NCAA Football 06

Last updated
NCAA Football 06
NCAA Football 06 Coverart.jpg
Cover art (PlayStation 2)
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, Xbox
Release
  • NA: July 11, 2005
Genre(s) Sports, American football
Mode(s) Single player, multiplayer, multiplayer online

NCAA Football 06 is a collegiate American football video game which was released on July 11, 2005. It is the successor to NCAA Football 2005 in the NCAA Football series. The product features former Michigan Wolverines standout and Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard on the cover. He is the only cover athlete not to have played the year before their respective game; Howard last played at Michigan in 1991. It is the only game in the series as of 2013 to have a music soundtrack, as the other games play school fight songs and general band pieces, and the last game in the series to feature Division I FCS teams on all platforms. NCAA Football 06 was the first game in the NCAA Football series to shorten the year to the last 2 digits. [1]

Contents

Gameplay

NCAA Football 06 features a new game mode, "Race for the Heisman". In "Race for the Heisman", you begin as a high school standout hoping to sign with a major college program. After choosing your position and your position-specific drill, you are offered three scholarships, or you can walk on to a school of your choice. The prestige of the offering schools depends on how you performed in your drill. [2]

Another new feature in NCAA Football 06 is the Impact Player. Each team has three impact players, usually the three highest-rated players on the roster, but there is always at least one impact player on offense and on defense. (In Dynasty mode some teams only have two Impact Players in later years, but a third is named later in the season. Impact players will also change based on performance or lack thereof.) Some teams' kickers or punters are impact players, too. Offensive linemen are never impact players in the game. Impact players are called upon to make big plays when "in the zone" (indicated by their white impact icon underneath them pulsating). If they execute a big play, action pauses and the camera zooms in on the tackle, juke move, etc. [2]

Retained from the previous version are the Top 25 toughest places to play (The University of Florida's Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, or "The Swamp", remains #1 in 06), a still-revamped Dynasty Mode (with a new In-Season Recruiting feature), all-time and historic teams, Create-a-School, and much more.

The main menu screen features a highlight reel with footage of plays made by some of the most famous players in college football history, including Ricky Williams, Bo Jackson, Archie Griffin, Charles Woodson, Herschel Walker, LaDainian Tomlinson, Barry Sanders, LaVar Arrington, Warren Sapp, Ray Lewis, Tim Dwight, Randy Moss, Ron Dayne, Warrick Dunn, Lawrence Taylor, Tim Brown, and Peyton Manning.

Development

Like Madden NFL 06 , which has an exclusive license with the NFL, EA has an exclusive license with the NCAA to use stadiums, logos, and team nicknames. According to NCAA Football (a not-for-profit corporation serving to represent various stakeholders for college football), the "EA Sports video football game generates more than $8 million in royalties for NCAA Football and its members." Also, player names are not available in the game because the NCAA would have to pay the players for naming rights so they are called by their positions and numbers, but the player can still give them names. Athletes later sued for a $60 million settlement. [3]

Additionally, the exclusive license with the NCAA later caused controversy when the NCAA was sued for using the likenesses of college athletes in video games without compensation. This led to a series of lawsuits, including O'Bannon v. NCAA , which challenged the NCAA's use of college athlete likenesses in video games. [4] [5]

Music

Prior to the release of NCAA Football 06, the only music featured in the game were fight songs of several major colleges. These would play at random, however, the user-selected "favorite team" would always have their fight song played first whenever the game was first started. NCAA Football 06 was the first and last to include licensed music to keep the series in uniform with other EA Sports releases such as Madden NFL and the NHL series. This format was dropped for NCAA Football 07 , with the soundtrack returning to college fight songs. However, it was possible to turn off the licensed music and listen to the fight songs in NCAA Football 06. The music features mainly college rock, punk and post-punk selections, including Bad Religion, The Clash, NOFX and The Mr. T Experience. It is the first NCAA game to feature the option of non-fight songs in the menus.

