Graphics: 8
Gameplay: 8.5
Sound: 7.5
Controls: 9
Replay: 10

The NCAA Football series has an occult type following behind it that refuse to play any other football game. Maybe it's the realistic pace, or the college football setting, but either way, EA has to put just as much effort into their NCAA series as they have to put into their Madden series now. The past two years have brought the series back to life and actually won their favor of previously Madden-only gamers. The 2011 version tries to build off that not necessarily by adding the drastic features that Madden and ESPN are offering, but rather by adding to the college feel with their Home Field Advantage system and by making small yet necessary gameplay tweaks.

First off, NCAA is a big improvement over 2011 in the gameplay department. It adds a better defense that makes it much more challenging for a passing offense. This is a major improvement because in the 2011 and 2010 versions people could just throw bomb after bomb and complete 50% of their passes. Now, they are forced to tone it down and mix up the play calls if they plan on being effective. In addition to this, balls will also be tipped quite often and tipped balls are just begging to be picked off. Quarterbacks planning on being effective in their game plan must now learn to plant his feet, find the open receiver, use the right amount of touch on the pass, and lead him in the right direction. This makes the game a lot more fun and realistic.

Now, on to the real selling point of the new game. The Home Field Advantage system combines with the newly added composure meters to bring a unique feature to sports games. If you are the home team and you are doing good, it makes it extremely tough on the other team because the crowd will start going crazy. Just imaging being in "The Big House" (Michigan's home field for those "not in the know") and having a hyped up crowd screaming like crazy on a 3rd and long play. You find the gap in the defense, you call a hot route to your star receiver to get him there, snap the ball, throw it, and then find your receiver did the route he was originally told to do. Such disappointment. This is how it is with the Home Field Advantage system. If you try to call a hot route or audible when the crowd is hyped up then they will most likely not hear the call, leading to running the rong routes or even a delay of game. The defense can call on their crowd to pump it up anytime with by continuously tapping a certain button, and on offense they can calm them down by pressing the same button. Really, what this does is makes it so that you will want to be the home team in this game.

The newly added composure system goes hand in hand with the new passing defense and HFA systems. Is a certain cornerback getting rattled? Better not try to match him up man to man with a good receiver. On the other hand, if you're on offense and you notice the defensive backs are going into the red, you might want to test it by going deep. This adds a whole new layer of strategy to the game.

The only other change noticeable enough to mention is the new Big Hit button. If you time it right you can use the Big Hit button to make receivers drop balls, stop running backs in their tracks, and cause fumbles. Of course, if you time it wrong you can leave yourself in the middle of the field with the runner burning you down the sideline. This is fairly similar to the new "Hit Stick" in Madden NFL 2011.

So, with all those new features present in the gameplay, it makes a pretty big improvement over previous versions. There are a few other small tweaks that make the game more fun that I will quickly sum up right here. A big problem with the running game last year was that the ball carrier could turn on a dime without losing speed. Now, runners will plant their feet, sometimes even put a hand down, and shift their weight before making a turn. Jukes and spins also cause a considerable amount of deceleration. The last mentionable change is the discipline factor in dynasty mode. You will have to manage a budget consisting of recruiting, training, and discipline. Not too much has to be allocated over to discipline because it doesn't happen that often but when it does you need to be careful about what you do because if you don't discipline your players enough you will draw the attention of the NCAA and you may get scholarship restrictions and other penalties.

The least improved aspect of the game is the graphics. Other than a few minor additions that make the players look a bit more slick, the graphics are the same. Really, the graphics is always the thing that EA improves the least in all their games. When you compare EA games to games of a similar genre made by a different company, EA's game is almost always inferior. The problem with this years Xbox version is that while it looks a tad better, like usual, it gets some occasional slowdown while playing the game. It also has a little more lag while playing online than its Playstation 2 counterpart. This is pretty disappointing because the Xbox version should run smoother, but then again, EA has always been a Sony supporter.

The sound has its ups and downs in the new 2011 version. On the down side, the announcing is almost the exact same. While there are a few new phrases, the majority of the announcing uses the same lines from last years game. While that isn't that bad of a thing since there is a lot of variation, the more the merrier. The up side to the sound is how loud the crowd gets. When the crowd is in the game, the crowd is in the game. The controller is rumbling, you can barely hear your own quarterback, the announcers are drowned out, etc. This, mixed with your fight songs and rants of "Overrated!" really make it fun listening to the game.

Other than the new "Big Hit" button mentioned earlier, the buttons remain the exact same on all versions. That isn't a bad thing by any means, because the controls are perfect the way they are. Naturally, you still have the option of customizing them. The responsiveness from the controls is very tight. When you need to time that catch just right, you can do it. The only time the controls aren't responsive is online. Sometimes, especially on the Xbox version, the controls will take a split second to respond and this can cause some problems. This is strange though, because it would figure that the Xbox version would be more responsive because there is no 56k connections aloud. But then again, there is EA for ya.

Now, the greatest aspect of the game. The replay is where this game shines. Whether you are a single player or multiplayer fan, NCAA Football 2011 has a little bit of the former and a ton of the latter. The Dynasty Mode is fun and strangely addicting, and the online play is out of this world. Now that Xbox Live gamers can enjoy the game just like Playstation 2 gamers, this game is just all the better. The only improvement I can think of is allowing cross console online gaming similar to that of Need for Speed Underground (it could be played between Playstation 2 and PC gamers). But other than that and improving the Xbox Live experience, this game has some solid replay value.

So, while the game isn't everything it could be, it is still another solid addition to the NCAA Football series. If you like to play games online, then this game needs to be in your library. If you have some friends who like football, definitely pick this one up. If you aren't sure about the game, feel free to give it a rental. Either way, if you like football games you should definitely try this one out.