A lawsuit filed by former NFL player Jim Brown against Electronic Arts over the use of his likeness in past Madden games has been dismissed. Brown had made the claim that having a player similar in make-up to him represented a “false endorsement” even though his name was ever included in the game. The New York Times has a full article on the story here.

“The Madden NFL video games are expressive works, akin to an expressive painting that depicts celebrity athletes of past and present in a realistic sporting environment,” Cooper wrote. She found that game users would not be likely to conclude that Brown had endorsed the Madden NFL product.

This decision could be an indication that the lawsuits currently pending against the NCAA and EA over the NCAA Football franchise could go in their favor as well. There it is former collegiate athletes who are suing over their likenesses having been included in the games and are arguing that both parties have profited off them.

In an unexpected development EA Sports has released a third patch for NCAA Football 10. It is rare to see more than two patches released for any game because Microsoft and Sony charge a significant sum for each patch after the first two. In the case of NCAA Football 10 putting out a third was a welcome positive gesture considering some of the problems people have had with the game this year. Though for many people it will have been to late to make a difference.

This patch addressed the player progression issue that was resulting in an inordinate number of highly rated players in Dynasty mode. That was inexplicably not included with the previous patch but after some time they were apparently able to come up with a solution for it to push it out now. Also included is a fix for a desync issue where people were experiencing disconnects in Online Dynasty if they entered a different mode before playing their game.

The second patch for NCAA Football 10 went live for the 360 earlier this morning. Starting up the game should lead to an aut0-prompt for the download. There is no specified time when it will be out for the PS3 since it is dependent on clearing certification though it is expected soon as well.

Check out the previous posting for all the details on what this patch addresses. It seems unlikely that the patch will go a long way in changing the way NCAA 10 is perceived especially since it didn’t fix some of the most pressing issues deemed by the community. However there is still a good amount of adjustments that were made which should improve the overall experience.

After trying out the game with the patch applied be sure to leave your thoughts on it in the comments.

EA Sports has released the details of the second patch for NCAA Football 10. This appears to be a very substantial patch which is somewhat expected since the first patch addressed little other than fixing the sliders, adding the ability to turn off DLC cheats in Online Dynasty, and making the somewhat more accurate rosters playable online. The patch is expected to be out soon but no official date has been specified as of yet.

As has been pointed out though in the comments there is no mention of player progression. That has been one of the most discussed issues with the game and was anticipated to be fixed but according to the info has not been addressed. I’m also surprised that there hasn’t been adjustment made to the Aggressive (aka Facemask penalty) game planning.

Continue on for the full patch list. Will this patch be enough to change alter your opinion on the game or is it too little, too late? Leave your thoughts on it in the comments!

• Player Lock in Online Games will now move the camera behind the locked player (like Offline games)

• Greatly increased the quality of uploaded videos

• Fixed an issue with penalties on a change of possession in Overtime

• Fixed an issue where you would sometimes lose control of your player going offsides in no huddle situations

• Tuned holding chances on Field Goals and Extra Points

• Fixed a couple pass coverage issues with Wild Cat plays

• Tuned the chuck success chances to favor more neutral results. Wins and Losses are extreme and should occur less for both the offense and defense

• AI Tackle slider is now more effective

• Lead Blocking tweaks to fix some cases of pulling lineman ignoring defenders

• Fixed a few rare cases that would cause players in pursuit to run away from the ball carrier

• Tuned the CPU ball carrier to make some smarter choices

• Fixed a bug where the CPU would high step at inappropriate times

• Tuned player switching logic to give a more appropriate player

• Fixed an issue with Punts being spotted incorrectly when the punt went out of bounce

• Corrected an issue where pressing in man coverage would cause the CPU to throw the ball too early

• If the receiver caught a pass during a slip, rarely would he be ruled down after the catch (even if he got up before making the catch). This has been fixed.

• Fixed a bug where sometimes the clock would continue to run after hold on an extra point

• Forward pitches are now correctly tracked as passing and receiving yards for the players involved

• Receivers will now try and release to the appropriate side of the defender based on their route

• Fixed some problems that were causing defensive players to not always get back in time during hurry up plays

• Reduced the effect of the Run Block Slider on special teams plays

• Tuned how effective the slant route for running backs out of the backfield was

• Tuned how far away diving sacks will start from

• Fixed an online grieve with pausing the game

• Fixed a bug where using a TeamBuilder team as the away team would cause the team colors to be incorrect

• Fixed an issue where some Dynasty teams were only able to offer 15 scholarships. You will not have to restart your dynasty for this to take effect, the fix is for offline and online dynasties.

• Certain TeamBuilder teams were incorrectly being blocked by the profanity filter and showing up as XXXX, this has been corrected

• Fixed and issue where Punt was not the default selection on 4th down and punting distance

• Off-centered single digit jersey numbers are now centered correctly

• Fixed a crash in Custom Stadium Sounds when the list of files was too long

• TeamBuilder teams with & in the name can now be searched properly

• Fixed an issue where the “Online Dynasty Servers are Down” pop-up was showing up incorrectly

The NCAA Football series has seen its ups and downs over the last few years. Still one of the most fully featured sports games ever, there is definitely reason for gamers to be frustrated. NCAA Football 10 lacked emotion, presentation, and ultimately offered stale gameplay.

