NCAA Football 2005 is more than just a sports game. It's a celebration of college football. From the school rivalries to the challenge of keeping a winning team together and victorious, you'll experience college football from every point of view. Get a taste of true football action, from the opening kickoff to the final gun. Incredible new locomotion animations for ball carriers and non-carriers -- plus strip ball wrap tackles, defensive special moves and over-pursuit tackles Player Composure Meter challenges you tomaintain composure against a swarming defense, and make the play before they take you out Get a taste of fan loyalty and true competitive spirit, with fan celebrations like the Gator Chomp Enjoy the breakdown fron the TV booth -- the team of Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso offer pre-game, halftime, instant replay, and post-play analysis

Features 16 new 1AA teams to choose from, for a grand total of 78 - including the Southland & Ohio Valley conference and All-American and National Champions teams

Choose from custom playbooks, offensive schemes, and defensive schemes that include the 4-2-5, 3-3-5, and the 3-3 stack

New Match-Up Stick - Match a composed senior wideout against the nervous freshman corner, or exploit other match-ups to see who takes the pressure

Try your team in the 25 toughest places to play - 3D recreations of LSU's Death Valley, The Swamp at Florida, Michigan's Big House and more

Deeper Dyansty Mode than ever - Monitor discipline levels and grades, recruit high-school athletes, and keep your players happy so they don't transfer in the off-season

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That aside (despite it being a huge issue), the following changes come directly from EA Sports announcements. What follows is verifiable on their website or with a few well-placed Google searches. I present it for convenience. These 'pre-release reviews' that always pop up for titles might as well serve a real purpose, besides of course the all-important "tHIs gAme iS dEFiNaTEly (sic) gOInG tO RAwK!!!" proclamations. But I digress, the summary follows, I intend to keep my personal commentary to an absolute minimum;

GENERAL GAMEPLAY IMPROVEMENTS:
- Big hits: The option to take a chance on really plastering another player. Increases the chance of a fumble or dropped pass, but also the chance of you whiffing on the tackle.
- Improved run blocking and new run animations: No more getting stuck against or behind your own linemen. Good offensive lines now open better holes and routes.
- Home Field Advantage: The bigger the stadium, the louder the crowd, the greater the impact. Pumping up the crowd carries more meaning and response. Visiting teams have to fight an uphill battle against the environment, based upon the strength of the home team's stadium and crowd.
- Interactive Timeouts: You're now given a choice on which group to coach, it can directly address ratings and composure levels depending on those of your team captains. You can now "ice the kicker" with timeouts, as composure is an issue for all players.
- Match-Up Stick: Player ratings (in game) can now change based upon the individual's ability to handle pressure. You can now check composure and mismatches pre-snap.
- Custom fans: Set up your own 'crazed' fans with a variety of options, accessories, appearances, etc. To add to the college gameday atmosphere, and...
- Custom celebrations: Choose to play a mascot, fan or player animation, decide between mild and extreme.
- More "user" stats: User pick tracking was well received, now more stats are tracked in this form in your record book.

DYNASTY MODE IMPROVEMENTS:
- Roster expansion to 70 (according to the producer, although 75 has been reported elsewhere). It's been down at 55 for years, which has been a source of frustration for those who enjoy dynasty mode.
- Top 25 Stadiums tracking: In dynasty mode, you can build home field advantage where there was little or none before, the top 25 places to play are tracked.
- Team Captains: As part of a deeply enhanced dynasty mode, you can now name captains.
- Program integrity: Dynasty depth - keep tabs on your players, you can now suffer academic issues and/or team rule violations. You choose how to discipline, and you can now actually lose scholarships, television exposure, and post-season play if you don't run a clean program. It also speaks to;
- Player transfers: You can now lose athletes to transfers if they're unhappy, and feel like they should be seeing the field more. You can also have players from other programs request a transfer in if you're not deep at their position.
- Recruiting pipelines: You can now build your presence outside of your immediate geographic region.
- Improved scouting: You can now unlock prospect attributes without offering a scholarship first.
- Better defined offensive/defensive coaching strategies: Speaks to play-calling, simulation and recruiting.
- Accurate conference schedule rotation.
- Athletes: You can now recruit a kid just for his athletic ability, and define or switch his position on the roster later. If you have a QB who would make a better FS or WR, you can switch him, and he will progress according to his new position, not the old.
- More/improved Sports Illustrated stories, magazine covers and insight throughout the season.
- More trophies. Added support for the Rimington and Doak Walker. 28 bowl trophies, 49 rivalry trophies.
- All-Conference teams. To supplement 1st and 2nd team All-American tracking.

