NCAA Football 13 Demo Is Out, Post Your Impressions Here

[General Butt Naked]

anybody else having a problem with the replays in the demo. I having replays where everybody is sliding.

[Mos1ted]

I finally had the opportunity to play the demo for a bit. I did a quick Heisman Challenge game, and after that, the LSU-Alabama matchup.

I like the addition of player's not reacting to the ball when they can't see it. It really alleviates a lot of the frustration I had with last year's game.

However, one glaring complaint that ruins immersion for me is the locomotion and lack of foot planting on this game. I really do feel like I'm playing a hockey game instead of a football game. And the way plays accelerate way too fast just kills the realism factor for me. Some have mentioned that changing the game speed and speed threshold may alleviate this somewhat in the retail version, and that may be true. Unfortunately, nothing can be done to combat the zig zag running that's rampant in this game, and that's a shame. Other than the O-line/D-line interaction, that's the only glaring weakness holding this game back from being a very realistic football experience.

That being said, there were enough positives in the demo to keep me optimistic about what Madden 13 will offer. I think if NCAA Football had the Infinity engine as well, I would be able to overlook some of the aforementioned flaws in the game. I guess I'll wait to NCAA 14 to see if EA Tiburon will finally address those two remaining issues.

[TheBadOwl]

Heisman Challenge as a QB is going to be the most boring thing in the game. It's entirely too easy. It would definitely be more fun to play as Eddie George and Barry Sanders.

The dynasty games were great, IMO. Same player models as last year, but my god, it looks so much better. The colors are still a bit off, but the lighting is much better, the presentation has been GREATLY improved, the animations are SO much better, and the motion blur, while it's sometimes a bit excessive, has made things look MUCH more realistic.

The gameplay is much improved as well. I know people are calling this NCAA 12.5, but I think this is a good step up from NCAA 12, and will be easily the best current-gen NCAA game that EA has put out. This is a day one buy for me, after playing the demo.

Receivers actually catch the ball in stride now, and read options are great. Bubble screens don't totally suck anymore, either (although they're still not that good) and you see athletic interceptions. Also, when balls are tipped, you actually see players slide and dive to get the ball. Coverage is VERY realistic now.

Normally, on a fly route, the DB would run in front of the receiver and the ball would get overthrown. In the demo, I was playing as LSU, and Tyrann Mathieu had decent coverage on a bigger receiver, who had gotten slightly behind him, but it was mostly step-for-step. Well, the ball got thrown over the receiver's back shoulder, he made the catch in stride, and went the distance. Mathieu was watching the ball the whole way, but there was nothing he could do. Psychic DB's are gone, super linebackers are gone (if you had one tip a ball, it's because you threw right at him. Yes, that does sometimes actually happen in real life), post routes actually work, bubble screens actually work, quarterbacks can actually throw on the run, everything seems a lot more realistic.

There are a FEW flaws, but it's nothing glaring like the linebackers and coverage from last year. And until NCAA gets the infinity engine, those flaws will always exist. But just from the demo, I'd venture to say that this is going to be the best NCAA so far.

With that said, NCAA 14 is going to completely blow this out of the water. But judging from the demo, this game will be VERY good.

[Diggler360]

I have the imagine the final release will slow down the game a bit.

Like you said above, it's just too fast. Players cover too much ground per second.

[TheBinnzer]

A few observations

1. Code on the Ps3 version is not fully optimized. I see slow down when teams are heading to the line to begin a play. XBOX had no such problems.
2. Passing is wonderful. I might have a qb actually complete 65% of his passes this year.
3. If I threw a pick, I felt like it was my fault. In the past 2 games, I have seen the psychic cb's, super LB's and warping safeties destroy my passing game. Literally you could not tell if someone was open because the player's reactions would be different with each instance. Now its consistent. The receiver is either covered or he is not. And even if he is covered sometimes you can throw him open.. awesome!
4.I have seen fumbles bounce around crazily this year. I like it
5. I feel like I have plenty of time to take control of a receiver or db and make a play myself. In the past 2 games, the time between the Qb's release of the ball and its arrival to the receiver seemed so fast I had little chance to make a difference.
6. Hooks really work, if you have time to let the play develop.
7. I have seen Oregon's RB drop the ball alot. Meanwhile Kstate's RB's hands are $$. Its good to see variation of skill sets.
8. I have not seen one pass nail a crossing receiver in the head, like last year, which was maddening.
9. Running seems very twitchy.. if you have stick skills, you should own running this year, no excuses. I have limited stick skills, but the players slice and dice on a dime this year and even I can feel a difference.
10. Using the hit stick on a receiver as he catches the ball has not been as effective knocking the ball out of his hands for me.
11. Simmed stats seem to be based based on an entire game, not on how long the quarters are in the game.
12. Stats on the Reese updates were average to crappy for most qb's, 5/16, 16/36 etc. Best I saw was 20/30
13. I was playing at home with USC and I felt the controller vibrate when I was on offense with Barkley?? A 4th year QB getting bad nerves at home? maybe it was the 2 picks I had thrown getting used to the new passing hehe

The game play is great me.. or maybe its just because the passing is pure awesomeness and it hasn't been that way in so long, I can't adequately judge anything else

[khaliib]

Quote: Originally Posted by Gotmadskillzson

I hate you now because I haven't seen it yet.

I'm with Skillz also.

Not fair!!!

Oh if there are Ratings that will stimulate more of this...!!!

[fballturkey]

They need to update the touchback commentary to not say that the ball will be on the 20 anymore.

[TheBadOwl]

Quote: Originally Posted by Diggler360

I have the imagine the final release will slow down the game a bit. Like you said above, it's just too fast. Players cover too much ground per second.

Especially safeties. I'll have a guy behind the defense, lob a long pass down field, and have a safety run all the way across the field to break it up at the last second. Then again, that only really happened to me against Alabama and USC, who have elite safeties, and my receivers weren't all that fast.