A series of gaffes including the issue that found the rosters in disarray plagued the game prior to release. The first patch for the game did nothing to actually improve the overall experience being offered other than fixing aspects of the game that were inexplicably broken. The second patch, which apparently will be rather extensive, has still not been detailed. At this point it is probably too late for it to really change the perception of this year’s offering.

Teambuilder turned out to be a big success and certainly it has been enjoyable creating teams and seeing them materialize for use in the game. Despite that, Teambuilder really isn’t about NCAA Football. It could be used in any game, it could even be utilized on its own to create a game. As much as I liked it I’m not sure how much credit NCAA should actually receive for having it.

Road to Glory did bring in an intriguing element with the video content tracking events in the player’s career. However the mode formerly known as Campus Legend still had on-the-field issues that have been carrying over since it was introduced. Questionable play calling, poor practice mode for gaining attribute points, and an obvious slant towards high-profile positions especially.

Then you have Season Showdown. Alright, I can’t hate on this too much because I understand what they were trying to do with it. But really, resources were put into this and in the end it has not captured anyone’s imagination. The college football season hasn’t even started yet and I can’t imagine anyone getting hooked on Season Showdown especially now. Certainly it is reasonable to question why so much was put into this “feature” as opposed to working on something else that could have been of more benefit to more people.

Rosters are going to be an interesting topic going forward. As I opined a while back it almost seems as though the legal issues has EA working towards more generic rosters that would then leave the responsibility to the community to correct. How the lawsuits play out will have a huge affect on the game going forward.

Online Dynasty continues to be a big coup for NCAA Football, however as seen this year it can’t hold the game up on its own. It did for 09, I played that game more than any other this generation. The pure fun allowed me to overlook the game’s flaws. That feeling just didn’t carry over to 10 though.

Reviews for NCAA Football 10 actually have the exact same Metacritic average as 09, this even despite a suspicious “world exclusive” review from TeamXbox that inexplicably gave it a 9.3 score. That shows that not enough was done even in the eyes of reviewers. The consensus definitely is that nothing drastic was done to the game other than the addition of Teambuilder and the gameplay essentially tweaked. Sales are down for the first time this generation. The only other yearly sports title that has been dropping is the MLB 2K series. EA can not be pleased to be in company with that franchise.

Over at ncaaStrategies they’ve worked up an NCAA Basketball style tournament polling for wishlist items. This is a great initiative and I’d encourage anyone interested in providing input on what NCAA Football should be adding to check it out.  Click here to head there and take part in the voting.

The biggest problem for NCAA Football ironically is Madden. This year Madden 10 arrived and essentially blew NCAA out of the water. The game has advanced so much in a single year that it naturally makes you wonder why NCAA has not made, or even attempted, to do the same.

Basically that is what NCAA Football 11 has to go for. It desperately needs a fresh feel. There needs to be that emotional connection to the game that is completely missing right now. Atmosphere and presentation have to be upgraded and adding cheerleaders and bands that everyone skips through does not qualify. Finally the gameplay absolutely has to feel new. Madden was able to do all this in one year. No more excuses for NCAA Football not to do the same.

The NCAA Football series has shown minimal growth on the 360 even as the user base has increased over the last couple years, though on the PS3 side it has been showing marginal improvement. Either way it hasn’t been an encouraging pattern as it almost seems as though sales of a college football game have peaked with them presenting very little interest to anyone outside of that group that already gets it. Certainly the total number of sales has declined as the PS2 has dropped off more than the 360 and PS3 are picking up on a yearly basis.

Last year NCAA Football 09 sold 397,600 for the 360 and 242,500 for the PS3 in the first month. Compared to 08 that was practically an identical number for the 360 while the PS3 got boost of 86,000 units.

NCAA Football 10 came in with a lack of hype and excitement but an interesting pre-release tactic offering up the Teambuilder website and ability to create teams and import them to the game. I was curious how that could affect the sales with the thinking that people who put time into creating teams would certainly end up purchasing the game. But would that have an affect and draw in people who may have not otherwise bought it?

NPD has released the official first month sales for NCAA 10. The game sold 376,500 for the 360 and 237,400 for the PS3. That represents a drop for both and a total loss of 26,200. That is a really bad sign for NCAA that it is actually slipping despite the user bases increasing. The only other yearly game that has shown that same trend is the MLB 2K franchise. So it is clear that something big needs to be done to turn things around, probably in the mold of what Madden has done from 09 to 10.