ONLINE PLAY IMPROVEMENTS:
- Opponent scouting: They've added a new scouting report that allows you to check any player's (online) tendencies. You can look at their favorite playbook and formation, as well as look at how much they no-huddle, call hot routes, and audible. It's meant to try and cut down on the number of games wasted to opposition that cheats or otherwise plays in a manner you're not interested in.
- Quick tournaments: 4 or 8 player tournaments built right into the online system.
- Even team mode: An option that will allow an even playing field, regardless of the `real world' strengths and weaknesses of two programs/teams.
- Improved leaderboards.
- Minigames.

That's all I've come across so far, but it's a factual aggregation of information, all directly from the source. Either Electronic Arts, and/or Rod Moye the producer via an interview on EASports. None of this comes through third parties, or speculation. Given that, this looks to be one of the biggest leaps forward this franchise has enjoyed in some time. Particularly for Xbox fans as they finally get online play, but really for everyone. But enough, I now return you to your regularly scheduled, "tHiS gAMe iz dA bOMb!" 'reviews'.

41 of 42 found the following review helpful:

and you thought it couldn't get any better.Jul 12, 2004
By warrior33
That's what I thought at least, but this year NCAA Football has added a buttload of new features, so let's get down to business.

*Home Field Advantage - The louder the crowd the harder it is for the visiting team.
*Stadium Pulse - this is how you pump up your crowd, if you max out the pulse meter the visiting team will become rattled and confused.
*Composure Rating - The higher a player's composure rating the more pressure he can take. However, a low composure rating will decrease a player's overall rating when the crowd is really pumped.
*Top 25 thoughest places to play - The game will keep track of the 25 loudest stadiums. In order to get your team on the list you have to win your home games.
*Big Hits - By pressing the L2 button you can unload on an opposing player causing them to fumble or drop a pass. A big hit can also lower the opposing player's composure.
*Match-Up Stick - This will tell you how good a player is when you're out on the field, green meter=good, red meter=bad. It can also tell you a player's composure rating, full circle=high, empty circle=low.
*Interactive Timeout - If a player gets too rattled you can call a timeout and have your team captain calm them down.
*Choose Your Team Captain - But make sure he has a high composure rating.
*Custom Celebrations - You can choose from fan, mascot, or player celebrations, and you can also choose how extream the celebration is.
*Create-a-Fan - You choose what they wear and how they celebrate, it's like having another mascot.
*Program Integrity - Punish players if they have academic issues or violate team rules, if you don't your program will suffer.
*Transfers - If one of your players feel like they're not getting enough action they'll transfer to another school. Players from other schools may want to transfer to your team as well.
*Pipeline Recruiting - now you can set up your recruiting in a certain state or region, so you can have more than only local players.
*Unlockable Stats - Now you can look at a players stats before you offer them a scholarship. And you can choose what position you want your players to play based on their stats, and they'll improve according to that position.

Well, that about does it, I'm sure I didn't cover everything but I think I got most of it. PEACE!!!

19 of 19 found the following review helpful:

An improvement over a tough act to follow...Jul 28, 2004
By P. Summersgill
Let me just say that I loved NCAA Football 2004. Absolutely loved it. I played season after season in Dynasty mode, and the idea of tracking all time stats was excellent. I actually bought Madden 2004 just so that I could see where my players were drafted and how they did once they reached the NFL.

That said, NCAA Football 2005 seems to have made an improvement in realism that I appreciate. Consider this - I played my Dynasty with my old home town team, the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (OK, they got rid of the Rainbow thing, but so what). I got through something like 15 seasons in Dynasty mode, and had gotten to the point where I'd won 8 national championships in a row. Virtually all records belonged to Hawaii players and the Hawaii coach. While I did enjoy this, it did occur to me that it was highly unlikely.

I've had NCAA 2005 for a few weeks now, and I've just finished my second season with Hawaii. In my first season, I went 7-5, went to a lesser bowl game and lost. My team graduated most of its skill position players and in my second season, the offense can't move the ball and relies on the defense to get good field position. I finished the season 6-6 with no bowl invitation, although I did upset Wisconsin in an incredible game.

