After Playing Madden, Will You Go Back To Play NCAA? - Feldman011teen's Blog

Feldman011teen's Blog

After Playing Madden, Will You Go Back To Play NCAA?

Posted on August 29, 2012 at 12:48 PM.

Madden '13 was released yesterday and is truly proving to be the best football game this generation. With the Infinity Engine and the Connected Careers, it's hard to imagine going back to something that lacked the progression of Madden. However, NCAA is an excellent title, and some people may even prefer how that game feels as compared to the Infinity Engine in Madden. Not to mention, college football is great, and that game tries to capture that atmosphere. Madden doesn't have that atmosphere, because it's not college football.

As great as the presentation is in Madden, NCAA still has the ESPN overlays and the studio updates. This is something I wish they would incorporate in Madden to give a better idea of what's going on around the league that Sunday. The Studio Updates give a good tv feel for watching games on Saturdays. Add to that, the ESPN Bottom Line and you have two features that I personally wish were in Madden, and would go back to playing NCAA to enjoy.

If you're digging the Legends mode in Madden, the Heisman mode is worth going back and playing. Unlike the Legends Mode, you don't have to unlock over half the people, and you can play as Barry Sanders. The Reaction Time feature exists in NCAA to slow down time, and Madden does not have this. So, this is another reason to go back and play NCAA if you're into doing that.

Honestly, the biggest reason to go back is the Dynasty mode. Not taking anything away from Madden's CCM, but the scouting involved in Dynasty is the bulk of what NCAA has to offer. In addition to being very addictive, the scouting feature is much deeper than what's available in Madden. Add to that the weekly dynamics involved with your school's prestige, and this should be the feature that keeps you coming back.

Yes, the lack of NCAA Draft Class in Madden will make it so people don't go back to it. Also, adjusting back to the feel of NCAA after playing Madden might put a bad taste in someone's mouth. Unless you traded your $60 game back in a month later, you still have it, and you still spent $60 on it, and the college football season hasn't started. Wait til Saturdays and see if you want to rekindle that experience from NCAA '13, because it's a great game, and it should not be just tossed aside because Madden '13 offers a different experience.