NCAA Football 13

[Rodster]

I think you still could do it in no time--"I" just can't. I make way too many mistakes

Um you're like the KING of Football and Racing on DSP. I think knowing my skills i'll be starting in my Senior year.

[Danimal]

As much fun as I am having with it I'm not sure if I'll buy it or wait for madden. I just like the NFL that much more. I just know I can event stomach playing Madden 12 after playing this. I keep looking at the disc knowing I have an OF game and I just can't. I guess may call this a minor upgrade but the game play alone is so much better then last year I just can't play 12.

I won a game last night with 6 seconds left and i had 4th and goal from the 8 yard line. I used a pump fake on the slant, the FS bit on it and then I lofted one into the corner my 6'8 receiver went up and got in front of a CB you just missed knocking it down.

[Naples39]

I've played several games. Seems pretty fun, but a few annoyances:

-The triple option play is still awful. You can run other 'option-type' plays, but an actual triple option play is basically hopeless.

-Slip screens work fantastically well.

-I've seen the CPU really botch some spread-type option plays. The CPU QB takes the snap, starts running to one sideline for a second or two, stops, the pitches the ball directly backwards to a RB. Usually results in a 8 yard loss for the CPU.

-The CPU has attempted 4 onside kicks on me, and recovered 3! I must be doing something wrong.

[tjung0831]

Well I thought the game was fun but got bored with it pretty quick. I don't think it's the game itself, I think its more or less just me and football gaming. I'm probably going to pass. I've just decided that MLB 12 the show will be my sports game for the remainder of the summer, until NHL13 comes out. I started a new 81 game season with the Nationals yesterday and played 6 games, all were nail biters and quite intense from a gaming perspective and the atmosphere just feels very real compared to the NCAA atmosphere. Once I got going with MLB again, I just had no desire to go back to playing NCAA 13.

[10spro]

Yeah, overall the gameplay is a tad better than 12 but not enough to guarantee spending $60 bucks for it. I enjoyed the RTG mode playing RB with B. Sanders a lot but after a few exhibition games, I didn't really have the desire to say play a full season with a particular team. I'll see tomorrow. There's a trade for 2 games at FS that I may bite into it depending on the games but for now, while fun, it just doesn't scream buy it!

[TCrouch]

I'm glad I see what I see, and don't have that apathetic feeling toward it at all. It feels like a completely overhauled game of football to me. There isn't a single route that I have been unable to throw so far, which is a first. If I read a defense properly, I feel absolutely overpowered. If I find a corner that just can't cover a particular receiver, then that receiver becomes open at all times. I've had balls bounce off of a corner's helmet because he never turned and looked for the ball. I've also had receivers get shoved around like ragdolls against corners. I even saw 4 or 5 defensive pass interference calls so far against the CPU, which was a stunner.

But the biggest thing for me is if I feel like I want to throw a particular throw, I almost always can. And using the L stick to lead the receiver where you want is so far above and beyond anything that's come in the past. The method has been there for a decade, but it always sort of affected an area on the path of where the receiver is running, if that makes sense. Yesterday I threw a quick slant in RTG that my wideout took 91 yards because I saw the safety charging down and the linebacker to the right. I led it straight up the field and the receiver had to adjust his route to get north/south in a hurry. He caught it in full stride and was blowing by the safety before the safety could adjust.

On drag routes and outs, I can choose whether to throw the ball over the right shoulder or left, so that the receiver has to adjust and get up the field to make the catch or come back toward the ball if a defender is there. Linebackers can't stay step for step with the receivers anymore, so when I see a WR or fast TE in man to man on a crossing pattern, I lead that thing out there and the defense is helpless.

I don't know--I've played all but 5 or 6 games as purely a QB in RTG mode, so my perception is skewed by playing exclusively with the biggest changes to the game. But passing is so much better than in previous years, I can't even fathom thinking of this as a slight evolution of 12.

[Danimal]

I don't think it is slight. The game play is substantially improved. I don't think you play 5 games of this and then go back and play 12 and say it's the same game play wise.

I know I can't.

I'm just not a huge college fan. I don't even have a go to team that I drop in and play with in NCAA so that is part of my issue. Do I play it for a month until Madden or not...

[fsquid]

well the gameplay and the simulation is getting panned pretty universaly. I think I'll wait until Madden.

[TCrouch]

Yeah, that doesn't happen every year.

I'm glad I quit reading and/or listening to the masses when it comes to EA football games. So many people have an agenda that it's hilarious.

