NCAA Football 13 Demo Is Out, Post Your Impressions Here

[tacosaban]

I agree with Power of Red's statement a few posts back. I got suckered in with all the hype and went ahead and preordered. But, after playing this demo several times. I believe we are headed in the same direction as last year. Option seems off kind of like last year and is just one broken patch away from being just as bad as last year. The gameplay is just really screwed up IMO. Doesn't even feel like a football game to me. I know it's just the demo. But, I feel as though I've seen this movie before and I know how its going to end unfortunately. I hope that I'm wrong.

[PowerofRed25]

This game was an all out pass attack, just to put the passing game through its paces.

- Is anyone getting any sort of defensive contest on curl routes? Defensive backs play a mile off on that route and never seem to recover. I've completed it every time for 12+.

- Got my first penalty so far, hold on the CPU. I actually saw the hold occur too, that was kind of cool.

- Nearly blocked a FG. Entire left side of my block team blew right through but I took control the guy and completely whiffed. He probably had it if I left him alone.

- PA passing looks really good. Defense seems to honor the fake and it is blocked well. I don't have to take control of the QB before the fake ends just to escape. Had a sexy throw to Woods on a PA off the counter. PA passes that boot to the side opposite of the QB's arm are still awkward, which he'd just twist his upper body.

- Crowd noise is louder while I'm on offense than it is on defense at home.

- Still getting a bunch of "psychic" DB play, although mostly in zone rather than man this time. Man seems to be tuned correctly.

- Just had a booth review of a spot. Was called short, review overturned it to a first down. Later in the game, had a call called a TD, review put it on the 1. Bad call though.

- Routes with hard pivots seem VERY sloppy, especially the follow route.

- There is some weird stuff happening on onside kicks. The second the ball hits the ground, a player or two dive on the ground nowhere near the ball. Some players run away from it and it usually leads to a return. Only time I got a bounce other than a 99 hop ground ball has been when I aimed all the way low.

- CPU just ran a fake punt on 4th and 24 (it was obvious when they aligned in a tight formation), all their receivers ran into the endzone and stopped, the punter threw it into the ground 30 yards short. They were in plus territory too.

- Just had a major WTF moment. Threw a flag route down the field at the sideline (Cover 2 safety stopped and covered nothing), my guy went up, caught it, was hit, both field came down inbounds and he was driven out of bounds. As he laid there, he dropped the ball. There was a weird pause, vibration in the controller and the ref signaled incomplete. It was a cool animation, but that's a catch.

- The rhythmic swaying of the USC band is driving me absolutely insane.

- Had a play where Barkley got smoked as he threw downfield, ball tumbled in the air and another unintended WR ran after it to get it. That was pretty cool.

- Threw a pass before the icon lit and it was a bad miss.

- Cover 2 zone defense continues to be a major problem for the CPU. Safeties DO NOT cover anything. 4th and 28 and I ran a Seam Route with Woods and neither safety even attempted to follow. They froze in their tracks. Same stuff from the gameplay videos. They gain neither depth or width on the field. Woods had no one within 25 yards. Next drive on 3rd and 19, I launched a streak up the sideline and no one even ran with him. It is like there is confusion on assignments because someone runs with the guy for 15 yards and then everyone stops.

- OL play is not good but better. I've had a TON of plays where they were confused, froze and blocked nothing for an instant sack.

- CPU runs an ungodly amount of slip screens and never completes a single one.

- Can't seem to get a fade route or throw to work. Even the slightest tap is a low throw.

- The pixelation of the grass is horrendous in replay.

- I can't seem to get sack avoidance to work all that well, but I also tend to react too late because my eyes are always downfield.

- Oregon's pants and helmet got dirty, jersey not at all.

- I threw for over 400 yards and 3 TD in this one. Threw 2 bad INT though.

[PowerofRed25]

Quote: Originally Posted by SonOfEd

I saw this play today as well. I like the little mini-series of plays that go with it. Not owning '12, I wasn't sure if this was new, and was something I really wanted in '11. Back to Impressions, I just really need to see what will happen with sliders and threshold adjustments. The gameplay is reminding me alot of Madden 12, wich I still enjoy, but my heart is with the college game. Really digging the in-game update addition, at least the fact that I will be able to see what is going on in my dynasty. Nice touch. Its been hit or miss for me with the DT super blockshedding, either crazy quick or real nice pocket formed. Overall, I'm still excited to get my hands on the game.

They added that jet series of plays in Offset last year, that particular one is a new one though, it replaced a motion option. Last year it had the outside WR begin an orbit motion, the snap occurring midway through, you ran a read option with the HB and then the motion WR changed directions and became a pitch man. EDIT: This play is still in that formation, so this is an added play.

I'm not totally sure there is a read on this new play though, I'll have to experiment more with it and see. This play would have been a great starting point for EA to implement the veer/inverted veer. Bring the jet guy around, read that backside DE, if he slides out with the jet, keep and go right to his vacated spot. If he stays home or cheats down, hand and weeeee.

EDIT: It appears that the playside defensive is left unblocked on this play. So it is essentially a read option with the jet WR and then a speed option off of that. That's an incredibly tough and quick read though.

EDIT 2: I attempted to make this play into a do-it-yourself inverted veer and had some success but it isn't authentic since I'm reading the backside defender. However if you keep and follow the jet WR through the hole it makes for a nifty QB Power.

[Slaticus]

Quote: Originally Posted by PowerofRed25

They added that jet series of plays in Offset last year, that particular one is a new one though, it replaced a motion option. Last year it had the outside WR begin an orbit motion, the snap occurring midway through, you ran a read option with the HB and then the motion WR changed directions and became a pitch man. EDIT: This play is still in that formation, so this is an added play. I'm not totally sure there is a read on this new play though, I'll have to experiment more with it and see. This play would have been a great starting point for EA to implement the veer/inverted veer. Bring the jet guy around, read that backside DE, if he slides out with the jet, keep and go right to his vacated spot. If he stays home or cheats down, hand and weeeee. EDIT: It appears that the playside defensive is left unblocked on this play. So it is essentially a read option with the jet WR and then a speed option off of that. That's an incredibly tough and quick read though.

It is a cheap way to run it, but you can follow the jet motion man with the qb. Gashed USC with it by accident.

[PowerofRed25]

Quote: Originally Posted by Slaticus

It is a cheap way to run it, but you can follow the jet motion man with the qb. Gashed USC with it by accident.

Hahaha just went back to edit my post again because I accidentally did it too and blew USC up for 45. Turned into a nasty little do-it-yourself QB Power.

[PowerofRed25]

You know what Rece Davis reminds me of in this? Jon Gruden.

But instead of "this guy" and "that guy" it is "this team" and "that team." Either way, both virtual Rece Davis and real life Jon Gruden sound like horribly canned soundtracks.

[Slaticus]

Quote: Originally Posted by PowerofRed25

Hahaha just went back to edit my post again because I accidentally did it too and blew USC up for 45. Turned into a nasty little do-it-yourself QB Power.

Potential cheese play you think?

[PowerofRed25]

Quote: Originally Posted by Slaticus

Potential cheese play you think?

Not sure about cheese because I tried doing it on purpose a few times and the WR didn't block anything and it got blown up. One time I did it and that DE had come down the line and accelerated hard and dragged me down for a for a loss.

I think it will be okay once the game drops, but I could see people following that jet WR on purpose an awful lot. I wondered if it could be done on purpose to create sort of a veer look but since the only unblocked player is that playside DE, not really. It'll be a play I keep an eye on though. My first thought after I did it accidentally was "I should put a blocking TE at the jet position and let him lead block for me."