NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

[EMbow513]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

I also wish the linebackers weren't so damn small like they are in ncaa 12-14. They look damn corners

[BenGerman]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

After we got done writing this, I noticed we had all reached pretty much the exact same conclusion: the series is not where it should be, but it's a fairly significant step forward that's a much larger than the jump we are used to at this point in the generation.

[majesty95]

I think the criticisms are unwarranted and I've been very critical of EA over the years. Sure, they could have done this a few years ago. But we have it now and it's light years ahead of last year. Is it perfect? No. It never will be. However, for the first time in years, I'm excited about the game from the demo. It's clearly going to be the best version this gen and one we've waiting a long time for. So enjoy it.

[EMbow513]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

One other thing I love is oline and dline play. I love how the offensive line man can get driven back now

[H4wduk3n]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

Love the demo. And I actually enjoyed 13 despite some of the glitches. My fears are - over tuning by EA pre-release and if the release version will stutter on my xbox. 13 stutters a lot all during replays and sometimes cutscenes. Unsure if it is my 360.
I did get a ps3 last year so may get 14 for that. Hopefully ps3 graphics arent crap in the release version like they were last year vs 360.

[woodsmall12]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

Thing is we all have our own opinions and expectations as to what we like and don't like and what we really want to see ... for some people, the game will just never be good enough ... for others like myself, I am just happy to have a game to play for the sport I love ... there is not one game out there that has ever been made without some kind of flaw ... if you want to complain abt the game, then do something about it, get back to school to develop games, and then do exactly what you want to do with YOUR game ... then once you release it, listen to a certain share of your fan base rip it apart ... its just the nature of the beast

Now onto my demo thoughts ... lol

- The game play definitely feels more organic ... watching the QBs scramble, juke, dip n dive is actually pretty cool ... and I have seen QBs scramble towards the sideline and cut up the field contrary to what some other posters have mentioned ... I blitzed Gardner from both sides and he actually started to scramble backwards before taking the sack which seemed more real life to me

- AI seems like it plays better ... at least more competitive at this point

- The run game is fun again ... like the runner avoidance so you are not crashing into people ... watching players cut and tilt is a nice, slight welcome change

- Enjoy the new animations ... nice change of pace and good to see player reactions ... also when you pump up the home crowd you can hear the crowd get louder

- Love the bone jarring hits ... adds another level of excitement and trash talking when playing with your buddy

[ncaafootball14markus]

i for one didn't buy 13, because i knew it was really 12.5 w/o any infinity engine.... and i know i didn't waste 60 dollars. with that said, the last version i bought was 12 and it was okay. i actually like this game, so this will be a first day purchase. i only wish that they upgraded the equipment, because that is sorely lacking for three years. their art department is ridiculous. also, some of the player models look friggin ********. madden has one up on the player models (which i love for this current gen). i really wish ben hauburger would update these ridiculously old face masks w/ the DLC along w/ the uniforms.

[nuke_21]

Where are the graphical upgrades i read about?...bland textures and jagged lines...obviously EA hates PS3

[BA2929]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

I think I tend to agree with Ben the most. While I don't care whatsoever about how the crowd or the sideline looks (I maybe give it a short glance once every other game), I do believe EA has done enough little things with the game to make it a different experience than in past years. I used to play NCAA religiously from release until January. However, in the past few years I've stopped playing by the middle of October, sometimes before that. The glitches/freezing/blandness of the game just didn't make me want to come back for more. It was a chore to play the game. However, I've played more of this demo than I have in the last 2-3 demos combined. Maybe it is the IE2, maybe it's the new camera, maybe it's the new jukes that look like a real person is doing it and not a poorly constructed robot. Who knows. But it's fun. I do know that.

[majesty95]

If the biggest issue with this game is the crowd texture, sidelines or outdated facemasks then I think we'll all be pretty happy (well, most of us )

[Pokes404]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

Just now got around to downloading the demo (which is truly an indication of how disappointing the NCAA series has been this generation imo), but only got to play a half. You can go back and read my posts over the last few years and see that I've been as hard on the NCAA series as anyone.

With that said however, in just the little bit I've played, this is a little more like it. There are still plenty of problems, and I still feel as though this is the game we should have gotten 5-6 years ago. However, there is some noticeable improvement to the basic fundamentals of the game (player movement, blocking interactions, collision physics, AI, etc).

Yeah, players are still a bit too "twitchy" when they run. But it's better. There's still work to do with the OL/DL interactions. But they're better. The scrambling/running AI still doesn't replicate a human player. But it's a lot better.

It's too late to save the franchise on this generation. IMO, outside of Online Dynasties, this whole generation has been a wash. But this game gives me some hope that maybe EA can pull off a great game of football at some point on the next-gen consoles.

[tHurley2010]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

To bash a current game because "we should've had it 2-3 years ago" tops the list of absurd reasoning as to why NCAA 14 isn't any good.

Yeah we should've had this stuff two years ago, but we have it now, and it's been absolutely fun playing the demo.

[Pokes404]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

To bash a current game because "we should've had it 2-3 years ago" tops the list of absurd reasoning as to why NCAA 14 isn't any good.

Yeah we should've had this stuff two years ago, but we have it now, and it's been absolutely fun playing the demo.

It's not a bash on the game. It's a critique on what a mess the development has been this generation that it's taken us this long to get to this point.

[Lzydd]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

To bash a current game because "we should've had it 2-3 years ago" tops the list of absurd reasoning as to why NCAA 14 isn't any good.

Yeah we should've had this stuff two years ago, but we have it now, and it's been absolutely fun playing the demo.

It's a damn good reason why I shouldn't hand over $60 on day one though.

[Art01]

Re: NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

I have not yet been given access to the Demo (I am a Silver level XBOX Live member and probably won't have access until next week). However, I do have a comment about gameplay issues encountered with the Demo. For those of us playing on the 360, we have access to the Editors. I can state with confidence that, assuming NCAA14 can be edited with the Editors, we can fix most, if not all, of the gameplay issues. For example, editing QB Accuracy in the Roster Ratings will provide finer tuning gradation than available with the Sliders, with the result that realistic accuracy results can be obtained. I am still playing and enjoying NCAA13 after spending considerable time with the Editor to fine-tune the game to my liking. I see no reason why editing NCAA14 won't produce similar pleasing results.

I sympathize with PS3 players who cannot edit files outside of the game. For all 360 players, I strongly encourage you to learn how to use the Editors.