"The Better Game of Football Debate" thrown a curve by CCM

[StarnugskiN]

As the big news from EA at E3 came and went, I noticed a subtle change in opinion of what will be "the better football game" on these boards. Before the announcement many seemed to lean on the thought that NCAA would be a wash, a once-again dud in comparison to Madden. However once Connected Careers was unleashed, and its exclusion of certain options (draft import, CM roster editing, ability to play any season game) was revealed, the tables may have turned. Those connecting to EA College Football or maybe on the fence between games, are pleased that these changes won't be seen in NCAA. Some are even posting their pre-order for Madden has been canceled.

I've tended to always get my hands on both games, flip flopping which version would eventually end up seeing more playing time. And this year though I've found myself paralleling others' swayed feelings with the CCM announcement, I still find my way back to Madden. I'm hyped for the new, creative changes coming into a dynasty mode that made me return '12 before I even finished one season. I remind myself that although we cannot edit rosters in CCM (which is no doubt a bummer), EA has created an RPG like upgrade system giving us the ability to carve future player/coach/team ratings to our liking.

So, understanding that everyone has a different reason for buying one game over the other (or playing one more than the other), which EA title do YOU believe will be the "better game of football" this year? And does the announcement of Connected Careers Mode in Madden, with all of its additions and subtractions, greatly influence your opinion?

[DNMHIII]

I think at the end of the day Madden has the potential for being the better game in terms of just what takes place on the field because of the new engine. Both titles got some fluff with XP and recruiting, but at the end of the day Madden got the biggest bump in actual gameplay and I think that'll go a long way with people.

I'm sticking with NCAA 12 because 13 isn't really that different than 12 from what I've seen in the demo and I'll pair that with Madden 12 and skip Madden this year also. I'm mentally prepaired to take a year off with buying the latest titles and hopefully 14 will bring back missing features and integrate NCAA again so I can enjoy both titles in their current form.

[MoeIsBetter]

Every year I buy Madden and NCAA and every year I complain about Madden and NCAA. Call me an "EA Sheep" all you want, but I make the money and if I wanna spend it on the only football games available, so be it.

With that being said, I'm looking forward to Madden this year probably more than ever. I have complained and complained because things got complacent and nothing seemed very "new". This year they change up everything. I'm looking forward to it because I respect the process. Is it perfect? No, of course not. But it's different! It's what I've been praying for years for! Will players with crap numbers suck? Yeah, I'm sure at some point it will. But for right now I'm salivating to get my hands on it. I wanna see the physics involved in hits and throws. I want to see my real life football players come to life on my screens in more ways than just being in animations with each other. I want to feel like when I hit some poor receiver going across the deep middle with Adrian Wilson, that all 234 lbs of solid muscle is really crushing that sum-*****. This is the start of something brand new, for years to come. The glass definitely half full over here!

[johnnyg713]

Just want to comment that I did the exact opposite. I cancelled my preorder of NCAA and hope to buy madden. After seeing what CC has to offer and playing the NCAA demo, I'm confident madden will be the better game.

[moylan1234]

Yup I started with NCAA went to Madden when I heard about RTP and then went back to NCAA with all the recent news so yeah I think it'll be NCAA this year. I give credit to Madden for trying new things, but I think NCAA will play better football because all their features will be more flushed out including gameplay.

either way following the games this year has been more of roller coaster ride than I can ever remember.

[TTD71]

So, lets see...

NCAA '13
- no Inifnity Engine
- no really new additions beyond gimmicks (The bullet-time stuff is freaking stupid no matter how you cut it IMO; and the Heisman Mode stuff is matched in Madden with the HOF stuff in CCM...)
= has all the same adjustments to passing trajectories and Read and React defense as Madden, plus same control scheme

(I DO like that NCAA still has more gameplay variety and options within the variety - such as the player lock camera for playing defense in H2H games or superstar mode...so that is a bonus for them, but not "new" and not a factor in determining which is better this year...)

Madden '13
+ gets the new engine (no matter if its a total bust or not, it is significantly new and step in the right direction that will keep Madden a dev-cycle ahead of NCAA for YEARS to come)...
+ gets a total overhaul of Franchise (whether or not its what people want, you can't deny its new...which is the antithesis of what Madden is always accused of - ie. "the same game with new rosters")
= has all the same adjustments to passing trajectories and Read and React defense as NCAA, plus same control scheme

On balance, if the game that gets more new features cannot produce a "better game of football", then it really may be time for EA to put both series into hibernation until the next set of new consoles drops.

[fballturkey]

It is really hard to tell with how different Madden will be this year. You pretty much know what you're getting with NCAA and it won't be radical but it will be good. Madden could be great, but it could be very, very broken. If EA actually pulls it off on release day I'll be impressed.

[warrior7807]

I know many people canceled pre orders for NCAA simply because madden doesnt have draft import.
Personally, i have always rented/borrowed NCAA just to get a few seasons of the drafts saved. I doubt i will play any NCAA other than the demo unless at a friend's house. I am preparing myself for bugs in the infinity engine as it is new and barely made the game, but am interested to see how CCM works first hand.