Game developers know that the majority of console gamers—and yes, that includes yours truly—are statistic/achievement/trophy whores. And even the least of Microsoft’s online Gamerscore Nation knows that there’s no quicker way to boost your totals than by popping in a sports game.
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Run—don’t walk—to rack up skill points in the brand new season of NCAA Football 10. |
EA clearly knows this, too, and it’s a big reason why, as it breaks the line of scrimmage on another anniversary for its annual college football simulator, this year’s big addition to NCAA Football 10 is something called “Season Showdown,” a new mode where you can score (and lose) points on an online leaderboard depending on what you accomplish in-game and—listen up, ’cause this is key—how you play. Rack up the user tackles? Cha-ching—more skill points. Drop your foot on your opponent’s throat by going for a fourth-down touchdown in a game you’re winning by 14 points? You may notch seven, but your display of bad form will cost you sportsmanship points and leaderboard position. I’m guessing pigskin fanatics will be jockeying for more than the student section at Scott Stadium on opening weekend when player-versus-player seasons kick off in August.
In other ways, NCAA Football 10 resembles the Ohio State Buckeyes—a solid outfit that’s achieved a certain level of greatness that often overshadows the fact that it falls a few yards short of national championship-worthy. Specifically, while this year’s offering isn’t the ridiculous interception-fest that NCAA 09 was, it’s not exactly defensively sound, either. Even with the defensive assist feature enabled, it’s still devilishly hard to slow the artificial intelligence’s offense, especially in the secondary, where the defensive backs are still a major liability.
Elsewhere, we get the nominal inclusion of ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews in the game’s always enjoyable “Road to Glory” mode—which, given the voyeur scandal surrounding Andrews that broke a few weeks ago, takes on an unintentionally ironic pop-culture sheen. Really, I don’t feel at all dirty when Andrews asks me if I’d like her to follow me as I become a superstar wide receiver at Boise State. Not at all.
The one thing I could ask for as the series hurtles toward edition double-ones isn’t even something within EA’s control: It’s a long-overdue loosening of the restrictive NCAA policy that prohibits using actual players’ names and representations in videogames. Here’s hoping Ed O’Bannon wins his lawsuit against the NCAA, and we can actually start seeing real players’ names instead of quarterback No. 10 handing the rock off to halfback No. 33.