Virtual N(CAA)-sanity

Post by David Helman —

In what has become the holiest of summer traditions, I dropped my annual $60 on the latest issue of EA Sports’ college football video game, NCAA 2010, a couple nights ago.

This is my eighth copy of NCAA — I never bothered to buy the original edition with former FSU senior citizen Chris Weinke on the cover — and roughly my 430th dollar spent on simulating college football. Names like Harrington, Fitzgerald and Bush stare out at me every time I go to the video game shelf — which is kind of funny because many of the disappointing editions of the game actually feature players who would go on to be … well, disappointments (looking at you Harrington, Weinke … Reggie? We’ll see).

I haven’t had much time with my latest copy, but the routine feels the same. EA has tweaked the gameplay — team gameplans factor enormously into playing a game. They’ve updated the rosters. They’ve added a feature with videos of Erin Andrews, as if all of us sports dorks didn’t drool over her enough. They’ve added the most in-depth create-a-team feature in video game history.

I also can’t forget the custom sounds feature which was introduced last summer and makes me absolutely giddy. EA has allowed you to upload your own sound files for in-game situations, so when LSU makes a defensive stop, you’ll hear “Chinese Bandits” blasting through your TV. Or if you’re a non-traditional type, you can set it to play Weird Al Yankovic every time you score a touchdown.

By tweaking and adding just enough, they’ve basically done what they do every year, which is wonderful and disheartening all at the same time.

It’s a familiar dilemma to any NCAA purchaser: of course you aren’t going to stick with the old title when the rosters have been updated to reflect the coming season, the gameplay has been improved to make the games slightly more realistic, and of course everyone else has bought the new game, so you won’t be able to play anyone without getting it too.

But EA is the only company with the licensing to make an official college football game. They own the rights to the logos, uniforms, team names etc. This means they never genuinely have to sweat over making the best product because they have the only product.

For example, in this year’s edition LSU’s young sophomore quarterback, Jordan Jefferson, is rated as an 89 out of 99, and his unproven freshman counterpart, Russell Shepard, is an 83. By comparison, 2008 sack leader and All-SEC selection for the Tigers, defensive end Rahim Alem, is considered a 70.

Former junior wide receiver Jared Mitchell is still on the team, despite foregoing his football career to focus on the LSU baseball team months ago, just like senior Harry Coleman is still a safety despite making the switch to linebacker back in the spring.

Meanwhile, in a not only lame but insulting manner, the famous LSU pregame has been reduced to a sham. Ohio State’s Script Ohio Performance was put into the game, as were several others, but the Golden Band From Tigerland’s terrifying, awe-inspiring Pregame cadence is instead reduced to the band forming a star followed by the word ‘Win!’ Nevermind the fact that LSU is the only school that wheels a live tiger out onto the field, another tradition was left by the wayside.

It’s a horrendous and “incredibly generic experience,” according to my roommate.

And all these things are after a cursory glance at just LSU, the local team. I have no doubt that fans of every other school could find examples of EA’s half-assery to complain about.

“So why do you shell out so much money for a game you ultimately find so much to complain about?”

It’s a question my girlfriend has asked, and many others probably will ask, me as I find out more about my new edition.

But NCAA 2010 and all its earlier incarnations, despite their shortcomings, is way more than a video game — it’s a shining beacon that lets me know that fall is coming and everything is going to be OK.

It means that instead of daydreaming about the rapidly-approaching season, I can live it. I can play out LSU’s epic Death Valley showdown with Florida, or the anticipated Oklahoma-Texas rematch, any time I want.

I can lead Virginia Tech to a national title, and when I tire of dominating the college football landscape with the Hokies I can inexplicably take the job at San Jose State and lead them to the top. Then I can create my old high school as a college program and win a Heisman with my boy Chris Markey, Louisiana’s Mr. Football 2004.

I have done this all before. I will do it all this year. I will enjoy it time and time again.

Because regardless of its pros or cons, NCAA Football has been my light at the end of the tunnel since I was 12 years old. It means we’re close enough to college football to taste it, breathe it and now play it.

So I’ll keep shelling out my hard-earned cash, because solace (and excitement) like that is something you can’t put a price on.