NCAA Football 14 Demo is Available Now, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

[brandon27]

After having some time this weekend to get some time with the demo, I've gotta say, I enjoy it. I love that the colors finally seem to stand out, it doesnt look so plain and washed out anymore.

Blocking seems improved to me, so that's a big plus.

Running seems better this year as well, so thats a plus.

Crowds look as terrible as ever, if not worse. Sure that will change next gen. Not a huge deal breaker though.

I found the CPU's option offense generally impossible to stop. Maybe it was just me though.

All in all, very happy with the demo. A bit ticked off now that I'll be in Alaska on a cruise when the game drops. Not sure why I preordered it then. lol

I wish the demo had let you explore the new dynasty stuff a bit, especially the new recruiting, just so you could get a feel for it.

[GisherJohn24]

Had another glitch. I caught a pass out of bounds and the refs said play overturned and gave the other team 6 points. This better not be in final game . Ps3 demo

[LucasWVU]

Quote: Originally Posted by GisherJohn24

Had another glitch. I caught a pass out of bounds and the refs said play overturned and gave the other team 6 points. This better not be in final game . Ps3 demo

You should try posting that here http://www.operationsports.com/forum...d.php?t=638789

[XxJustAguessxX]

Quote: Originally Posted by GisherJohn24

Had another glitch. I caught a pass out of bounds and the refs said play overturned and gave the other team 6 points. This better not be in final game . Ps3 demo

Hopefully will not be in the final product, but that's why we have a demo, I'm sure they are aware of such things and will deal with them properly. I've never seen that glitch, that's seem very weird. I'm optimistic it will be fixed and you'll enjoy the game.

[GisherJohn24]

IM sorry for being a pessamist. But I Remember the glitches that 11, 12 and 13 have. Anyone remember the pump fake bug? That wasn't fixed for 2 months after the launch. I just worry about new engines will make things worse. I will try to wait for the final product. Will probably wait for ya'all to pla yon launch day and then hear input from you guys before deciding. I hope EA can turn it around.

[XxJustAguessxX]

Quote: Originally Posted by GisherJohn24

IM sorry for being a pessamist. But I Remember the glitches that 11, 12 and 13 have. Anyone remember the pump fake bug? That wasn't fixed for 2 months after the launch. I just worry about new engines will make things worse. I will try to wait for the final product. Will probably wait for ya'all to pla yon launch day and then hear input from you guys before deciding. I hope EA can turn it around.

The funny thing is there is no grey area with this game, it either works or it doesn't. If your waiting to hear the game has no bugs I think your gonna be disappointed. There will be some glitch and the response team will have to fix it or half fix it but I'm ok with the game, there are some wonky animations with the IE 2 but were not playing the final build of the game so they say so I'm gonna be optimistic and think we will get a halfway decent game.

[GisherJohn24]

Quote: Originally Posted by XxJustAguessxX

The funny thing is there is no grey area with this game, it either works or it doesn't. If your waiting to hear the game has no bugs I think your gonna be disappointed. There will be some glitch and the response team will have to fix it or half fix it but I'm ok with the game, there are some wonky animations with the IE 2 but were not playing the final build of the game so they say so I'm gonna be optimistic and think we will get a halfway decent game.

Yeah, I can take a few bugs. But I get frustrated, especially if they are bugs that were in the previous versions...

[jwilphl]

Keep in mind I'm coming from NCAA '12 to make my comparisons. I think 2 years is a much better measuring point than 1 in critiquing how the game has improved. Here are my impressions from the PS3 version:

Graphics:

• Having not played since NCAA '12, the game looks demonstrably different. The colors are much brighter, but to me the overall look is less appealing.
• It appears this game has much different lighting from previous versions. I find this version of the game appears almost more "cartoonish" (for lack of a better term) than NCAA '12.
• The details aren't there compared to previous versions. There is also a lot of pixelation and other fidelity issues, but some of that may be due to the nature of the demo (will compare against final version of the game).
• Based on demo alone, I would say I prefer NCAA '12s graphics overall but NCAA '14 has a better palette of colors to work with (again this may just be different lightning engines, I believe they previously used HDR environments).

Presentation:

• Liking what I have seen so far. The new stat overlays were nice, but still somewhat infrequent. With only 3 minute quarters it is hard to tell.
• The commentary is rather uninspired as Kirk and Brad are still in the booth together. I hear some new lines but overall tend to drown them out, as we've been hearing them for over a decade now. Time to mix things up, EA.
• I get a more broadcast feel from this version of the game, especially in comparison to NCAA '12 which is nice. Definitely an improvement, but just as well has plenty of room to grow.
• Crowd sound still seems fairly weak, whereas player chatter is much improved. This has to do with that weird mix of broadcast v. on-the-field presentation that EA tends to bungle. If I could choose one or the other that would be great, but I have a feeling the crowd noise just won't stand up to the improved on-field sounds.
• Players still tend to walk around like robots after the play. They look like brain-dead marionettes.
• Some of the same cut-scenes and end-game scenes from NCAA '12, which is not good, IMO.

Gameplay:

• Considerably variant as compared to NCAA '12. By that I mean the new engine is quite noticeable. Collision effects are much better handled. Don't yet have a handle on line interactions and warping, that will come with time.
• There were some oddities in how my QB acted when throwing (e.g. he would face toward the sideline to throw the ball 30 yards downfield).
• Quite a few new WR animations, which is good to see. I also like throwing a screen play to my RB and see him cut up field instead of running straight out of bounds like in NCAA '12.
• Surprisingly the foot-planting feels pretty genuine, but there still are some momentum/physics issues where inertia is completely countered by anti-gravity.
• No more alligator-arm DBs? Did not experience that, thankfully. In '12 they would do the elbow jerk, here they actually extend their arms to go get the ball. Had 2 INTs in my first game.

Other:

• There is still a lot of lag between button presses. Not sure if this is strictly a PS3 issue, but it is a hindrance to the overall experience.
• I can't put my finger on it but I feel claustrophobic playing. Perhaps the field is too small or the players are not the right proportions? Maybe it is the lighting? I can't really tell what it is, the game just feels "small" to me. It looks like a player = between 3 and 4 yards tall, which is obviously too big. Without instant replay I can't confirm.
• The engine still shows some weird effects, like players colliding then unsure how to respond, so they twitch or flip all over the place. A technology limitation hopefully corrected by the next-gen consoles.

Overall I hope the final version is much more polished. Since it is a demo it is hard to tell what we have now vs. what we won't--it probably won't be a hugely dramatic difference, but there should be some. I don't really know what to expect considering the variance in product we usually receive, but I did enjoy my time with the demo moreso than loathe it.


Still unsure as to purchase. I despise NCAA '12 gameplay, but I'm still deciding on whether to hold out until the first PS4 release of an NCAA game or to just get it this year and wait until '16.