NCAA 10 Demo Impressions - rudyjuly2's Blog

rudyjuly2's Blog

NCAA 10 Demo Impressions

Posted on June 18, 2009 at 11:06 PM.

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These are long so I figured I'd blog them separately and for future reference.

I feel like a giant yo-yo this year with regards to NCAA 10. Some times I feel good about the game and others I�m upset over what Madden is getting and NCAA isn�t. The last day before the demo came out was weird. I was feeling good until we found out the sliders were broken. Then I was extremely ticked off and swore off buying NCAA 10. Then positive impressions of the demo come in and the EA team announces a patch to fix the sliders. I feel good again. And then I play the demo.

Let me first say that it�s awful hard to get a real good impression for a football game with 2 minute quarters. It�s just too hard to get into a flow. Plus a demo is often limited to a small size and doesn�t have all the bell and whistles of a retail copy. This is clearly the case with this demo. I played two games; one with OU and one with Florida and both went into double OT. It usually takes me at least 5 full games at 7 minute quarters to start to get a good feel for a new game. No way can I make real judgments on NCAA 10 based on my play time but I�m unhappy about quite a few things.

DEMO RESTRICTIONS

The graphics in the demo (PS3) are mediocre. I had just played a couple games of NCAA 09 before the demo and played a game afterward. The demo is a small step back in how crisp the players look. The sound is very poor. The crowd chants are awful. Where were these recorded? The band music is missing and the overall presentation is extremely blah. I have to assume this is related to demo size as �09 was better imo. If this is how the retail version is, I won�t understand it at all.

There are a couple tackle animations that happen over, and over, and over. This was confirmed to be fixed for the retail copy but it doesn�t make the demo look that good.

Lastly, you can�t adjust the sliders in this demo. Most demos don�t allow you to do that but when I compare the demo to my adjusted �09 copy, I preferred the �09 version without a doubt. It�s an unfair comparison � like buying a new suit off a rack without alterations and comparing the fit to the old one hanging in the closet.

GENERAL FEEL

The game feels very similar to �09. I didn�t notice a big difference in the player movement. The differences are small if any and the players still lack too much weight and momentum. I can understand why many reviewers said the game feels just like �09. It�s because it does! The subtle AI difference might be there but the feel is still similar.

POSITIVE COMMENTS

I�ll start with this short list. Again, very limited playtime but I did like the fact the cpu QB went deep. So nice to see. Over the shoulder grabs looked really good too. The corner routes may be a bit too easy to complete but the return of the deep ball on both sides was nice to see.

I�ve missed the r-stick DL moves since �06. Barely used it tonight but I�ll just include this as I know I will like it once I get more playing time with it.

NEGATIVE COMMENTS

I don�t like the new camera. As soon as I started playing I hated it and this was one of my biggest annoyances while playing initially. As time went on I adjusted but I don�t like it. Plus it seems to pan and zoom during play a little more than I like and the transition doesn�t always seem so smooth. Why couldn�t the NCAA team add the old camera as another option? At least they could say they offered two camera angles. It does pan out a bit more to see the flats but the camera angle is too low imo. I like a higher view. I do think I will adjust but I think this is a step backwards.

I really loved the idea of the player lock camera when I first read about it. I thought this would be great on defence but I didn�t like this either. The camera is constantly panning around and moving making it very hard to either control your player properly and/or see the play well. I actually think its best if you are a DB but if the play is away from you, you can�t see anything. I would much rather prefer a fixed, defensive third person camera at this point.

Not much from either running game. Still early but without sliders, it's hard to tell if the cpu will be able to run effectively this year. The 2 minute quarters makes it extremely hard to judge as both teams are in hurry up most of the game. The running animations are still poor.

Shorter, bullet passes seem too fast. Not a big deal but I did notice it.

Not much of a pass rush on the cpu QB but I didn�t really have a chance to take a good look at this. Without replay, how do you really tell? I�ll have to defer to the OS videos.

Still not enough momentum for players but the least of my worries right now.

Why does the cpu still choose to receive in OT if they win the flip? They did this last year and it�s flat out wrong. You choose defence first in college OT.

Defensive playbooks appear unchanged.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS

Not impressed with this demo. I was hoping to like it but instead came away disappointed. At this point I really don�t think I will buy this on day one. I�m no longer dependent on my football gaming and there are enough good games to play for now. I might just wait until Madden comes out before I decide or just keep playing NCAA 09 and deal with its flaws. Other than the improved cpu deep ball, I just don�t see anything significant here that warrants an upgrade � certainly not a $60 one.

