These issues aren’t radical, only for the hard-core flaws. This is basic stuff that should in no way be in a next-gen football game from a high profile publisher with a lot of development muscle.

As annoying and as just plain inexcusable as some of these things are, when the game works, it’s still able to leap over the hurdles of its own shortcomings. Parts of the gameplay are fixed or vastly improved from previous games and other modes that do not involve the AI are a blast to play.

The CPU now misses field goals on occasion (they were automatic last year). It’s possible for receivers to get good yards after catch (YAC), making it possible to even break a tackle in the secondary, which was unheard of in year’s past. Power backs make short work of small corners who try to take them on one-on-one; it’s a very satisfying feeling to lower your shoulder on a 170 pound defender and steamroll him into the ground. Linebackers are usually the leading tacklers each game, which is how it is in real football with the defensive line clogging holes and linebackers filling them. The defensive AI is vastly improved, and not just because of the interceptions; throwing long is tough this year because the AI plays the deep pass extremely well, breaking up passes and sticking with their man.

The best new feature is Super Sim, which basically lets you simulate a game to the end if it’s a blowout. This is arguably the best new feature this year because sometimes college games just get out of hand and quickly simming to the end of a 42-0 rout in the 3rd quarter is a time saver.

So the game is by no means a total loss, it just depends on how you want to play it. Playing the game online removes the AI from the equation, and thus lowers the crazy interceptions and you are left mostly with just the good stuff. One of these years, EA needs to develop a way to play an online dynasty, but at last you can play one with multiple people on the same machine. This is a great, great way to play the game – head to head on the same Xbox 360 is five-star quality fun. If you have a group of friends who want to play a multi-season Dynasty and recruit against one another and play the games head to head…run out right now and buy the game. You’ll have a ball. It’s only when you bring the AI into the equation that it falls to pieces. Sure, recruiting is still time consuming, but when multiple players are battling it out over the same recruit, it's no longer a cakewalk, and it adds untold tension when fighting over a 5-star kid who is looking at every player's school.

Finally, there is the Campus Legend feature. This is where you create a high school prospect and focus solely on his college career. It’s always been a great idea but it’s now finally coming into its own. You start out in the high school playoffs, playing the position of choice (running back, linebacker, whatever) and depending on how you do in the playoffs—you are offered scholarships from specific schools. It’s neat because you only play the game when you are on the field and you don’t call the plays; you’re a player here, not the coach. So if you are the halfback, the play might call on you to pass block or be a safety valve. If you’re a middle linebacker you may have to drop into a zone, blitz, or fill the middle on a run.

The biggest oddity is that this mode focuses so much on you that earning a starting spot is too easy. If you’re a freshman QB coming into Michigan, there’s no way outside of a mass of injuries, that you should ever see the field your first year. Chad Henne is pretty much entrenched. All you have to do is perform well in practice and earn points to kick Henne to the curb. That’s more than a bit silly. Still, this mode is fun, if a bit flawed, and is a huge step in the right direction.

In the end, the “B” grade may seem a bit on the high side, and perhaps it is, but so much depends on how you want to play the game. 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.