This year’s version equals previous games, plus more

This past week was like Christmas in July for video game fanatics.

NCAA Football 12 was released last Tuesday before an anxious crowd at local GameStop and WalMart stores eager to get their hands on the game the minute it was released.

TPT Sports Editor Casey Gisclair wasn’t one of the midnight riding buyers, but he did get a copy of the game this week.

Here’s his thoughts on one of the most anticipated games annually in the world of video games.

New Features:

Every time there’s an annual game like NCAA, the biggest worry that I have as a buyer is that it’ll be different than last year’s game.

NCAA Football 12’s marketing campaign promised this year’s version would be just that, different and fresh.

They delivered on that promise and two of the game’s most popular modes have undergone such a surgical overhaul that they can hardly be recognized to the naked eye.

Let’s start with dynasty. In this multi-season gem, gamers can take total control of a program from games to recruiting.

In previous years, users could opt to start with a powerhouse like Alabama or LSU and try and keep the program afloat for decades.

This year, things are a bit different.

Built into dynasty is a feature called “coaching carousel,” where gamers start their virtual coaching career as a coordinator of a smaller-tiered school and work their way up to being a head coach of a major program.

If you’re an offensive coordinator, guess what? You only control you team’s offense. Likewise, if you’re a defensive coordinator, only defense is fair game. If you’re a head coach, you control the full show.

Following each completed season, wheeling and dealing among programs occur and who knows? You just might be offered a promotion by a new school. Simulation of one full season found my character courted by three different schools.

This is a very welcome and much needed wrinkle to what had become a stale feature in the game.

Likewise, the game’s Road to Glory feature is now much better. In recent years, you’d start your career as a high school player and you’d play the final few games of your senior season to generate scholarship offers from colleges.

This year, you can opt to play a full senior season and will undergo the full recruiting experience, collecting offers from various programs throughout the country.

Built into that is also the realism of high school athletics.

If you’re a phenomenal athlete and a top-tier prospect, guess what? You’re more than likely going to be asked to play both ways by your high school coach.

If that’s the case and you’re better at your second position than your first, then you just may start collecting scholarship offers for that second position, as well.

Again, like coaching carousel, this is a very fun feature that you’re sure to enjoy.

Gameplay:

The first day that you purchase the game, be sure to connect your PS3 or Xbox 360 to an Internet provider and download the first online update issued by EA Sports.

The game apparently had some initial glitches that needed to be worked out with the patch.

With that out of the way and things running smoothly, we can say that the gameplay in this year’s version is status quo with a few adjustments.

All of the buttons and gameplay controls are the same as in recent years and the feel of the game is virtually identical in years past.

But this year, the game’s designers were able to add personality to individual teams to give a more realistic feel to your playing experience.

For example, if you’re playing against Auburn, expect the Tigers to engineer a no-huddle offense.

If you’re playing against Oregon, expect the same thing and also expect them to snap the football very, very quickly to keep in rhythm.

And if they do find that rhythm and begin moving the football, you better call a timeout or make some substitutions, because the game’s fatigue feature has been revamped, which means you’re far more likely to have your players tire out.

Playing defense on this year’s game isn’t as much of a grind as it’s been in years past and the artificial intelligence of your players is much better, which means you don’t have to worry about getting crushed over and over again on the same offensive plays.

One complaint I have is with the crowd noise and atmosphere. If you’re playing in Tiger Stadium, it really doesn’t feel any different than any other stadium. The crowd audio is still a bit too low for my liking and the game fails to capture the pageantry and wild and crazy feeling that is a college football Saturday.

Overall:

I wouldn’t call it a home run, but NCAA 12 is a hard-hit, line drive into the outfield gap for a double.

The new features of the game give a fresh feel and a new life to the game, which had become stale in recent years.

But coaching carousel is still in infancy stages and it’s easy to see where room for improvement can come in upcoming years.

Likewise, the biggest part of college football is atmosphere and the game does little to create that atmosphere on its own.

So in summary, you’re looking at a very good, but not great video game.

Either way, it’s worth the buy.

What else will you do in this rainy summer weather?