[Rodster]

I bought the game yesterday on Ebay. I'm out $28.53 if I don't like it but I like RTG so based on Terry's impressions I should get my money's worth.

[fsquid]

Yeah, that doesn't happen every year.

I'm glad I quit reading and/or listening to the masses when it comes to EA football games. So many people have an agenda that it's hilarious.

just an observation.

[toonarmy]

I read way too many impressions over at OS over the weekend. So many people were slamming the game and pointing out all of the flaws via post and video. Glitches here, glitches there. Crappy AI and crappy PS3 graphics. Some of the people are people who annually complain about everything, but some were series' diehards, so I was about to not bother with the game. Best Buy's buy 2 get one free deal sucked me in to getting the game, though, along with Dragon's Dogma and another game. I've only played a couple games of NCAA so far, but I am very glad I went ahead and bought it. Of course it is similar to its predecessor. Of course there are some AI issues here and there. And of course the game does not seem completely fresh. That's the nature of annually released sports games. The bottom line is that NCAA 13 is a very fun game. The passing game has been improved quite a bit and the AI is not bad on Heisman level. I still have not delved into Road to Heisman yet, but am looking forward to playing with Sanders and Walker. I can understand gamers not wanting to buy a game because the series has become stale for them. That's happened to me with some series as well. However, I think a lot of the criticism of NCAA 13 is overblown. The game is a lot of fun to play and I am sure I will be playing a ton of it until this fall when most of the console heavy hitters are released.

[Danimal]

I also pulled the trigger since I had a best buy gift card. Of course I was oblivious to the B2G1 and no one at Best Buy told me about it so I f***ed myself there.

[Zeppo]

I've played three games v the CPU as well as one game with Plunkett and I am really enjoying it so far. After the game I played today, I am really starting to see the improvements in the passing game and I do believe they will turn out to be very significant, although I have some slight worry that one could abuse the lead-the-receiver mechanic to go over the top. I did that twice on post patterns when I was using Penn State and ended up with big TDs, but I'm not fully sure about that being a big problem, and I love how defenders only react when they see the ball and how receivers can be not ready at all and it smacks off their helmet.

Also somehow the momentum of the players feels much, much better to me than in Madden 12, which of course we are still playing in the DSPFL online franchise. The last several years in both games I've felt like the players are almost filled with air at times. Here in NCAA13 I really feel there is more mass to the players in all situations, and while it's still a little too easy to change direction as if the player were a merry-go-round horse with a pole through the middle, all the little stumbles and being knocked off balance a bit and the big impacts feel a lot better to me. I love how in the run game I can sometimes get by a guy by changing direction without having to use a juke move, which isn't necessarily new but it's better here, and more than once I've been able to gain extra yards because the defender's back was to me and there was no instant knock down when I touched him.

I haven't tried a full on option team so I'm worried about what Naples says about the triple option, but I want to see for myself. The speed options and such out of the shotgun seem to work well, though, without being automatic, and it feels great to read the defender correctly and keep it or fake toss and get a big gain with the QB.

One thing I always like about NCAA is how in any game there is a huge spread of player talent on the field, and so it's fun to try to go to your best guys as much as possible. Is is of course true in Madden as well, but in NCAA it can be such a huge difference in talent level between your two or three superstar guys and everyone else that it makes each game so different.

I'm really looking forward to some head to head play, because as we all know these EA football games are all at their very best when playing against other humans, but I'm not quite ready to venture into random-land, so I'm patiently waiting for some friends list people to show up.

I have played very few games, but I'm really liking the on field game play so far. I'm very curious to see how Madden 12 feels when I play my next online franchise game to really get a sense of the differences to the engine.

[TCrouch]

It's brutal. I tried it, and those passing game changes completely revamped it for me, and I couldn't play madden 12 anymore, which is why I bowed out of Season 4

[Pete1210]

I skipped NCAA12, so I'm looking forward to playing 13. Amazon deal sold me. It's still $45 there.

[Pete1210]

I also pulled the trigger since I had a best buy gift card. Of course I was oblivious to the B2G1 and no one at Best Buy told me about it so I f***ed myself there.

You could always buy it again with B2G1 (providing there are 2 other $60 games you want right now). Then return the unopened copy on the old receipt.

[toonarmy]

I've been playing the Heisman Challenge mode, which is similar to Road to Glory except you use one of the all-time greats. I've been using Herschel Walker and man is this ever a great mode. First off, they have actual interviews with each Heisman great. They show an interview to begin the season, then you can unlock other videos as the season progresses. For example, there are five total interviews with Walker. Also, during the load screens they show stats and recaps of historic moments in the player's career along with photos. It's definitely not just a tacked on mode, but a fun tribute to each player they profiled.

