NCAA Football 14
 

I haven't been this excited for an NCAA Football game in several years. The most important upgrade is that the CPU AI seems much better this year, particularly running the option. USC's most difficult opponent this year will almost certainly be Oregon, but in previous year's games they were one of the easiest because the AI ran the option so ineffectively. There are many other upgrades such as recruiting and more realism with recruiting visits (visits later in the year can have more impact, bringing in multiple WR's, QB's, etc on the same visit can cause them to lose interest whereas bringing in a hot shot QB and WR is a "complimentary visit" and can boost the chances of one committing if the other does.) Here is a video I just watched of a human getting torched by the AI option offense that has me really excited to play the demo which comes out this Tuesday:

http://www.operationsports.com/news/638286/ncaa-football-14-video-army-vs-navy/

I agree, this is the most excited I've been about football games, this and Madden, in while.

Can we really trust EA to overcome their shitty rep? I'm definitely taking a wait and see approach. If there is a game killing bug somewhere in there and it never gets fixed in NCAA or if there is no true coach mode and spectator mode added to Madden I won't be moving on from last years offerings yet.

I want to be able to coach against my friends online, and I want to be able to just sit and watch the game with them if we so choose to, and there is no reason for that not to be available in the game in all modes.

Demo Tuesday? Woo Hoo!!!

Yep!

Count me in...looks nice. Sadly, seems every year I experience the same cycle though.

1) Read about the new version and think it is going to be the next greatest thing...become very excited. Place my pre-order.

2) Download the demo and typically not overly impressed....BUT....I somehow chalk it up to "just being a demo" and go back to be excited again.

3) As it gets within 1-2 weeks of release, I start reading the threads that talk about people finding the game early....I get caught up in it and start looking myself. Then I remember about the season ticket and I just wait instead of running around wasting gas:)

4) I read all the impressions of people who get the game early....by most accounts the early impressions are always favorable.....my anticipation goes through the roof!!!

5) Finally.....I get the game in my hands and play non-stop.....the game is great and I think I will play it forever.

6) I then begin to notice little things....a bug here and a bug there. Penalties still stink. I spend a lot of times on the forums reading everybody else's issues. Slowly I start to get worried about the game and my excitement goes down.

7) I then try and figure out a good slider set since out of the box is never perfect for me. I try and use other peoples and my own....end up never getting it right.

8) Since I can't get the game to behave in a way that is somewhat realistic my playing time diminishes and it slowly becomes shelf-ware for me.

9) Then a series of patches come out renewing some hope....now I have to go through all the cycle again, especially trying to tweak the sliders. In the end, the patches make little difference.

10) I then rarely play the game and for the most part move on to Madden and Hockey, where I repeat the exact same steps with those games.

11) Then the next version starts to get talked about and it all begins again!!!!

You think I would have learned by now:) But nope, I continue to buy every year.

Those of us in Kodos' NCAA 2013 online league have been having a blast with the game.

Didn't buy NCAA for the first time in a long time last year. Haven't bought Madden since... 2010 I think it was. Barring major changes, don't see either one ending anytime soon.

Yep. I found a trick was to just not read all of the "this game sux" threads on OS. Result: favorite version of NCAA since NCAA 2004 or so.

NCAA and NHL.. probably the only two console sports games I play anymore.

I might have to try that this year....

Yeah, I had fun in Johnnyshaka's league for 13.

I didn't know this but after watching one of the videos, it appears in this version you can set overall different difficulty levels for offense and defensive....if you really good on offense, you can play at heisman, but if your really bad at defense you can play on varsity...really interesting idea.

It's EA Sports so I won't believe anything until I see it.

They can take that Madden franchise and flush it down the sh*tter. Every year it is the same promises for better gameplay and every year they can't produce anything close to a good game.

I agree with this, my only major problem with 2013 is the deep passing issue and the lack of a very effective option by the cpu. The rest of the game is really good.

I've played NCAA 13 more than any console game in some time, but yeah, that long passing issue... I think it comes down to problems overall with the AI's defensive playcalling, which does a pretty poor job in certain situations - especially after audibles. I think the CPU definitely calls plays while knowing what you've selected, but seems to just choose from a random pass or run defense following that.

Will definitely be grabbing 14 post-release, assuming no show-stoppers. Seems to take around 3-4 days before the big issues surface.

The demo tomorrow will be 3 minute quarters, full game. It will have the new coordinator cam available (as well as all of the old cams.) It will also have their new skills trainer available. The match-ups available to play are:

Alabama vs Virginia Tech
Oregon vs Texas A&M
Ohio State vs Michigan

Link to some of the skills training video:

NCAA Football 14 Video - Skills Trainer - Operation Sports Forums

Solid.

Happy to say I broke the cycle by keeping with the "buy every other year" strategy. This year, it's time for an update to Madden.