Comments

# 1 moose1619 @ Jun 18

I agree with some things you say. When the game started up I thought their was something not quite right with the graphics. This could be the first year since inception that I don't buy this game at launch. I traded in 09 for Madden 09 and I may go with Madden all the way this year. This after I didn't buy madden for a spell of 3 or 4 years.

# 2 SageInfinite @ Jun 18

Nice honest write up. I know you're a NCAA die hard so this write up speaks volumes of what this series has become.

# 3 sportzbro @ Jun 19

I like your write up here. The series tripped on jump to next gen, and has just landed on its face with 2010. Its funny that some of the things you liked, I didn't & vice versa, but the general feeling is the same... the game is mediocre at best..

# 4 boritter @ Jun 19

It is stupid that the CPU goes on offense first when it wins the OT coin toss.

# 5 rspencer86 @ Jun 19

I'm definitely running with 09 for another year. Hopefully the NCAA team will get their act together for next year.

# 6 Steve_OS @ Jun 19

Solid Rudy, solid.

# 7 marcoyk @ Jun 19

I'm not a fan of the new camera either. I agree with you that it isn't smooth at times. Also when you get an interception, when the camera is turning you can't always see everything around you, which is a little annoying.

# 8 DJ @ Jun 19

Good write-up, Rudy. You know the game is in bad shape when die-hard NCAA gamers like yourself are having these feelings.

I think you're making a smart decision to rent the game first. That way you can play through a good number of games and then decide if it's something you want to invest in.

Me personally, I am not buying the game this year as it feels to similar to 09 and I just am not seeing enough improvements in the videos or in the details released on the site, to warrant a $60 purchase.

# 9 sooner111 @ Jun 19

Dead On! I was hyped to see what significant changes were going to be compared to 09 and thought for a second that I redownloaded the NCAA 09 demo. I personally think that the majority efforts were put towards the Teambuilder concept and that they used about 85 percent of last years game engine and carried it over to this year. I'll rent it first to get an overall test before dropping 60 bones.

# 10 TheTodd84 @ Jun 19

Rudy, I will have to respectfully disagree with you on the Player Lock. It is solid if you are a D-lineman or a safety, but if you are a CB or a LB, good luck. That is the only problem I have with that.

One thing I noticed which really, really made me happy was that the CPU actually provided me with a stiff challenge. I played three games this morning and went 1-2, even getting shut out 10-0 as oklahoma. And this was on All-American. My first game, I lost as DeMarco Murray went 75 yards to the house on me @ the end of the 3rd quarter. Heartbreaker. So the CPU definitely can run this year. At least that was my impression.

Also, the AI playcalling seemed to be better in the demo. No more speed options with Sam Bradford. And I felt that the players had a lot more weight than last year. I found it very difficult to effectively break tackles on a consistent basis.

One thing that really pissed me off though was the lack of a pass rush. It sucks. My roommate was watching me play the 3rd game and even yelled out "COME ON, PRESSURE" with a four-man rush as bradford had ALL DAY back there. Of course, it leads to a 20-yard gain on 3rd and 14, but that could be attributed to my conservative play call.

Overall, the game feels very similar, but Rudy, I noticed a huge upgrade in the AI which made me happy. But you're right, it is difficult to tell if this will be like that for a whole game. If it is, I might not have a 165 game winning streak in my dynasty this year! lol.

# 11 rudyjuly2 @ Jun 19

You could be right about the AI Todd84. Awful hard to tell in limited time and with 2 minute quarters. But I just played another game and the lack of polish in this demo is shocking. I can excuse the downgraded graphics and sound due to demo limitations. But some of the stuff like me having a ball snapped over the QBs head and called incomplete, the excessive tackle animation where a runner gets flipped to the ground, etc. just make this seem like a first iteration game rather than the 4th version of next gen.

In this last game I was leading with OU 7-0. I tried to let the cpu score at the end of the game (on AA) so I could get to OT where the game feels more like football. That's one reason I had two OT games initially. I'll miss FGs to keep the game tied. With 10 seconds left on my 20 yard line, I sent a 4-3 blitz against a shotgun formation hoping to give up a TD. Tebow hits a slot WR around the 7 or 8 yard line. He can practically walk into the end zone but he ends up running parallel to the end zone and after about a 10+ yard run sideways gets tackled at the 5! What the heck was that?

I just don't see enough upgrades or polish to warrant a purchase. The biggest thing I liked was seeing the cpu throw deep and the over the shoulder catches. That's not enough for me. Especially since I really don't like the gameplay camera angle. That's probably my biggest disappointment.

# 12 TheTodd84 @ Jun 20

those are pretty good points, and I did notice the botched snap glitch too. I guess my expectations after playing 09 were so low that I am impressed by trivial things in NCAA 10. lol.

When I rent it on day one, I will let you know if i feel the same way about the actual game.