It was pandemonium late Monday night at the GameStop in Midtown Village. People were lined up waiting for the midnight launch of “NCAA Football 2011” on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. There were people with barbeque grills, grilling hot dogs and serving them to the public. Wing Zone even served free wings.
The entire city was buzzing for the release of one of EA Sports’ most successful game franchises. Amber Gaddy, Midtown Village GameStop store manager, was excited about the release as well.
“This store is the number one location for GameStops for selling ‘NCAA’ in the nation,” Gaddy said. “This is our third year in a row.”
Tuscaloosa’s hometown team, the University of Alabama, is No. 1 in the game. Gaddy said he believes that will help boost game sales.
“This has been the biggest midnight sale for us ever,” Gaddy said. “This is our third year here and this has by far been the largest one. It’s made a big difference with [the Crimson Tide] being number one in the nation last year.”
Every year, the people at EA Sports try to find new ways to better the “NCAA” franchise. This year’s excitement stems from the game’s brand new features and eye-catching graphics.
“The game features 120 different offensive styles for all the different NCAA teams,” EA Sports game advisor Josh Burrus said. “The computer will actually respond to how certain teams act in different situations. Overall graphics, stadiums and fans all look better and more polished. They’ve improved on everything that makes the game great and taken it one step further.”
As both games have developed over the years, “NCAA Football” has gained the reputation of being more user-friendly than “Madden NFL Football.” “Madden” is more of a skilled game that takes time to master, and “NCAA” is better for non-gamers who rarely play.
“Controls are basically the same, but tighter, more sensitive and a little more intuitive,” Burrus said. “It will probably be a little easier for a person that has not played a ‘Madden’ or an ‘NCAA’ to play it.”
The biggest upgrade for this year’s version has been the running game, the most realistic yet for the series. Other aspects of the game that have improved are the artificial intelligence, speed and overall presentation.
Featured on the cover is former University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow.
UA students were at the midnight launch and eager to get their copies of the highly anticipated new release.
“I’ve been playing ‘NCAA’ since I was five,” said Demaurius Garrett, a junior majoring in biology. “This is the only game I buy every year, the only game I play every day, and I’ve even missed class to play this game.”
“I’m buying this year’s game because of the new running style they have,” said Larry Summerville, a senior majoring in material engineering. “It’s not all about speed anymore. You have to have agility and acceleration.”