While this is occasionally frustrating, it presents a challenge that wasn't present in NCAA 2004. The pressure is much more legitimate. Sure, I could've adjusted the sliders, but I play on the Heisman setting, so what's the point? I know that if I don't get a good class next season, and win a few games, I'll most likely be fired. Again, this was never a threat in 2004.

So now I'm faced with some choices. Do I throw caution to the wind and spend all of my off season budget on recruiting instead of discipline? Who knows, but it's a predicament that's new to me in this series of games. I'm used to blue chippers lining up to attend Hawaii, of all places. Now, it really means something if I win a conference championship, and the national title looks like a pipe dream, as it probably should. Anyway, my point is that the new game is an improvement over a game I consider outstanding in its own right, mostly because its much, much harder to take a mid-level team and make it elite.

I'll let other reviewers cover the new features in detail, but I do enjoy most of them. Home field advantage is surprisingly good. Seeing which players are rattled adds a new dimension, especially when most of the rattled players are yours. It gives you a new reason to consider benching your QB, as his ratings can now vary from game to game. Having players get suspended is great, and creates a need for depth on your roster. The improvements to the off season are small, and those that enjoyed recruiting, etc. in 2004 will find it that much more enjoyable. Adding transfers to the mix was logical.

I've taken up enough time and space here. Go out, buy it, see for yourself. NCAA Football 2005: great game for those who enjoy a deep, detailed simulation with a bunch of football mixed in for kicks.

12 of 13 found the following review helpful:

This is the Big One My Friend!!!Aug 12, 2004
By Shawn M. Warswick "High School History Teacher"
NCAA 2005 is a great game! Certainly the best in this line, which happens to be my favorite football game. The latest version includes some new features including home field advantage (you can pump up the crowd and the joy stick will rumble), a new matchup stick which allows you to see the composure of your players, and "big hit" which is also cool.

First, the updated features. This year Dynasty mode is deeper than ever. Recruiting has been updated and allows you to scout players, check on their grades, etc... You start off the off season by assigning points to three areas: Recruiting, Training, and Discipline. Be careful not to take away too many points from discipline, or you'll find yourself in trouble with the NCAA! That is the only noticable change to the already great part of the game.

In the game play, you get updates such as the crowd meter, which measures how loud and antagonizing the home field crowd is toward the opposing team. You can pump them up on defense, which makes it hard for them to call audibles and can intimidate freshman players ( or players who are just not very good). Take a team into the Swamp and or Death Valley and you'll learn just how hard it is to win in those places!

Another new feature is the "Big Hit" button (L2). This feature allows you to deliver a devastating hit on an opponent, the kind that makes the QB think twice next time you come charging through the line! I also noticed the running back/wide recievers now have much more realistic movements, with the best RB's being able to glide side to side to avoide tackles.

Overall, this game, which was already my favorite last year is even better this year. You get more of the pagentry of College Football and more of the great comments by Lee and Kirk. Highly recommend this game to all football fans!

8 of 9 found the following review helpful:

Just the best NCAA gameJul 19, 2004
By Adam Rothleder
I've been playing for a week, and here are my thoughts:

Pros:

1) Home-field advantage: In past NCAA versions there was no disadvantage to scheduling a road game at FSU or Michigan. Now, travel to one of the toughies, and be greeted by deafening noise, a shaking screen and a rattling controller. This make it almost impossible to audible (your receivers and linemen will miss assignments) and will rattle your younger players.

2) Presentation: The stats are the same, the SI license is the same, but EA made a few tweaks such as more in-game stats.

3) Subtle changes like players that will transfer if they don't get enough playing time, and the occasional NCAA whistle-blower demanding disclipline (side note I play as my alma mata Tulane, and have gotten requests for disclipline every week, this being a team that ranks near the top in GPA and graduation rate every year.

4) More celebrations and taunting, from the players, mascots, cheerleaders and fans.

Cons:

1) Graphics-Maybe I'm not noticing, but it seems the graphics are exactly the same as last year, save the occasional animation.

2) It is a pain in the neck to get the rosters patched. I do not know why you can not play online and patch the rosters with real names. Right now the best way is to but a $30 Max drive and go to ps2rosters.com and download the NCAA 2005 roster.

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