There was cautious optimism this year that many of the issues of NCAA 2005 were fixed. Unfortunately, I am saddened to report that NCAA Football 06 is déjà vu all over again' it has the same problems as last year and added some things that are just not ready for prime time.



One of the most hyped features is the "Race For the Heisman" mode. Gamers were led to believe that this was an RPG like mode where you guide your created player through the game in the quest for the Heisman Trophy, the biggest individual prize in college football. Sounds great, doesn't it?

You pick one of seven positions (two of which are different types of quarterbacks). As the pocket QB, you have one summer camp tryout to show your stuff to all of college football, which bears zero resemblance to real life. The thought of one tryout or ten passes to determine if you go to a top or bottom ranked college sure seems quite silly.



In the minigame, you play a passing drill with no pass rush. Pass plays have been pre-selected, and you'll have six seconds per play to complete a pass. Points are earned or lost based on your performance. Your score determines who gives you a scholarship. If the school you want isn't there, you can still go by showing up as a walk on. Scholarships don't matter.

If you throw away every ball (hit the white button 10 times), you'll end up with 50 points. I had three schools pick me up at this point, all with triple digit rankings. So I walked on at #1 USC. The coach put me in as the starting QB, dethroning Leinart. That's right, my created character was already put in as the #1 QB, even though the USC "newsletter" in my dorm room talks about Leinart getting the Trojans a championship.



The "Race" for the Heisman is very difficult to enjoy when it is so fundamentally flawed - from the Heisman meter exploding upward after 3 games as a Freshman, to the dumping the fat ugly chick for the hottie as you get better.

The next new item is the 'impact player.' The impact players can get red-hot during a game and their icon becomes engorged. Basically, this means you need to get that player some hands on time in the next play. Impact players are even in the mascot game! Most of the time you'll see a big performance when this is the case – ie broken tackle as the ball carrier, a fumble caused by the defense, etc. Isn't it already obvious if you've made three consecutive completions to the same WR that he's in the zone? The idea is nice when playing a new team, but I think it could have been implemented better – perhaps an extra burst of speed or the ability to read the opponent's play. Instead we have something that's akin to ‘on fire' and it doesn't really add to the game.



The "Spring Drills" are one of the most helpful areas of the game. Option attack, Oklahoma, Pass Skeleton and Rushing attack are available. Some of these drills are used in Heisman mode. You can't play them online but I highly recommend the option attack game if you need help with the option which plays a huge role in college football.

There's also a new pregame show which is nice, but unfortunately the in-game play by play is the same thing that we've heard since the beginning of the series. EA needs to put more emphasis into this section as it's just plain awful. It's repetitive and the play-by-play audio seems to follow the logic of an old BASIC "If/Then" line of code. For example, if your team goes for it on 4th and 3 from your opponent's 45 and doesn't convert THEN have Lee Corso complain about how you shouldn't have gone for it on 4th down. It seems regardless of the play conditions, the same canned commentary comes up. On the bright side, the EA Trax are more old school than new school, so if you graduated in the early 90's you'll probably enjoy the music.



Graphics are somewhat improved over last year, but still not at the level I would expect for an Xbox game. The bad frame rate slowdowns from last year's Xbox model are not as frequent, but they are still there. The animations seem to be pre-programmed, going back to the if/then code: if WR drops ball AND is open THEN show animation of QB tapping WR on helmet. I believe this animation has shown up in every game I've played; sometimes more than once.

The gameplay itself has its moments. The on-field action is better than ever; you'll need to make full use of your Xbox controller to juke, spin and dive. Be careful of using the ‘big hit' stick online, as sometimes you'll mute your Communicator instead. I highly recommend you use the NCAA 2005 control scheme instead of the new one, because having juke left or right on the thumbstick is not as easy as having it on the triggers. Also, apparently Lee Corso can't suggest a defensive play. It's been in Madden for years, why isn't it in the college game? Most suggestions are dumb anyway, but still they should offer you one on defense.



I originally thought the dropping passes issue was fixed…but then over and over, I kept dropping balls – even in the minigame. Yes you can adjust the sliders, but last I checked I'm playing a football game, not Slider Creator 2006. If I was wide open playing as the #1 team in the country, how could I be dropping balls? It just doesn't make sense. Other times, the game can be a lot of fun. You do get a feeling of accomplishment when you get a score or read the defense. On field action with a 2nd player either online or at the same Xbox is very good. You can see holes appear and disappear in the running game.

The AI in the game is either completely brain dead or a total genius – there doesn't seem to be any in between. The computer does read your offense very well – it can spot a run from a mile away and plug the holes very quickly. Running a flip play or moving someone from an audible can fix this. The game is a definite challenge.



On the flip side, the computer's offense is usually flawless and the computer controlled players on your team are complete idiots. They bump into each other and don't seem to realize where the ball is most of the time. They run out of bounds for no reason. If you're calling a running play and you're right behind a lead blocker, he doesn't block all of the time. The ‘run into a group of guys and magically bounce off them' has not been addressed. The most frustrating thing about the passing game is that completing short route passes can be very difficult while hitting the long bombs is pretty easy. Special teams also can be infuriating; the number of kickoffs and punts that are returned for touchdowns are incredible. I recommend punting out of bounds all the time in single player mode, just to be safe. Maxing out the "kick meter" is pretty easy on the lower levels, but on Heisman, it's mind numbingly hard.

Dynasty mode is an area that many people enjoy and I could too if it were fun or realistic. The discipline system is just plain stupid and why it's in there again, I have no idea. Every time some player does something you have to make a decision to reprimand the player. If you don't, the rules committee will take notice and could penalize your team. If you do penalize the player you use ‘points' and if you're all out of points when something really big happens, you are not allowed to penalize that player. I wonder how often the coach says to a player in real life, "Normally I'd suspend you for arrest for possession of drugs, but I'm all out of discipline points." If you do really enjoy dynasty mode, play the games you're supposed to play and just enjoy the live action. Reading the stats will make you go ‘hmmmm'. In my dynasty, taking a look at quarterback stats – especially the rate of completion, is astounding. Of course you don't see those games, but with all the dropped passes I have, I'm lucky to maybe hit 60-65% of my passes. Stats can show 80-85% of completions. Just as a frame of reference, Peyton Manning completed 67.6 percent of his passes last year. The numbers just don't make sense.

Online play is where this game could shine but for some reason EA has decided to forgo the ability of having conference play and instead have 4 or 8 team quick tournaments that must be played in one sitting. Online game play is a lot of fun – it's the area of NCAA 06 that I play the most. The career mode online is very handy to view and you can check out your opponent's tendencies. For some reason there are more stats available directly over Xbox Live than there are on the player's page on the PC. There's also an "Overtime Mode" that starts the game in overtime. I wish this drill was available in single player, as it's a lot of fun.



NCAA Football 06 has some great features on paper, but when played out, it underperforms and seems to be more gimmick than fun. The game excels as a multiplayer football game online or with a friend. As a simulation or for a stat gamer, the game fails miserably.