Five Reasons to Hold off on Buying NCAA Football 13

[Equinox831]

Re: Five Reasons to Hold off on Buying NCAA Football 13

You guys really should have posted this a little while back..

[Bull_Market]

Re: Five Reasons to Hold off on Buying NCAA Football 13

Good read. I really don't understand the whole ”i love college football, so ill subject myself to questionable products” theory. Never have, never will. Im the opposite, i love football enough NOT to accept such a gross misrepresentation of the sport.

Im glad I had the strength and courage this year to hold off on purchasing this game. Articles like this really cement the fact that I made the right choice.

[deacon21206]

Run/Pass Commit

Defenses can also participate in a guessing game called run/pass commit, where correctly choosing one of four offensive scenarios (pass, run right, run left, run middle) results in the play getting blown up like a scene out of Tecmo Super Bowl. Essentially, Run/Pass Commit functions just like Jump The Snap, only without the risk of ever taking a penalty.

With a 1:4 chance of guessing the right offensive setup and snuffing out the play, the odds in this gameplay mechanic are stacked largely in the defense's favor. At least in Tecmo Super Bowl the defense had only 1:8 odds of picking the right preplay setup.

As some downs will force the offense into obvious passing situations, the "pass commit" option becomes foolproof at times since there's no directional guessing involved like there is in run plays.

It's a mystery why this feature even exists. If the user wants to defend against a running play, why not just send blitzers into the gaps where the run is expected?

Or if the user believes a pass is coming, what's wrong with simply choosing a traditional coverage scheme or an overload blitz to the quarterback's weak side?

Why is it necessary to artificially enhance the defense's ability with a silly guessing mini game that can stifle any offensive play?

------------

This one puzzles me. I feel like this is feature is pretty fair. You're telling your players to sell out to stop a specific play. 3rd and 29? Hey, they are probably going to pass, tell your defense to drop back because you know a pass is coming.

And if you guess wrong you get destroyed. Especially if you guess run and it's a pass.

No he is saying with that feature. It takes away the actually reason of picking a play and enhances a play you may have chose.
Like if it is 3&29 everyone knows it is a pass. So you choose a defensive play accordingly, but if you pick pass commit as well. It makes your pass coverage even greater because you committed to the pas. It is a double negative so to speak because you already pass committed with the defensive play you picked.
The same for a run if i blitz and overload the right side. If you commit to a run to the right it powers up the amount of pressure you get already even when you already chose to defend that side with the play chosen.
If you guess right then the results should be in your favor because of your good play calling not because you committed to a pass, but because you chose the right counter on defense to stop their offense.
Ea destroys the whole offense versus defense chess match with such features, bad physics, bad A.I. programming, and lack of a reward or risk factor.
Take Madden 12 on 360 or PS3 no real pass interference calls or excessive strips at the ball with no way to defend against after a catch don't result in anything against the defense. On PS2 you would get called for face mask if you tried to abuse it.

[therealslimshady]

It's been said a million times before, but wow am I sick of the computer knowing every damn play I run. There is no way of getting them to guess wrong. Run 3 pass plays and a draw? Forget about it they are bringing the house. Run a hb screen? Blitzing cb from the opposite side and get sacked, not to mention my qb gets sacked before I am even allowed to make a throw! It's just stupid an I wish I could get my money back.

[StarnugskiN]

It seems as though there's some posters who don't believe that a company like EA could actually have a hand in creating/modifying its own market...but welcome to next-gen EA football! When a company monopolizes its market and offers a yearly virtual recreation of the most popular sport in America, they can have the game play however they'd like and it will STILL sell. Because we're talking about NCAA Football. And we're talking about a growing number of consumers who will overlook any issue just to keep up with the Jones'.

I read more and more posts on OS from posters who have grown complacent with these games and are bold enough to spew their unconscious decisions to others as though we should all conform and stop being critical. 1984, anyone!?

I post because I care about the value of sports and the games I play that represent them. This was a well-thought out and well deserved article about NCAA 13 and the former games of this series. Props to the OP Keep being critical, it's the only way to make someone/thing better.

[Gap Integrity]

Re: Five Reasons to Hold off on Buying NCAA Football 13

I'll give EA credit where it's due. Recruiting is much improved, and we finally got the pass trajectories we had last gen. Threads like these need to exist. Without being critical of a product there won't be changes. There are certain things we all want in these games, I know we can't all be happy. I pray for the day we get an excellent college football game.

