End of summer means sports on the horizon in the Tri-parishes
August 7, 2012
Saints get good opening marks
August 7, 2012
Every year, millions of gamers (like myself) pile into video game stores at midnight to buy the newest version of the NCAA Football series.
In recent years, my fascination for this hobby has sort of tired itself out, as I’ve become more a fan of the Madden NFL gaming franchise.
But we live in a world of second chances, so I decided to pick up a copy of NCAA ‘13 and see if this year’s version of the game was worth the hype.
My inspiration for doing so is nothing more complicated than word of mouth – my friends loved the game and said it was “fixed” of its imperfections of yesteryear.
My experience was that they were right – a lot of the problems in previous NCAA games are fixed. I’d recommend the game to buyers.
The first thing one needs to know about NCAA ‘13 is that this isn’t the arcade-style video game of years past.
In previous versions of the game, one with gaming experience could easily take a random C-list program like Ball State and drop 40 points per game on a national defensive power like Alabama or LSU.
The offensive gameplay was quirky and one could ride “glitch” plays to the end zone … over and over again.
It was sort of dumb when one considers that it would take Ball State six weeks and a minor miracle to score 40 points on LSU – but that’s just how the game was.
In the words of Lee Corso this year’s version says “Not so fast, my friend,” to that type of offense.
NCAA ‘13 really, truly requires one to have an understanding of what makes an offense matriculate the football down the field.
Start with the obvious – timing and rhythm.
In previous years, one could drop back 30 yards with their quarterback and there was no penalty, nor consequence.
Once deep in the pocket, a signal caller could throw on the run and/or off his back foot with little-to-no drop in accuracy.
It was like Drew Brees on steroids.
This year, the quarterback play is much more difficult and the NCAA 13 hurlers feel much more amateurish.
If the conditions aren’t near-perfect, the throw will more than likely be off-target.
Heck, even if the conditions are on point, the throw may still miss its mark.
It makes the game much more challenging, but it also makes the game much more realistic.
Think about it – how many college quarterbacks make it to the NFL? About 10 or 12 out of more than a 100, right?
So it only seems fair if these are some imperfections built into the guys on the game, too.
I’m OK with that.
Away from the quarterback play, NCAA also built in a ton of new gameplay animations that really give this year’s game a new feel.
There are a ton more (according to the EA Sports website, it’s a total of 430) catch animations and users are able to abort busted plays or routes to “audible on the fly” to make something happen.
Sometimes having a Plan B is the best way to go in college football – just ask LSU. I’m sure they’d have loved to have one in the BCS National Championship game against Alabama.
These modifications combine to make one truly conscious of both down and distance on every play, which also makes users partake in a much more conservative approach.
That’s a major plus to me, because the game used to be nothing more than a scoring circus.
Live, in-studio break-ins by ESPN’s Rece Davis also paint a picture of your game being just one in the pile on a given Saturday – the way it actually is.
But while the new gameplay gives NCAA 13 a newer, more crisp feel, a couple features fell a little bit flat for me.
The first stale aspect of the game was its 2013 signature – Heisman Mode.
In this feature, a user can play a full-season with one of 10 Heisman Trophy winners from yesteryear – a list including 2011 winner Robert Griffin III, Tim Tebow and also Desmond Howard.
The kicker is that a user can revise history and change the team the Heisman winner played for.
For example, one could make Tim Tebow an LSU Tiger – or even a Tulane Green Wave.
Robert Griffin III could join Alabama or Clemson – anyone in the country.
The idea in theory is solid and I could understand where people would enjoy having fun with this feature.
But the Heisman winners are darn near invincible on the field and I just never was overly big into revisionist history.
That and seeing Tim Tebow in an LSU uniform just made me want to puke a little bit.
I was not a fan of Heisman Mode – I wouldn’t mind seeing this feature disappear in next year’s game.
Another feature that didn’t really do much for me this year was the Road to Glory, which a user can take a created player from high school to college and try and chase a Heisman Trophy.
Don’t get me wrong – I love Road to Glory just as much as anyone – I’ve long been a fan of this feature.
But it just doesn’t change much from year to year – not enough of a change to coax another $60 purchase from a gamer on a tight budget.
Dynasty and online dynasty are also personal favorites of mine year-in and year-out, but they, too, feature virtually no changes from NCAA ‘12. That leaves just a slightly stale taste in my mouth at the end of a few hours of playing.
I’d be the first person to admit – I’m a Madden guy.
I usually just buy NCAA to give me something to do in the dog days of summer while waiting for football.
But this year’s version of EA Sports’ college game isn’t so bad – it’s worth the buy for someone not willing to wait until the pro game hits the shelves.
The new gameplay tweaks give one the feel of elite, big-time college football.
When it’s early August and we’re still a few weeks away from action, that feeling of angst within every sports fan is one of the best feelings in the world.
Virtual LSU football players hoist a trophy after defeating Arkansas in a game of NCAA ‘13. Long regarded as one of the best sports video games on the market, Sports Editor Casey Gisclair labels this year’s version of the game a good buy.