Release

Upon its release, NCAA Football 06 was the best-selling video game for July 2005, occupying both the number 1 and number 2 spots corresponding to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions respectively. The title also reached the number 6 spot for the list of best-selling video games of 2005. [6]

Reception

By July 2006, the PlayStation 2 version of NCAA Football 06 had sold 1.2 million copies and earned $56 million in the United States. Next Generation ranked it as the 40th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2, Xbox or GameCube between January 2000 and July 2006 in that country. Combined sales of NCAA Football console games reached 7 million units in the United States by July 2006. [25]

The game still ranks among the best game of the series, It also was met with positive reception on release. GameRankings and Metacritic gave it a score of 87.68% and 87 out of 100 for the Xbox version, [7] [9] and 87.42% and 87 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version. [8] [10]

Related Research Articles

Madden NFL is an American football sports video game series developed by EA Tiburon for EA Sports. The franchise, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, has sold more than 130 million copies as of 2018. Since 2004, it has been the only officially licensed National Football League (NFL) video game series, and has influenced many players and coaches of the physical sport. Among the series' features are detailed playbooks and player statistics and voice commentary in the style of a real NFL television broadcast. As of 2013 the franchise has generated over $4 billion in sales, making it one of the most profitable video game franchises on the market.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EA Sports</span> Sports gaming brand of Electronic Arts

EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" (EASN) with pictures or endorsements with real commentators such as John Madden, it soon grew up to become a sub-label on its own, releasing game series such as EA Sports FC, PGA Tour, NHL, NBA Live, and Madden NFL.

<i>FIFA</i> (video game series) Video game series

FIFA is a discontinued football video game franchise developed by EA Vancouver and EA Romania and published by EA Sports. As of 2011, the FIFA franchise has been localized into 18 languages and available in 51 countries. Listed in Guinness World Records as the best-selling sports video game franchise in the world, the FIFA series has sold over 325 million copies as of 2021. On 10 May 2022, it was announced that EA and FIFA's partnership of 30 years would come to an end upon the termination of their licensing agreement, making FIFA 23 the last entry to the franchise under the FIFA name. As a successor to the FIFA series, EA launched the EA Sports FC franchise, with EA Sports FC 24 being the first installment under the new name.

<i>MVP Baseball</i> (video game series) Video game series

MVP Baseball was a baseball game series published by EA Sports, running from 2003 to 2007 with five games produced. In 2003, MVP became the official successor to EA's long-running Triple Play Baseball series, and it simulated Major League Baseball from 2003 to 2005. However, an exclusive licensing deal between Major League Baseball and Take-Two Interactive in 2005 prohibited EA Sports from making another MLB game until 2012. In response, EA made NCAA college baseball games in 2006 and 2007, but discontinued the series in 2008 because of poor sales.

<i>Madden NFL 06</i> 2005 video game

Madden NFL 06 is an American football video game released in 2005. It is the 16th installment of the Madden NFL series by EA Sports, named for color commentator John Madden.It is the first Madden game for the PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360 and was a launch game for the 360. Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is on the cover.

<i>NCAA Football 2005</i> 2004 video game

NCAA Football 2005 is an American college football video game which was released by EA Sports on July 15, 2004. It is the successor to NCAA Football 2004 in the NCAA Football series. Former Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is the cover. This is the final game in the NCAA Football series to be released for the GameCube.

<i>NCAA Football</i> (video game series) Video game series

NCAA Football is an American football video game series developed by EA Sports in which players control and compete against current Division I FBS college teams. It served as a college football counterpart to the Madden NFL series. The series began in 1993 with the release of Bill Walsh College Football. EA eventually acquired the licensing rights to the NCAA name and officially rechristened the series with the release of NCAA Football 98.