Don't waste your money on Madden until they prove they can actually provide a good NFL product. I keep letting the fanboys on here sway me towards it only to find each year that it sucks harder than Crosby on a ref trying to get a call.

I played the hell out of 2012 and never got the same steam going with 2013, but I think this one will get my attention again if all the enhancements are legit.

Thanks!

Looks like it's out.

http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Pr...5-d802454189b7

Uh-oh. I was happily going to skip this year's version.

Took my kid some 3 hrs to d'load the demo. The only reaction I've heard so far (after the demo locked on the initial coin toss) is that defense on Heisman is brutal. (He's Bama vs VaTech).

His other comment thus far "it feels like playing Madden"

I only played one game so far.. had a glitch in the first quarter and there was no scoreboard, so I never knew how close I was to running out of time on plays, second quarter it showed back up.

Plays a tighter game.. love some of the new presentation stuff. Passing feels great as does running.

That's not a good sign.

Played the demo on All-American and left all settings on default except Q accuracy (35) and moved speed threshold to 15.

Not much of a sample, but I am really impressed with how the CPU executes read option now. It will make the game a lot more challenging as the CPU QB actually makes the right decision 9 times out of 10. Braxton Miller shredded me in a 17-7 loss as he pulled it every time the DE cam underneath. I really have my hopes up as gameplay seemed pretty tight in the 2 games I played.

Haven't bought Madden in a few years, so it was my first experience with the new engine and I like the way it looks, especially the stumble feature, as you can actually trip over a leg of a down player now instead of just galloping over it.

Beat Ohio St with Michigan 17-7 on defaults. Still felt like NCAA but the run game felt a lot better. I could see my linemen creating holes for me up the middle. Only face two option runs which were shutdown quickly, but the CPU had a few QB rushing plays on me that picked up big yardage.

Sounds pretty unrealistic if UM is beating OSU. Try again next year, EA.

Easy there, butterman. Last year was very close and if I recall the year before Michigan won. The worm is turning ( though not likely this year).

Not buying. EA has fooled me far to many times. Plus, I do not have the time to play video games like I use to. I will stick to single player action/adventure/rpg/ games.

Just beat A&M with Oregon 37-34 in triple OT, tied at 21 at the end of regulation.

Offense is definitely much more wide open in this years version, though I was able to shut Manziel down running this time (He ran for over 70 yards last time I played this matchup)

The gameplay looks so much better to me that I can't go back and play '13 while I wait for release.

Got a bad bug in the PS3 demo.

Playing as Ohio State vs Michigan. Late in the 4th quarter (only 56 seconds left), scored a go-ahead TD to put me up by 4. Michigan had 56 seconds and all three time outs. Ran the first play, pass complete for a 5 yard game. Then the QB sat on the ball, and let all but 3 seconds run off before snapping, and ran the ball. Then it let the clock run out on the last play. It was as if they had the lead. Ruined the entire game.

I like the gameplay, but (obviously) for a single player experience -- since Kudos can't be bothered to run a PS3 league (stares at Kudos with malice :) ), it's a gamebreaker.

Who in the hell is Kudos?

Kung's brother.

I thought it was Keng. Guess I was way off.

Well, not everybody can be King.

Kong can

So this is my first time playing a football game since NCAA 04 on the XBox. I decide to do Ohio State Vs Michigan. I don't know what any of the buttons do, so I am hitting each button randomly to figure things out. Well I am not sure what button I hit, but I somehow ended up in Broadcast View and could no longer control any of my players or the action or call plays or anything so I had to quit out of the demo.

In my second game, I call an off tackle as my first call. I am running to daylight, no one is in front of me, picking up 5 yards, then ten, then 20, looks like a sure touchdown, but then I accidentally hit the left trigger which causes my player to lateral it ten yards backwards to the opposing lineman who catches it, immediately lumbers to the endzone and I am down 7-0.

I am not sure I am willing to spend 60 bucks to endure this kind of abuse :)

I am pretty much where I thought I would be with the demo...some things seem nice, while other things seem the same. The issues being reported concern me just like they do every year, we hold out hope that the final release fixes them.

Either way, I have already pre-ordered and plan to keep it....so we'll see.

That's pretty much exactly what UVa and Mike London did last year vs Va. Tech to lose the game.

Kodos. I always read his username and think "Kudos".

Plus, you all are jackasses. :)

Kudos to you, WVUFAN!

TRU - in store only, get a $25 gift card with purchase of NCAA 14

http://blog.frontburnr.com/toys-r-us...ncaa-14-offer/

i haven't bought anything on release day in a very long time.. though this might do it for me.

Yeah, I think I'll go looking for a TRU myself. :)

I live within non-summer walking distance of a TRU. Summer-temp = 100+ right now... but the $25 knocking it back to $34 essentially and with a 2 year old . .

Wait, you have to give them a 2-year old baby to get the discount!? :eek:

The ultimate team mode will have Bo Jackson in it.