Also of note is the continuing disappointing sales of Fight Night Round 4. The game barely slipped in the top 10 with the 360 selling 116,400 in July and did not chart with the PS3. Contrary to some of the comments that had been made on my previous article regarding the first month’s sales for the game, it was sure to be heavily frontloaded and that has proven to be the case. Bad buzz likely had a big affect on why it came out of the gate selling weaker than anticipated along with the competition from UFC 2009 Undisputed.

The release patch for NCAA Football 10 which the PS3 received last week has finally been pushed live for the 360. Starting up the game should now prompt download of the patch automatically. Issues addressed include an on/off option for downloadable cheats in online dynasties, fixing of the sliders so they affect gameplay properly, and instituting the “fixed” rosters for online play usage.

I have received several requests for comment on broken progression in dynasty mode resulting in an inordinate number of highly rated players. No response has come from EA regarding this. It will likely be targeted for a second patch considering the severity of the problem. Despite this I would not anticipate hearing anything concrete until they have determined it will in fact be fixed in the second patch.

It was the Pasta University Ninjas vs the Utopia Legends yesterday as I faced off against Chris Jacobs representing ncaaStrategies. Using our community constructed teams consisting of forum members we played NCAA Football 10 online on the PS3. It was a clean and enjoyable game albeit probably too short given the number of possessions we each had with the five minute quarters. Outside of a portion of the 2nd quarter that I was unable to capture I recorded the entire game. Continue on to watch the videos and check out some screenshots!

You can now grab the named rosters for NCAA Football 10 out of my EA Locker on both the 360 and PS3. Search for the Gamertag and PSN name pastapadre and they will be available to download. These have only been named and no other changes have been made meaning they can be used for online play and the names will be displayed. I will continue to monitor the different roster sets released and make sure the best ones are in the locker at all times. Big thanks to everyone who put in the time and effort necessary to complete fully named rosters that can be had by all for free (currently those inlclude lanteri87, blocko, gatorbait2006nc).

After downloading from the locker make sure to save the file and then manually load it up to see all the names appear for the first time. I’ll continue to update this posting if any changes are made to the roster files being held in the lockers.

Moving forward in Road to Glory it was time to gear up for college football. It would not be an easy start of the season for SJSU going up against USC on the road and Utah at home. Padre hoped to make an impact and help the Spartans pull off an upset.

In the previous updated I mentioned the practices and how they remain frustrating for the positions that don’t get much opportunity in them. Because of that I’m back to just simming them. The evening events appear to be similar (library, gym, study playbook, visit trainer). Your player gets an increase in attributes based on which is chosen. Going to the gym could add strength, speed, jump. The library would raise GPA and stamina, the trainer can help stamina and injury resistance. Studying the playbook adds playbook awareness. There are more  that could be affected or may not from case to case. Also consider that you can lose points for choosing one over the other. If you keep going to the gym your awareness could drop.

SJSU (0-0) @ USC (0-0)

The team held tough for a quarter anyway. SJSU jumped out to a 7-0 lead and held that in to the second quarter. However USC woke up and quickly ended any hope that the team had. They scored 21 in the second and 35 consecutive. As the nickle back Padre was on the field mostly on 3rd down and passing situations and for a lot of punt and kick coverages. I appreciate the ability to sim each individual play if you don’t want to participate in it. I’m able to skip those coverage plays which are boring. I can see how that would be beneficial for other positions when plays come up that would be more tedious than fun.

Padre finished with just four tackles in his first collegiate game.

SJSU vs USC (L) 42-14

Utah (1-0) @ SJSU (0-1)

This was a game that going in felt like it could be a win especially if Padre could make a big play. That happened in the first quarter when a big hit forced a fumble which was returned by a teammate for a TD. Even though it feels like the main way to make a play as a CB is to come up and get a tackle on passes dumped underneath to other receivers and backs when that opportunity comes and you can make an impact play it is a very satisfying feeling.

They really need to allow your guy to celebrate big plays. On that forced fumble right after the teammate scored the TD it went right back to the play call screen. Took a lot of the excitement out of it. Why not let the players celebrate big plays like that, it would extend the experience and be a lot more enjoyable. The game feels stale with all of that cut out. This mode is supposed to be all about the player’s perspective and not having celebrations certainly limits that feeling.

In the second quarter Padre got the chance to rush the QB and came away with his first career sack. With an offense that wasn’t producing it was the defense keeping the team in the game with a halftime score that had Utah up 14-10.

A TD in the 3rd put SJSU ahead 17-14 but Utah answered early in the 4th on a pretty pass to the corner of the end zone gave them the 21-17 lead. The Spartans just couldn’t put a drive together to come away with the victory and then Utah put the game away with a TD with under a minute remaining.

Padre was named the Russell Player of the Game coming away with 8 tackles (one for less), a sack, and a forced fumble. Easily it was the most active performance as he was on the field a lot more than in the USC game.

Utah @ SJSU (L) 28-17

The next update will consist of a recap of the remainder of the first season! Hopefully there will be more coverage of Padre from Erin Andrews and Kirk Herbstreit that happen throughout the year and not just at the end/beginning.