These past few years have been trying for me. I'm 30 years old, love CFB, but I'm almost to the point where I am questioning myself. I think to myself, "maybe this is your awakening, maybe it's time to just give up video games and stick to watching on TV and gambling on it". I hope this isn't the case. lol

[Eddie1967]

Re: Five Reasons to Hold off on Buying NCAA Football 13

I'd say if your into buying an incomplete product and having to wait for updates before it's playable, then this is for you. I feel sorry for the guys who buy the game and don't play online. They'd be screwed. That'd be like buying a top shelf cambodian hooker and then come game time you find out its a herm with VD and your on Dateline. ouch.

What a ridiculous analogy, grow up please.

[Annarborborn]

Well I bought the game. I am buying Madden. It is what I do. I do not like the Halo or buy every installment of COD. Even if I did it is not those games have accurate physics or realism. These are video games, you are supposed to have fun with them. If you do not have fun with them, do something else with your life.

But I am not seeing all these problems. Are there problems in the game? Of course, it is a video game. And I do not like or get my rocks off playing online. I want a real game so I play dynasty off-line and if I do not like something, I change the sliders to reflect or make the game harder.

The game is fun and I am enjoying it almost every day.

[whatcha]

Disclaimer: I haven't read through every post and don't plan to.

I read the article and while it was well written, I think it misses the point. It's still a video game. It doesn't emulate the assistant coach sleeping with the head cheerleader, either, so maybe I shouldn't get the game after all. There are flaws with the game. There are flaws with every video game. I've seen good and bad examples of most of the items in the article. Also, a lot of what's described can be mitigated via sliders. If someone puts strip ball on all the time and it's a problem in your league, change the face mask slider. 7-8 15 yard penalties later they'll get the hint. For most actions in NCAA there are ways to force the issue. No pressure from a 4-man rush? Adjust the pass rush and pass block sliders (hartstoppers has a great starting set in the sliders forum). Don't like the total control passing, adjust the QB accuracy slider and prepare to laugh at a less accurate QB's ineffectiveness throwing the ball much further then 15 yards down field.

The list goes on of the different ways to take a "so-so" game out of the box and turn it into a mainstay in my gaming rotation. The one reason, in my mind, to hold off on buying is the freezing issue, which no amount of sliders can fix. So if you hold off on buying because of that I'm right there with you. If you hold off on buying because of an AI issue that can be corrected in game, then I have to respectfully cross the picket line.

[BWHORN]

I have been as critical as anyone about EA over the past several years, but I have to say that I am not experiencing the problems you wrote about. I'm not saying they aren't real, but I haven't noticed them.

[Pokes404]

Re: Five Reasons to Hold off on Buying NCAA Football 13

I'm so glad someone else finally said it. The player movement is the root problem with the current-gen NCAAs. You can't make a football simulator without making the players move as realistically as possible. I understand it's difficult to get it down perfectly, but you need to at least be close. NCAA and Madden aren't even in the ballpark though. And once this fundamental element of the game is broken, there's simply no way to make an accurate representation of the sport.

Please EA, I know it's too late for the PS3/360, but when the next-gen consoles come out, PLEASE get the player movement down first. You'll save yourself a lot of headaches for years after that if you'll just get this aspect of the game down right from the start.

[MrBawsT]

hmmm you must being playing a different NCAA 13 than me.

I'm not seeing most of the problems stated here and i'm enjoying NCAA 13 so far. The only problem is that I can't strafe in RTG and it's harder to get interceptions.

[BWHORN]

As far as I am concerned the biggest problem with NCAA FOOTBALL 13 is the same problem as always- getting realistic results. I have finally settled on the age old formula of All American with the player skills beefed up to 70 and the blocking, tackling, pass and run defense beefed up to 60. Seems to give the best results. In Heisman mode computer players run like they have rockets on their feet. I watched a receiver with a speed of 85 torch my CBs who had speeds of 89, 90, 91. He left them completely in his dust. I have also seen DT run like deer. These things do not happen in All American. It is very difficult to get the right number of plays per game, leading to unrealistic stats during the season.

But other than that I have to admit that I am really enjoying the game. In my opinion, the best NCAA FOOTBALL ever.

Is it flawed? Of course. But not enough for me to stop playing it.

[ireland412]

i agree 100% but the fact that its a new version(new rosters) and amazon has it for a low price i would get it.