NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

Feature Article

Submitted on: 06/20/2013 by

Ben Vollmer: I'm having a hard time putting my finger on it. What is it that makes NCAA Football 14 so much better than it's most recent predecessors? Is it the Infinity Engine 2.0, the incredible upgrade in graphics and colors, or perhaps the wealth of new camera options at our disposal? I'd argue that it is all of these things. For once, EA seems to be getting some of the little things right. Things we have been calling for since this generation of consoles hit shelves. For the first time in years, NCAA plays a solid game of football.

That said, there are still a few issues that clearly have not been taken care of. Special teams is better, but no where near where it needs to be. Sidelines still look terrible, and the crowds are even worse (thankfully, EA has stated that will change with the Ignite Engine). What's great is that even with all of these things, NCAA 14 still gives us plenty to be excited about. I saw plenty of things that made me want to play the game a lot more, and I've already played five or six games. At this point, we just have to hope EA doesn't alter anything too drastically before the game's release.

Rob Kollars: If I am being completely upfront here, I wasn't that excited about this years annual NCAA release. My complete thought was that with the next-gen systems right around the corner, that at best NCAA fans would get some cosmetic touch-ups, a new mode that would be viewed as a gimmick, and some random updates and changes to the online dynasty portion that would do little to propel it forward - boy was I wrong. While I am not claiming it's the best sports title released this generation (it's a demo), it sure feels like the full version might have the chance to be mentioned someone's top five.

From the improvements in the gameplay itself, and the infinity engine 2.0, to the CPU's ability to not just run the ball, but do it in a way that mimics human characteristics. From the much improved secondary play, and the solid offensive/defensive line interaction and a new color palette that just pops off the screen, there is a lot to be impressed by. That's not where the improvements end though, as the coordinator cam is great, the overall ability of the CPU's game and its seemingly intelligent decisions, to neutral site games - there is just so much to like early on. Yes it has some issues that were noticeable in the demo, but for me the pro's far outweigh the con's so far.

Jayson Young: Like the college senior whose GPA is beyond repair after seven straight semesters of Ds and Cs, there is nothing NCAA Football 14 could have reasonably done in its final semester before the Xbox One/PlayStation 4 that would salvage the disastrous foundation of code on which NCAA Football and Madden NFL has been built this generation.

Downloadable uniforms and authentic glove patterns do not matter when the players sporting such super-detailed equipment still motor around the field using jerky, robotic animations.

Lavishly detailed stadiums betray their very purpose when the cardboard cutouts seated within continue to sound so muted and disinterested.

99-rated defenses full of All-Americans look as foolish as ever when their AI coordinators still profess that a "goal-line stand" is best achieved by calling a cover 2 zone from a nickel formation.

Adding a "2.0" moniker to NCAA Football 14's "Infinity Engine" does nothing to change the fact that the feature currently functions better as a comedy routine than it does as a physics simulator.

A game can license all the Nesslers and Herbstreits and ESPN logos it wants, but without intelligent commentary scripting or proper cutaway camera angles, even icons of sports television will fail to sell a believable broadcast experience.

Without getting into a doctoral dissertation on the game's shortcomings, I'll simply say that the NCAA Football 14 demo feels like the type of Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 experience that EA Tiburon should have delivered two to three years earlier, not two to three weeks before the series ingloriously graduates.

Caley Roark: Last year was the first year in a while that I skipped NCAA. From reports, it either got worse or didn't change enough to warrant a purchase. From my brief time with the demo, I'm not sure I'll be back for 2014.

I loved the Coordinator Cam, which I feel gets close to an actual playable broadcast camera. The new option plays felt good, and thanks to the tutorials, were easy to execute. The training actually helps you look for the best "option" to run based on what the defense does.

Still, as Jayson points out, there are problems with this game that haven't been fixed, and probably won't be until the next gen release in 2014. To compound on his criticism, I thought cut scenes looked washed and low-res (demo limitations?). Some animations, both player and mascot, had severe clipping. And, during a fake field goal, the commentary team pontificated on how making a quarterback change might affect the psyche of the team -- based on one gadget play.

I am still interested in NCAA 14, but more for curiosity's sake than to seriously purchase. Perhaps it may eventually quench my football thirst while I'm waiting for the next generation version of Madden.

What do you think of the NCAA Football 14 demo? Add your thoughts in the comments!

