NCAA Football 14: a review
Last Monday I finally bought the latest, and last, edition of the NCAA Football series: NCAA Football 14. Having played it off and on for about a week, I think I have enough gameplay experience to say I now understand why Electronic Arts has been voted the worst company in the United States two years running.
The game is not awful by any means, though. In fact, 14 is everything I expected: a slightly updated version of the edition I was playing before. Of course, that is not saying much. That’s EA’s MO: release a new version of the same game every year, albeit with a handful of changes and new features. Essentially, I forked over $60 for a game I already have. But that is my fault. I knew exactly what I was getting.
Regardless, 14 does feature marginally improved graphics and game physics. It offers a handy tutorial that allows users to familiarize themselves with changes to the tackling system, running and option mechanics, and precision passing. (Perhaps a tutorial was featured in earlier versions and I just never used it.) Along with the usual pre-snap adjustments to the entire defense, the assignments of individual defenders can be changed — which is a much appreciated upgrade. The sprint button must be used much more judiciously because it drains a player’s energy, much like in real life.
In that sense, the game is beginning to live up to EA Sports’ former motto: “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.” The gameplay is much less predictable, especially the tackling. Ball carriers in 14 seem much more elusive as they are able to slip through tackles, employ devastating stiff-arms, and regain their balance after being tripped. According to the game’s website, the so-called “Infinity Engine 2” brings “renewed authenticity and enhanced realism.” (“Renewed”? Was it abandoned at some point?) Granted, claims of “authenticity” and “realism” are always dubious when speaking about a video game, but the enhancements do make things interesting with an added level of difficulty and variability. (To be honest, just about every new version of the game seems to be a little more “realistic” than the last, at least in terms of the graphics.) More team traditions have been introduced and the lengthy intro at the beginning of every game has been shortened considerably. Each game also features an ESPN half-time show, though it can be bypassed easily.
Despite the improvements, there are a number of new annoyances.
The gameplay requires patience. The speed of actual plays is no different, but there is a lot of meaningless filler animation between plays. Players pick themselves off the ground, bark at each other, stand around, adjust their shoulder pads, and jog to the huddle. There are also a lot of gratuitous, wide-angle stadium shots. I suppose this adds to the “realism” of the game and follows the broadcast theme, but it is annoying as hell. I just want to jump to the playbook and prepare for the next play. Switching the game speed to “very fast” quickens the pace quite a bit, thankfully.
There are a couple frustrating glitches. After pausing the game to watch a replay, the gameplay slows to a crawl. I can hear the disc rattling round inside the system and every movement of each play is drawn out and in slow motion. It is resolved, though, by pausing and watching another replay. Go figure. Also, receivers do not continue running when they catch passes. I am unsure if this is a glitch or EA’s way of promoting the use of “user catches,” where the user switches to the receiver being thrown to. (User catches are emphasized in the tutorial.) Running backs also slow considerably or stop when receiving pitches. Very weird.
A glitch J-Rod noticed with his Xbox 360 version is that defenders immediately lateral the ball after an interception. I have not had the same issue on my PS3.
Regarding the pass defense: it is almost nonexistent. There is no way the QBs in this game are that good (it is not hard to complete ninety-five percent of ones passes) and the defensive secondaries are that bad. Something is amiss. Having played NCAA Football for a while now, I know that each version has its own quirks. A dearth of pass defense seems to be one of 14’s. The silver lining to this is that play-action passes work perfectly, especially when the tight end runs a corner route.
Just as the trend in real college football has been toward no-huddle offenses and dual-threat quarterbacks, such is the trend in 14. Most of the teams I have played run no-huddle, and the quarterbacks are much more mobile and prone to scramble. Even Iowa has QBs who can run the ball when necessary. (Hopefully, life imitates art this fall at Kinnick Stadium.)
