Review: NCAA Football 2014 - dikelikellama's Blog

dikelikellama's Blog

Review: NCAA Football 2014

Posted on January 30, 2014 at 01:17 PM.

After nearly 7 months, I can honestly say that I have logged more game play hours on this edition of NCAA Football than any other version. Although there are no earth shattering additions for this years game, there are certainly quite a few minor additions/adjustments to freshen things up a bit. First off, I really enjoyed the new home screen set up. Totally new layout with an old school feel. Another improvement that made a huge difference to me is the new tackling and player movement engine. A down side would be after the play, tripping and falling would occur WAY too often... just looked silly to me. Also, late hits/ late tackling after scoring plays were also a problem as far as realistic expectations go.
The trading card based game mode "Ultimate Team" was a new addition. Although I never played this mode often, I do know quite a few people who enjoyed this. I can't speak in depth on this topic, but I do think it was a good addition to offer. The new recruit system is awesome. Gone are the days of time consuming phone calls and trying to figure out the perfect pitch to get recruits to bite. The new points system is simple, fast, and effective. It offers up just enough control to the gamer without becoming too boring.
This is the first year I have ever attempted to run the read option offense and I truly enjoyed it. The new read and pitch man hints above the defensive players can make reading defenses a breeze for first time players. I found this offense to be extremely effective if you have the right combo of players to run it correctly. This brings me to another topic that has troubled NCAA Football games in the past... Four Verts. Plays such as four verticals in older versions of this game were nearly unstoppable. It seems as if EA has tried to limit such issues in the 2014 version. I found that slider adjustments are key to making your gameplay experience as realistic as possible. No game is perfect out of the box. Don't be afraid to tinker with your slider adjustments to find the right formula for you. Overall, I think this edition of NCAA Football was a step up. I am disappointed that there will not be a 2015 that represents the new playoff format. Oh well, at least my sliders will be set for next year so I can immediately dive in!

Score: 8 out of 10

DikeLikeLlama

Comments

# 1 Eski33 @ Jan 30

Excellent review. NCAA 14 is fun, point blank. I'm hoping EA release uniform updates next season. I would buy if worthy.

# 2 RandallB21 @ Jan 31

I was one of the people that skipped the 13 editions of NCAA and Madden and from what I heard I am glad I did. NCAA 14 is a good game. I have an online franchise and an offline franchise going right now. My buddies and I are ending season 2 and I just finished season 1 of my offline franchise. I also run a madden league.
The best thing about the game for me is the fact that all the features found in the offline dynasty mode are found in the online version as well. After season 1 I moved Notre Dame into our conference (BIG 10) and moved Boise St. and BYU to the PAC 12. I made all the other moves that are going to happen, like Louisville to the ACC, to add the conference movement madness.
There are two thing I wish NCAA 14 had.
1. Team expansion - I believe there are two more teams moving up to FBS from FCS next year. I wish I could add them in using team builder without sacrificing another team
2. Ability to eliminate/make a conference - Again could be a tie in with team builder, create a conference complete with logo's that will show up on fields and uniforms. For instance my PAC 12 is now 14. I would like to be able to change the logo accordingly.

Overall though, really love the game. It owns part of my soul.

# 3 tril @ Feb 1

agreed. NCAA14 is solid and IMO the best out the entire series. I admit I didnt play every version, but I had 12, and 11 on this current gen. Both didnt hold my interest very long (never finished an entire season).
With 14 Im currently into my sixth season.