NCAA 14 Thoughts - Eski33's Blog

Eski33's Blog

NCAA 14 Thoughts

Posted on July 8, 2013 at 03:02 PM.

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I am one who likes to read reviews for nothing but entertainment. It is one person's opinion based on their expectations prior to playing the game. I saw that IGN gave NCAA 14 a 7.4. A score lower than the past two years.

Having spent considerable time with the pre-release through the EA Ticket I disagree with this review. The reason I wanted to post my thoughts, not to say my opinion carries more weight, is to give a different view. I will keep it short and to the point.

If you are familiar with the demo, the game plays a little better mostly due to the ability to play longer.

Gameplay: The game is the most fun I have had with football since 11. The blocking makes a huge difference. Also, I have played close games and have not yet once felt cheated. If a mistake was made it was my fault. The ability to force the QB from the pocket adds to the realism.

Graphics: Best graphics since 11. I don't see the jaggies and the lighting is much improved ND's helmets at night no longer look brown and UMs face masks are blue unlike the demo. The uniform options are there and hopefully EA includes more uniforms sooner than later. Thinking week 1. The stadiums look great along with the playing surfaces. I also didn't notice a drop in fidelity during replays like the demo. The animations and improved Infinity engine are outstanding.

For those that think the sidelines are important will be disappointed. To me, I never pay attention.

Presentation: for some this will be a mixed bag. For me, I like the presentation. The timely but not overuse of replays. The demo replayed everything. The pop ups that show different stats for each team are blended in the flow of the game well. The studio updates now include multiple games which is a cool touch. The halftime show is highlights of critical plays with generic commentary. It's almost NBA 2K 12 like as it is sponsored by a car company with cool graphics. The commentary is a little better but if you hated it last year you will hate it again. To me, not a game breaker.

One thing I am disappointed in is the new intros. They aren't terrible but all the time spent building the college pageantry the last two years was removed for a montage. It isn't awful and does provide some cool scenes but the old intros were better.

Another thing I enjoy is the player interaction after a big play. Looks much more realistic

Sound: to me, this is a huge improvement. With the addition of real school chants and Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes are awesome. You can hear player chatter and the crowds sound much more organic.

Overall, the game is about as fun as it can get. No game is perfect but for me I would score this year's game a 9.0 with only the presentation holding it back some.