Speaking of Iowa, there is a major oversight in the PS3 version that plagues the Hawkeyes: gray facemasks. In real life, Iowa’s facemasks are black, but in 14 the Hawkeyes’ facemasks are gray. It looks awkward as hell at first. (Ironically, Hawkeyes are wearing black facemasks in the “Infinity Engine 2” promotional screen shot and the “favorite team” menu screen. Even stranger, the Hawkeyes wear black facemasks in J-Rod’s Xbox 360 version of the exact same game!) Apparently, many other teams are stuck with a facemask color they do not wear in real life and the EA Sports forum features a couple threads of complaints. One moderator, though, wrote, “If you’re looking for a response from EA, you aren’t going to get it here. The best place is on twitter.”
This brings up a couple issues. Though the facemask oversight is just a minor presentation issue, it really discredits EA’s claims of “authenticity” and “realism.” It amazes me that a detail this small but so vital could fall through the cracks. The same issue plagued the Hawkeyes in J-Rod’s Xbox 360 version of 10, so this is an ongoing issue — which is a shame because EA has been releasing NCAA Football for years and they still cannot get everything right. To be fair, the folks at EA are human just like the rest of us. Mistakes happen and things get overlooked in projects like this. I once misspelled “crescent” in a newspaper headline, so I can empathize with the developers. But one would think problems like this would be ironed out early (just as I should have checked the dictionary before the paper hit the press).
Also interesting is the fact EA does not respond to user complaints posted on its own forums. Perhaps the forum I browsed was not the best place to post complains, but it obviously gives credence to the company’s “worst in the US” designation for two straight years. Complaints coming into the company’s very own website fall on deaf ears.
Overall, though, it is another edition of the series. Though quirkier than the others I own, it is still fun to play. However, this time I cannot shake a sense of buyers’ remorse. When I was in college, the latest release provided a weeks-long honeymoon filled with hard hits, pylon dives, and “instant classics” against friends — and glitch-free to boot. Not so much anymore. With this version, I think EA took two steps forward and three steps back. It seems to me that the small things are being neglected. And though it is sad to say, I am glad this is the last edition of the series because the entire slate seems due for cleaning.
The game is not awful by any means, though. In fact, 14 is everything I expected: a slightly updated version of the edition I was playing before. Of course, that is not saying much. That’s EA’s MO: release a new version of the same game every year, albeit with a handful of changes and new features. Essentially, I forked over $60 for a game I already have. But that is my fault. I knew exactly what I was getting.
Regardless, 14 does feature marginally improved graphics and game physics. It offers a handy tutorial that allows users to familiarize themselves with changes to the tackling system, running and option mechanics, and precision passing. (Perhaps a tutorial was featured in earlier versions and I just never used it.) Along with the usual pre-snap adjustments to the entire defense, the assignments of individual defenders can be changed — which is a much appreciated upgrade. The sprint button must be used much more judiciously because it drains a player’s energy, much like in real life.
In that sense, the game is beginning to live up to EA Sports’ former motto: “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.” The gameplay is much less predictable, especially the tackling. Ball carriers in 14 seem much more elusive as they are able to slip through tackles, employ devastating stiff-arms, and regain their balance after being tripped. According to the game’s website, the so-called “Infinity Engine 2” brings “renewed authenticity and enhanced realism.” (“Renewed”? Was it abandoned at some point?) Granted, claims of “authenticity” and “realism” are always dubious when speaking about a video game, but the enhancements do make things interesting with an added level of difficulty and variability. (To be honest, just about every new version of the game seems to be a little more “realistic” than the last, at least in terms of the graphics.) More team traditions have been introduced and the lengthy intro at the beginning of every game has been shortened considerably. Each game also features an ESPN half-time show, though it can be bypassed easily.
Despite the improvements, there are a number of new annoyances.