NCAA Football 14 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 ncaafootball14markus @ 06/20/13 04:23 PM

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.

# 22 BA2929 @ 06/20/13 04:41 PM

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.

# 23 majesty95 @ 06/20/13 05:10 PM

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

)

# 24 Pokes404 @ 06/20/13 05:20 PM

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.

# 25 tHurley2010 @ 06/20/13 05:25 PM

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.

# 26 Pokes404 @ 06/20/13 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tHurley2010


	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.

# 27 Lzydd @ 06/20/13 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tHurley2010


	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.

# 28 Art01 @ 06/20/13 05:48 PM

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.

# 29 tril @ 06/20/13 07:46 PM

Funny, I agree with everything that Ben, Rob, Jayson, and Caley said.
After several days with the demo, I have to say that the game is good, but boring. The atmosphere and commentary just kill this game for me.
The best new feature is the coordinator cam. absolutely love this.
Ill most likely skip purchasing the game unless its sold for 40.00 dollars or less.

# 30 kamelr3d @ 06/20/13 07:50 PM

I was a little bit disappointed with this demo, but this is what I took away from it after playing about 7 games.

1. I feel like the CPU plays with a little bit more fluidity than the User in regards to the new running system. It seemed like the CPU didn't need to deceleration or acceleration when making cuts. I felt like as the User the player that I controlled was forced to slow down, cut, and then accelerate. This played to the CPU's favor.

2. I felt like the CPU was overly aware of what I was doing both offensively and defensively. It almost seemed like If setting the O-line to contain and having a spy didn't help at all with scrambling QB's.
On passing plays the Defense knew when exactly to play man or zone Defense. Even when calling audibles to switch out of a bad play.

3.The option game seems to be completely rebuilt and I felt like this was the highlight of the demo. I was able to run a number of different option plays successfully as compared to NCAA Football 13 where the option was very flawed.

4.I think that the Development team could have done a much better job with the presentation. The pre-game looks entirely unrealistic. I think that the pre-game presentation should have been done to highlight key players against other teams. I can see how it works against rivals, like Texas - OU or Oregon-Stanford, but how would that look with Bama and a team like USF?

5.I think that the running game has taken a negative impact with the implementation of both the new running system and the Infinity Engine. I found the running game(other than the option) to be really ineffective. The running back would get caught way too much on linemen causing the RB to get caught up in a stumbling animation hindering the ability to get to the cutback lane.

6.I think that the game lagged too much during no huddle situations. I felt like I the CPU took advantage of this lag. I felt like I was having to rush more than usual to give players assignments.

Overall I felt like the Developers tried to implement way too much at once and it actually did more harm than good to this game. I did like the Infinity Engine, but I felt that tackling was still dictated by the old animations that have been in the game for sometime now.

I really had high hopes for this game, but the more and more I saw the less and less I liked what I saw and the demo was just the be all end all for me. I think I will wait for NCAA Football on Next-Gen consoles.

# 31 khaliib @ 06/20/13 09:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big FN Deal


	Concerning this "editor" for 360, is there anyway for one person to do the edits, then share that edited version with others like with rosters or does each individual gamer have to use the editor themselves?

A basic Roster and Dynasty xml file is already available listing most of the fields to do the basic ratings/equipment/player physical builds etc...

When you get to the Profile save, which most of the drastic changes will come from, it's best to do it yourself because the variance of what each gamer sees as realistic/sim style football is too great.

This is were you get the "I don't see a difference" notations.

It's too difficult to ask someone else to tweak/tune the game to my personal perception of a good football game.

That's just how it is unfortunately.
Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

So it's best everyone do their own Profile editing.

# 32 Art01 @ 06/20/13 09:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big FN Deal


	Concerning this "editor" for 360, is there anyway for one person to do the edits, then share that edited version with others like with rosters or does each individual gamer have to use the editor themselves?

It is certainly possible for a person to do edits, then share edited Rosters via Roster Share. The problem is that, for example, the edits I will make to best suit my game play style would probably not be the edits you would want to best suit your game play style. You can test this statement by downloading my latest edited roster for NCAA13 under gamer tag "ArtD01". But don't be surprised if you are not happy with the way my edited Roster plays. Also, I have adjusted the Sliders to further enhance the game for me, so the edited Roster and the Sliders go together. I see no reason to expect that edited versions of NCAA14 will be any less user-specific.

