A self described “old school gamer,” George said he thinks sports games should focus on keeping the same feel from version to version rather than making users learn new configurations and features. “Better game play and smoother player movement – that’s all I want,” he said.
Players seeking improvement over the past game will appreciate the faster graphics, running at 60 frames per second and making the game much less choppy than the 30 frames per second in previous versions.
Improved artificial intelligence, all new commands and stunning graphics are some of the other highlighted features by Electronic Artists.
There are a few drawbacks, especially for Tiger fans. The LSU band is noticeably absent from the stunning recreation of Death Valley. But it is not just LSU. For some reason, EA decided not to include bands from any team. Band songs can still be heard in the game.
LSU gamers who have gotten their hands on a copy can download and print a custom game cover off the Web to replace Fiesta Bowl MVP Jared Zabransky’s picture with the glowing icon of Mike the Tiger.
The game has LSU ranked No. 3 overall, accurately representing the Associated Press and USA Today preseason rankings.
With online play available, fans finally have the only current realistic chance of seeing LSU go toe to toe with USC.
——-Contact Mark Macmurdo at [email protected]