NCAA Football 14 Demo Impressions Roundtable

[BenGerman]

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]

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

[H4wduk3n]

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]

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]

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.