# 33 tHurley2010 @ 06/20/13 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pokes404


	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.

But when you're being asked for an impression of the demo and all you give is: "Why did it take this long to get here?", you're not really answering the question.

If it was a roundtable on the development cycle for this generation, his comments would have been perfectly reasonable and I'd totally agree with him.

# 34 cowboy_kmoney @ 06/20/13 11:07 PM

I really like were they r going with this game and future games. I just hooe they wil fix the issues in this years game and i think they already know what they r frm everybody that has left on here and in other threads. I just cant get pass the new running mixed in wit the IE2. Its making the players fall like they did in Madden13 when they fall in ways like they have no control over they bodies.

# 35 Buckeyed @ 06/20/13 11:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art01


	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.

The editor was awesome for my offline dynasty but does nothing past year one of an online dynasty unfortunately.

If EA would implement an editor similar to this the game would be unbeatable. The over rating is a big problem IMO.

# 36 Feldman011teen @ 06/20/13 11:23 PM

This will be the most complete version this generation, and I expect little change, if any more ncaa's for this generation after this. love the demo.

# 37 shopejay @ 06/20/13 11:23 PM

I like the demo overall and am looking forward to the full release......One thing that stood out to me was the way the field was degrading as the game went on. Some plays you could actually see the grass get torn up. I was playing with Texas A&M and you could see the Logo at mid field start to get torn up as well.

# 38 Phillyboy57 @ 06/21/13 12:56 AM

I like the changes but NCAA needs a lot more. I HOPE the stamina plays a HUGE role because i don't want to see slow teams running Oregon and Clemson spread attacks. NCAA 13 was unreal as i could run no huddle with anybody and defense is nowhere caught up to the offense. The new plays are welcome but again we need more. Only 1 dart play??? Dart is a line protection not just a play just like stretch and zone. Hell i play o-line we can run any play with zone blocking, dart, stretch, dash, quick, firm, fan, whatever. As a football game i think its ok for the majority but as a football player i think we need a 2k game or something for sim, physics and realism. Again i want NCAA to be a good game since it is all we got and i do have fun with it.

# 39 nazzman @ 06/21/13 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BadAssHskr


	i don't know what it is, but i'm just not feeling this part of what everyone's saying just yet. graphics are important to me for whatever personal reason, but there were times when playing '13 that i was amazed by how the player helmets looked, jerseys too on the closeups. it just hasn't popped for me yet on the demo, but like i've repeatedly said, for me, there is always an adjustment period with the leap between years. ...

Don't apologize for the disappointment with player graphics, friend. The players look just OK to downright crappy. Cartoonish and arcade-like when the play is in action. What happened?

I agree about the adjustment period, though.

# 40 ManiacMatt1782 @ 06/21/13 08:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelasthurtknee


	why does everyone keep thinking that the next gen will fix things. thats obsurd. ive been around for every gen that has come out since NES. the NCAA move to ps2 was garbage until 04 which wasnt anywhere near 06 which wasnt anywhere near the versions that came out on ps2 once the ps3 came out. remember how good ncaa 08 looked? they used all the power for graphics and the game was complete garbage. all we had was a weather channel function. it hasnt got a ton better. but i bet next years ncaa(14) which im sure will be on both gens will be better on this gen. prob for a few years. thats the trend that we have had with ea for a long time. did the jayson guy even play the demo? not that i care but i have never read a review that didnt review. and yea i totally agree that this game should of come out along time ago. that ea should be in a 2year cycle. that ncaa on this gen has been really bad but slowly improving. i really liked last year but it had a game killer with the db issue. the run game and option was still a joke on 13. tackling looked terrible and oline interaction was the same on ncaa 02. those seemed to be fixed or better. and should of been fixed and better way back in 09. but thinking next gen is the savior it fooling yourself. it will take a few years if not 5 or 6 to really get it where it can be. same way on the other gens with ncaa and madden. and guys dont sell your xbox's and ps3's thinking that next gen will save your college football gaming. just some forwarning from a grey bush thats seen it all before. i guess jayson wasnt around for the last gen jump.

I agree, remember the first 2 or 3 years this gen were actually a step backward from the 2005 games of last gen.
Madden 05 on the ps2 and xbox was a better game all the way up to 09 or 10 this gen.

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