The gameplay requires patience. The speed of actual plays is no different, but there is a lot of meaningless filler animation between plays. Players pick themselves off the ground, bark at each other, stand around, adjust their shoulder pads, and jog to the huddle. There are also a lot of gratuitous, wide-angle stadium shots. I suppose this adds to the “realism” of the game and follows the broadcast theme, but it is annoying as hell. I just want to jump to the playbook and prepare for the next play. Switching the game speed to “very fast” quickens the pace quite a bit, thankfully.
There are a couple frustrating glitches. After pausing the game to watch a replay, the gameplay slows to a crawl. I can hear the disc rattling round inside the system and every movement of each play is drawn out and in slow motion. It is resolved, though, by pausing and watching another replay. Go figure. Also, receivers do not continue running when they catch passes. I am unsure if this is a glitch or EA’s way of promoting the use of “user catches,” where the user switches to the receiver being thrown to. (User catches are emphasized in the tutorial.) Running backs also slow considerably or stop when receiving pitches. Very weird.
A glitch J-Rod noticed with his Xbox 360 version is that defenders immediately lateral the ball after an interception. I have not had the same issue on my PS3.
Regarding the pass defense: it is almost nonexistent. There is no way the QBs in this game are that good (it is not hard to complete ninety-five percent of ones passes) and the defensive secondaries are that bad. Something is amiss. Having played NCAA Football for a while now, I know that each version has its own quirks. A dearth of pass defense seems to be one of 14’s. The silver lining to this is that play-action passes work perfectly, especially when the tight end runs a corner route.
Just as the trend in real college football has been toward no-huddle offenses and dual-threat quarterbacks, such is the trend in 14. Most of the teams I have played run no-huddle, and the quarterbacks are much more mobile and prone to scramble. Even Iowa has QBs who can run the ball when necessary. (Hopefully, life imitates art this fall at Kinnick Stadium.)
Speaking of Iowa, there is a major oversight in the PS3 version that plagues the Hawkeyes: gray facemasks. In real life, Iowa’s facemasks are black, but in 14 the Hawkeyes’ facemasks are gray. It looks awkward as hell at first. (Ironically, Hawkeyes are wearing black facemasks in the “Infinity Engine 2” promotional screen shot and the “favorite team” menu screen. Even stranger, the Hawkeyes wear black facemasks in J-Rod’s Xbox 360 version of the exact same game!) Apparently, many other teams are stuck with a facemask color they do not wear in real life and the EA Sports forum features a couple threads of complaints. One moderator, though, wrote, “If you’re looking for a response from EA, you aren’t going to get it here. The best place is on twitter.”
This brings up a couple issues. Though the facemask oversight is just a minor presentation issue, it really discredits EA’s claims of “authenticity” and “realism.” It amazes me that a detail this small but so vital could fall through the cracks. The same issue plagued the Hawkeyes in J-Rod’s Xbox 360 version of 10, so this is an ongoing issue — which is a shame because EA has been releasing NCAA Football for years and they still cannot get everything right. To be fair, the folks at EA are human just like the rest of us. Mistakes happen and things get overlooked in projects like this. I once misspelled “crescent” in a newspaper headline, so I can empathize with the developers. But one would think problems like this would be ironed out early (just as I should have checked the dictionary before the paper hit the press).
Also interesting is the fact EA does not respond to user complaints posted on its own forums. Perhaps the forum I browsed was not the best place to post complains, but it obviously gives credence to the company’s “worst in the US” designation for two straight years. Complaints coming into the company’s very own website fall on deaf ears.
Overall, though, it is another edition of the series. Though quirkier than the others I own, it is still fun to play. However, this time I cannot shake a sense of buyers’ remorse. When I was in college, the latest release provided a weeks-long honeymoon filled with hard hits, pylon dives, and “instant classics” against friends — and glitch-free to boot. Not so much anymore. With this version, I think EA took two steps forward and three steps back. It seems to me that the small things are being neglected. And though it is sad to say, I am glad this is the last edition of the series because the entire slate seems due for cleaning.