<i>NCAA Football 07</i> 2006 video game

NCAA Football 07 is a collegiate football video game published by Electronic Arts. It is the successor to NCAA Football 06 in the NCAA Football series. The product features former USC player Reggie Bush on the cover. While there weren't any new, major features added to the PlayStation 2 and Xbox games, tweaks were added to improve the existing features.

<i>NCAA Football 2003</i> 2002 video game

NCAA Football 2003 is a video game of the sports genre released in 2002 by EA Tiburon. Its cover athlete is former Oregon Ducks, Detroit Lions, Miami Dolphins Atlanta Falcons, and New Orleans Saints quarterback Joey Harrington.

<i>NCAA Football 2004</i> 2003 video game

NCAA Football 2004 is an American football video game released in 2003 by Tiburon. It is the successor to NCAA Football 2003 in the NCAA Football series. The player on the cover is former USC quarterback Carson Palmer. The game is available for play with the N-Gage. Commentators are Brad Nessler, Kirk Herbstreit and Lee Corso. The game is an EA Sports Bio game, and is compatible with other games with the feature.

<i>Madden NFL 08</i> 2007 American football video game

Madden NFL 08 is a 2007 American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 19th installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. It features Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young on the cover; San Diego Chargers defensive end Luis Castillo was the cover athlete for the Spanish-language version. This was the first Madden game made for 11 different platforms, it was released on August 14, 2007, for Xbox 360, Wii, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, PlayStation Portable, Xbox, GameCube and Microsoft Windows. There was also a version for Mac released on September 1, 2007. This was the last version of Madden to be released for Microsoft Windows until Madden NFL 19, and the last video game for the GameCube produced and released in North America.

<i>NCAA Football 08</i> 2007 video game

NCAA Football 08 is a college football video game created by EA Sports, the sports video gaming subsidiary of Electronic Arts. It is the successor to NCAA Football 07 in the NCAA Football series. It was officially announced with the launch of the NCAA 08 page on the EA Sports website on February 20, 2007. EA Sports had opened up a ballot on their NCAA Football 07 site in which fans can vote on a feature to be implemented into the PlayStation 2 version, making it the first console announced for the game and announcing at least one of its features. Fans could vote for either in-game saves, medical red shirts, summer workouts or a lead blocker feature. The option of medical red shirts was voted on and won, and this option is on the Dynasty Mode on all versions of NCAA Football 08. This allows for players that are injured in the middle of the year to apply to gain another year of eligibility. The game was released on July 17, 2007, and the first time release on PlayStation 3, marking the eleventh installment of the NCAA Football series bearing the title "NCAA Football". As with NCAA Football 07, 08 features limited ESPN integration.

<i>Madden NFL 09</i> 2008 video game

Madden NFL 09 is an American football video game based on the NFL that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 20th annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. The game was released for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360, and mobile phones. It was the last video game for the original Xbox produced and released in North America and the last Madden game released for the Nintendo DS.

<i>NASCAR 09</i> 2008 racing video game

NASCAR 09 is the twelfth simulation installment in the EA Sports NASCAR series and the sequel to 2007 game NASCAR 08. It is developed by EA Tiburon and released on the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and mobile phones in North America on June 10, 2008. Jeff Gordon is the cover athlete for NASCAR 09. Through the career mode, "Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup", Gordon leads a mentoring program, a new feature offered in NASCAR 09. This is also the third EA Sports NASCAR video game to appear on a handheld system for Mobile phone version.

<i>NCAA Football 09</i> 2008 college football video game

NCAA Football 09 is a college football video game created by EA Sports, a subsidiary of Electronic Arts. It is the successor to NCAA Football 08 in the NCAA Football series. The game was announced on February 14, 2008 and was released on July 15, 2008 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, and Xbox 360. The Wii version of the game is titled NCAA Football 09 All-Play and launched under EA Sports' new All-Play brand exclusive to the platform.