[XXXIV]

First time I havent bought the game. Not a statement against it at all! Much of it is due to old age setting in and I just cant fit it in with other things going on right now.

An end of an era in my world...

[JRod]

First time I havent bought the game. Not a statement against it at all! Much of it is due to old age setting in and I just cant fit it in with other things going on right now.

An end of an era in my world...

Happened last year for me. Welcome to the club. Not sure what the club is but welcome.

[Naples39]

I skipped NCAA12, so I'm looking forward to playing 13. Amazon deal sold me. It's still $45 there.

This was exactly my position, and I have no regrets.

I haven't tried a full on option team so I'm worried about what Naples says about the triple option, but I want to see for myself. The speed options and such out of the shotgun seem to work well, though, without being automatic, and it feels great to read the defender correctly and keep it or fake toss and get a big gain with the QB.

Maybe you can do a little with it with a really good team, but with Army it is a total waste of a down. Your FB will get 3 or 4 in a best case scenario---it's almost always 1. Keep it to the outside and the majority of the time it resulted in lost yards. The speed option worked great for me in 11, but no such luck in 13 thus far.

[MizzouRah]

Ok, this is really odd but... Heisman might be the level for me this year as on AA defaults, I'm a bit too good. Passing is freaking beautiful though, damn they finally nailed it.

More animations.. take down kicking and punting power to 40 for human. No penalties as usual and they still have that issue where at sometime during the game when I go to look at my depth chart and hold the RT to scroll the players, it automatically just scrolls for me and I have to stop it at the right spot.

Had a 77 yard TD run with Josey. Tons of great passes.. that is about 80% of the improvement vs 2012 IMHO.

Will try a full game on Heisman tomorrow - I beat Kansas 48-0 and KST 34-12 on AA defaults - 8 min quarters.

KST had a play in the endzone where the WR jumped up, caught it and his feet came down in bounds, they called it out and there was no challenge by the HC. I found that to be a bit odd.

If you liked 12, you'll like 13.. if you didn't like 12, rent it first. NO MORE ROBO LB/DB!

[TCrouch]

I haven't had that problem yet, but maybe because I'm starting my Dynasty as the Offensive Coordinator for San Jose State

I hung with Stanford in the opener and lost 27-24 when the head coach decided not to go for it on a 4th and 4 from Stanford's 40 with 3 minutes left...we never got the ball back.

I demolished the FCS West (but in SJSU terms, "demolished" was 23-6), beat Colorado State 21-14, and then absolutely thumped San Diego State 31-7...still not sure how that one got out of hand, because it was 14-7 late in the 3rd quarter. But then I went on the road to face Navy and had one of those games where absolutely everything went wrong. Passes were dropped, free blitzers were roaming every other snap, fumbles after big gains, etc. I've managed to take SJSU to a 6-2 record and practically every game has been a dogfight.

But my crowning jewel so far has been wooing a 6'6", 225 pound QB to come play for me next year. After fully scouting and chasing him all season, I finally jumped to #1 on his list. It's been really cool seeing his responses, because each week my QB plays for me (about 2000 yards, 21 TD and 7 INT so far in 8 games), he seemed to get more interested based on my playing style. If I land that guy for my 2nd season, I'll be extremely excited.

But super-easy, it hasn't been for me.

[MizzouRah]

I think I'll play a team like Alabama to gauge it some more. In all these years I've ALWAYS played on AA defaults, minus a few tweaks to kickoff/punt power.

[Danimal]

I tried Heisman last night for an exhibition game and the AI RB was just too good at breaking tackles. I was having good games with AA defaults but I tweaked some slider mainly to try and make OL make obvious blocks right in front of them.

Right now I am on the fence about going with Heisman or AA but whichever will be with some tweaked sliders.

I started a new dynasty with Michigan last night mainly because I liked their play book. First game was with Bama' at home. It was a 3-3 game at half most drives were 7-8 plays and a punt for both teams. Mid-way through the 3rd we got a strip sack on the QB that my DT returned for a TD. From there my guys seemed to get more energy as I could suddenly run the ball and went up 17-3.

Bama' then answered on a beautiful scoring strike to make it 17-10, I managed to put one more in the end zone for a 24-10 victory. Was a really enjoyable game. Hopefully they work on OL/DL interaction and AI next year because the main issue I see is OL missing obvious blocks. I'm fine with it happening to guys with bad ratings but that doesn't seem to be the case, bad decision seem to be equal opportunity on the OL.