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# Fruits of labor for this gamer
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/fruits-of-labor-for-this-gamer/
- Published: 2007-10-20T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T03:33:56.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Sports, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*Finally, a game you can build on*

XBOX 360 Watching Darius Slaughter use his superior swim move to sidestep a blocker and crush an unsuspecting running back, causing him to fumble, was the highlight of my life.

Sure, graduating from USC and seeing my name in print for the first time were great moments too, but it seemed that I worked a lot harder developing Slaughter than I ever did on my career.

OK, that’s an exaggeration of the highest order, but there’s something exhilarating about seeing a product of your design pull off a great move at lightning speed. It’s like watching your child take his or her first steps.

I’m talking about EA Sports’ “NCAA 08” and its big brother, the incomparable “Madden 08,” dubbed by many gamers to be the most realistic football video game ever created.

Any self-respecting XBox or PlayStation owner knows that it takes a lot of hard work to be proficient at any video game, especially when it comes to sports. That same level of commitment and dedication is just as important off the field as it is on the field, which is why it is important for video game junkies to not only purchase “Madden,” but to also pick up “NCAA.”

Why? It’s simple, player development. With “NCAA,” one can create their own player, recruit them and bring them up through the depth chart to become an All-American, and possibly, a Heisman Trophy winner. From there, you can import the draft class to “Madden” and make deals to pick up that dope player from college, making your pro team that much better.

But to get there requires a lot of blood, sweat and tears, especially if you forget to save before the console freezes or your baby cousin pushes the off button.

With “NCAA,” a user has the opportunity to tinker with scores of characteristics, making the ultimate lineman, quarterback or wide receiver. One can chose what type of helmet they wear to how fast they run. You can make yourself, a best friend or resurrect a long lost player who may have suffered a career-ending knee injury. There is only a limited number of facial features one can chose from, but it wont be long before you will be able to use a camera to snap a shot of yourself and place that in the game.

Once a player has been created, it is up to the user to make repeated phone calls to that player, enticing them to sign a letter of intent. This can take hours given that there are more than 15 areas to highlight, such as academics, fan base, national title contention, and program tradition. Be careful not to talk too long, or you run the risk of turning a player off.

There isn’t a guarantee that you’ll land that star player, which can be a bit heartbreaking, especially when that player comes back to bite you in the ass, such as Slaughter did to me in the national championship game in which I pitted my Trojans against the Ohio State Buckeyes. It seemed Slaughter, an Angeleno, preferred playing time over locale.

Once they’ve decided to go pro, users import the draft class to “Madden” and try to pick up their college star. This is also all about strategy, timing and luck. To land that Heisman winner may take a lot of maneuvering in the off season.

And that is why it is so gratifying when you finally see that star player in your uniform. You can sit back with controller in hand and reminisce about that sack his freshman year, or the time you picked off a pass in the end zone and took it 100 yards for the game-winning touchdown.

It takes a lot of patience and stamina, but in the end, there’s nothing like it. The only thing better would be actually playing the game, but then again, who really wants to get cracked by a guy named Slaughter?

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/102007-15_01.jpg)

EA Sports READY FOR SOME ACTION: ‘Madden 08’ is the most realistic football simulator ever. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/102007-15_02.jpg)

EA Sports HE’S IN: ‘NCAA 08’ serves up some intense action. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 20, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/102007.pdf?ref=smdp.com)