<i>NCAA Basketball</i> (series) Video game series

NCAA Basketball is a series of college basketball video games that was published by EA Sports from 1998 until 2009. After EA Sports' rival publisher 2K Sports cancelled its own college basketball game, College Hoops, in 2008, EA changed the name of the series from NCAA March Madness to NCAA College Basketball. The series was discontinued on February 10, 2010.

<i>NCAA Football 12</i> 2011 video game

NCAA Football 12 is a college football video game created by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the successor to NCAA Football 11 in the NCAA Football series. It was released on July 12, 2011 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

<i>NCAA Football 13</i> 2012 video game

NCAA Football 13 is an American football video game published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the successor to NCAA Football 12 in the NCAA Football series.

<i>NCAA Football 14</i> 2014 football video game

NCAA Football 14 is an American football video game published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. Part of the NCAA Football series, it is the successor to NCAA Football 13. Despite the game's positive critical and commercial reception, no sequel was produced the following year. Due to legal issues surrounding the game's use of college player likenesses, NCAA Football 2014 was the last installment of the NCAA Football series. As the most recent entry in the dormant series, the game continues to be played, with unofficial roster updates being released reflecting subsequent seasons.

<i>FIFA 16</i> 2015 video game

FIFA 16 is a football simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under the EA Sports label. It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Android and iOS.

References

  1. ↑ "EA Sports NCAA Football video game returning: What we miss - Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  2. 1 2 "Guide part 2 - NCAA Football 06 Guide". IGN. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  3. ↑ Fitzgerald, Matt. "College Athletes Who Appeared in EA Sports Games to Share $60M Settlement". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  4. ↑ Leigh, Brian. "NCAA Agrees to $20M Settlement in EA Video Game Lawsuit". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  5. ↑ "$60 Million Settlement Approved in N.C.A.A. Video Game Lawsuit". The New York Times. Associated Press. 2015-07-18. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  6. ↑ "The Sales Charts for July 2005". Electronic Gaming Monthly . No. 197. November 2005. p. 46.
  7. 1 2 "NCAA Football 06 for Xbox". GameRankings . Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  8. 1 2 "NCAA Football 06 for PlayStation 2". GameRankings. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "NCAA Football 06 for Xbox Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "NCAA Football 06 for PlayStation 2 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  11. ↑ EGM staff (August 2005). "NCAA Football 06". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 194. p. 111.
  12. ↑ Kato, Matthew (August 2005). "NCAA Football 06". Game Informer . No. 148. p. 96. Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  13. ↑ "NCAA Football 06". GamePro . September 2005. p. 84.
  14. ↑ Dodson, Joe (July 21, 2005). "NCAA Football 06 Review". Game Revolution . Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  15. ↑ Colayco, Bob (July 11, 2005). "NCAA Football 06 Review". GameSpot . Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  16. ↑ Tuttle, Will (July 12, 2005). "GameSpy: NCAA Football 06". GameSpy . Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  17. ↑ "NCAA Football 06 Review". GameTrailers. July 20, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  18. ↑ Knutson, Michael (July 21, 2005). "NCAA Football 06 - XB - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  19. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (July 20, 2005). "NCAA Football 06 - PS2 - Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on December 31, 2008. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  20. ↑ Beridon, Craig (July 11, 2005). "NCAA Football 06". IGN . Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  21. ↑ "NCAA Football 06". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine . August 2005. p. 82.
  22. ↑ "NCAA Football 06". Official Xbox Magazine . August 2005. p. 88.
  23. ↑ Schaefer, Jim (July 24, 2005). "GAME MASTER: Going for the Heisman". Detroit Free Press . Archived from the original on July 29, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  24. ↑ Semel, Paul (July 11, 2005). "NCAA Football 06". Maxim . Archived from the original on July 20, 2005. Retrieved March 27, 2015.
  25. ↑ Campbell, Colin; Keiser, Joe (July 29, 2006). "The Top 100 Games of the 21st Century". Next Generation . Archived from the original on October 28, 2007.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.