10 first impressions...(Long)

[HMcCoy]

10 impressions from my first 4 games...

1. Very first impression....WTF?
Only a slightly tweaked intro? Basically the same opening sequence the franchise has used for the last 3 years. Same coming out of the tunnel sequence (you'll recognize the same, hyped guy who punches the air) same "stutter-step and toss the ball back" sequence when they talk about the featured RB, same coach talking to the guy while he's stretching... A little dissapointing that EA refuses to create one single new cutscene for a such a lucrative franchise. Oh well, on to the game.

2. Player models look a little better. They drastically reduced the shoulder pad width, which is really noticable from the rear. The players have much more of a well-proprtioned look. They also reduced the size of the forearms, wrists, hands, ankles and feet, which also help combat the "squat" look the models have had. The heads are still a little bobble-headish but overall, the models have taken steps towards more realism.

3. There still aren't many plays/formations to choose from. You get a little spoiled when some games have 20-25 different formations and packages. By the end of this game you will have used just about every single play. Twice.

4. The mario-running is still in full affect. Running in the middle still gets bottled-up pretty tightly on 4 out of 5 off-tackle plays and the majority of the successful runs all seem to happen on the outside. Unlike Madden, NCAA still has the useless hurdle, so unfortunately theres still no means to "power" forward through traffic. I missed that alot. Its not all bad though, the running still feels uber-fluid in the open-field.

5. The triple-coverage catches also still exist. Happens at least twice a game. More on coverage later.

Let me take a quick pause, to let the angry mobb ready to call me a farking liar who really doesn't have it...or a troll or whatever, to calm down. The good stuff is coming up next!


The number one improvement is by far the slowing down of the pace. The frenetic, 50-yard bombs that only spend 2 seconds in the air are all pretty much gone. Everything is alot more deliberate, and the best difference is that the deep ball now has hang time. The DB/WR interaction is now much more interesting because there's simply more time to fight for position. With both the WR and the DB looking back for the ball, the feel of the pass D is now MUCH, MUCH better.

The one little complaint about the new pace is kinda funny. The catch animations are still synchcronized to the old pace. The result of this is that sometimes the DB can have perfect position, but once the catch animation starts the animaition propels the WR out of the DB's reach, or at least puts the defender in bad position. One example where I first noticed it was I had single coverage on a Michigan slot guy with a safety. The ball was in the air and it looked to be clearly overthrown, so I kept my guy on top. As the pass reached us, he went from behind me, to a step in front of me IN ONE STRIDE. When I replayed it, I saw how the catch animation just moved at a faster pace. Its not HUGE deal, and IMO, a teeny-weeny price to pay for the much more realistic gamespeed overall..Like I said, I just thought it was kinda funny.

6. Sick coverage. All the complaints about bad DB play will pretty much VANISH this season. The DB's play great. The added air time on the passes facilitate better reactions from the secondary, and its actually now alot harder to pass. ALOT HARDER. You'll see a guy crack the zone on a seam route, and next thing you know, you've thrown smack dab into triple coverage. Along with the pacing, this makes this years game much less shoot-out oriented than the past. I LIKEY. If the presentation and graphics weren't 3 years behind other titles, I'd possibly be looking at a return to playing the EA football.

On a side-note, the WR's drop a TON more passes this year. A TON. It plays similar to NFL2K3 where you really have to find the WIDE open man. No complaints though, 'bout time the offense got reined in. Say hello to the re-appearance of the 10-3 ballgame.

7. They actually implemented a better QB set up. Now, like other games, the QB has actual 3 and 5 step drops. Unfortunately, you have to do most drops yourself, as unlike the other game, the cpu doesn't set you up without taking the liberty of making the pass for you also. The 20-yard fadeback would seem alot harder to do now, because the QB doesn't move as quickly in his "ready to throw" stance as he did in the past. This feels alot more like other games now, and its a welcome change. Whenever I felt myself fading/rolling out too much I almost always got sacked.



Its about time. I bash EA alot for keeping so much the same, but thank GOD for competition, because EA has made there game 100% more realistic with the last two changes...

8. Tiburon is also trying to quietly borrow from other games' tackling engine, because for the first time ever...The second and third guys to the ball can now link into a tackle. While nowhere NEAR as comprehensive as the other tackling system, it is nice to finally be able to at least affect a ball carrier as he's falling down. Again, its not where you can have unscripted 2-3 man tackles, but now you can interrupt the end of the tackles where if a RB is stumbling towards the ground you can come in and at the last moment hit him and link into a new tackle. Its a start.

9.The fan cutscenes are bleh...Not very diverse. They all basically show 4 or 5 students hanging over a rail either cheering, high-fiving, pointing to a hand-painted sign or ummmm...cheering. Oh yeah, I did see a guy dance one time. It'll be really cool for some, but for those already accustomed to fan cutscenes, these are pretty underwhelming.

10. The annual "super-cool-new-feature" EA rolls out every year is a set of nifty stadium-atmosphere screen effects. If the crowd is big enough, the screen begins to shake(I guess the noise level is enough to vibrate the QB's head. ) and the audible become unusable. Its a great feature for stopping cheesers from audiblizing every-single play, and it also makes some players play REEEEEEAAAAAAL crappy. It kinda sucks to have the QB's composure shaken, and all of a sudden every throw is overthrown by a mile, and wide open guys drop easy passes. It feels realistic until you've dropped 3 or 4 straight passes, or fumbled for the third time in a row. Its gong to make gambling on NCAA games VERY interesting, because who gets the home-field is now a HUGE deal. I'm still not sure if the feature is too effective, or if the offense has simply been tweaked to be more difficult. Tough to say. Personnally, I like the feature, as it adds realism and depth to the game (like the play-action cam)but my buddy HATED it.


(one more jab, sorry) 98% of the animations are all recycled. The idle animations, the tackles, the celebrations...all 2-3 years old. Makes this game feel stale as hell but, again, the GAMEPLAY improvements are very nice changes in this games direction.

Sorry guys...I haven't touched the dynasty mode. I know alot of people want those details, but to be honest..I don't plan to use it, or even play this game past a week and a half. My overall opinion is that most fans will be happy with the more realistic touches, although the corny, cheesy, casual fans may be put off. It'll be funny to hear how guys who thought other games had "floaty" passes react to their franchise implementing the same physics. I'd give this game a 78 out of a hundred mostly due to the visual aspects looking tired and ridiculously dated, and still not having touches like double-team blocking in after 4 years on this generation. If that doesn't bother you, this is still a great game that got even better.

Be gentle.

Just my opinions

[RoyalBoyle78]

I believe you, Where did you get it from.

[HMcCoy]

Quote:

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FootballForever said:
I believe you, Where did you get it from.

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Friend of a friend of a fiend of a friend of a friend w/ industry connections got a copy. I played 4 1/2 games and watched about 5-6 more.

[AirLobo23]

It's almost like you're trying to take shots at NCAA and promote another game at the same time? I don't understand, why even post impressions? If you don't like NCAA, Madden, EA etc etc then why buy it? Just so you can criticize and promote the other game?

Thanks for the impressions, I guess?

[BoneCrusherJB]

They're your opinions and I have no quarrell with them and I respect them. Thx for the info. But my opinions don't agree with your opinions lol.

[Brandwin]

If its just a tad better then last years then ill be happy. From everything I have read it is. So no worries for me. Every game will have it faults.

[GreenGlen]

so what you are saying is EA just slapped a fresh coat of paint and packaged it?

[Husker_OS]

Hmmm...ok. If that's your honest opinion. It is nice to hear about low scoring games. I got into way too many shootouts last year.