In Their Words and Mine - Fun With NCAA 13 Reviews
One can’t help but notice the wide range of scores given to NCAA this year by critics. They range from Joystiq and Cheat Code Central at 60 (or 3 out of 5 stars, as the case may be) to Game Informer, at an 88. None of the reviews at the top of the range are especially effusive in their praise, but what’s weird is that none of the reviews at the bottom of the ladder are particularly damning, either. The common thread among both the bad and good reviews is that this isn’t a game with any obvious new features that reviewers can rave about. Given that we as Online Dynasty players pretty much have all the primary “features” we need, I think it’s safe to say that we aren’t the audience reviewers are playing to. I decided to cherry pick some of their insight, compliments and complaints and add my own angles.
CORE GAMEPLAY POINTS
GAME INFORMER (88)
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/n…h-down-conversion-during-a-crucial-drive.aspx
“The passing game is revitalized by a slew of improvements that make slinging the ball less frustrating and more fun than ever before. Even with an average quarterback, I like being able to throw to many different parts of the field through a combination of factors like the new ball trajectories, added placement control, and variable throwing speeds. Timing deep balls is still a little tricky, but it’s good to know that you can throw to more routes than ever before. Elsewhere, the improved play-action, new quarterback avoidance moves, and quick pass animations also bolster the aerial attack.”
I hear a lot of people echoing these sentiments. They are finding the passing game fun again, yet not too easy. Of the reviews found on Metacritic, this one seems to appeal the most to the hardcore fan who has played the series every year. Another common thread that reviewers noted was that the tradeoff for the extra catch animations was that the offensive players tend to drop more balls, and not go as hard after the errant ball as defenders do once it’s in the air. I tend to agree, although this is where some stick work can come in handy. I’ve made a couple of pretty cool catches that led to huge plays by dipping into the old stick control tool box. By the same token, sometmies I take my guy completely out of the play trying to “user” everything as I did in NCAA 12.
GAMESPOT (65)
http://www.gamespot.com/ncaa-football-13/reviews/ncaa-football-13-review-6386395/
“The revamped passing game comes at the expense of a diminished defensive impact. Defenders are often slow to react, especially when playing zone, so they pose little threat for a quarterback who’s feeling his oats. Interceptions are still handled extremely poorly. Catching an errant throw is completely random because the stone-handed cornerbacks can’t hang on to a ball to save their lives. So when you do come away with an interception, it doesn’t feel like a prize obtained through skill and cunning; rather, it feels as if the computer randomly handed out a gift to keep you invested. This problem has existed in NCAA Football for more than a decade, and it’s embarrassing that it has resurfaced in yet another entry. Dropped passes make defense feel unpredictable and arbitrary, draining the satisfaction of a well-executed play.”
I’m not saying there’s no point to be made here. It does seem as those safeties screw up in zone more than they should and that is worrying quite a few people including me. But how else are dropped passes on defense supposed to happen, other than being random and arbitrary. THAT’S WHAT THEY ARE! Aside from the fact that the game does give a player with better hands a better chance… you never know when a guy is going to drop a ball or make a spectacular interception, that’s one thing that makes football at all levels so damn fun to watch. And also, there’s the option of using sliders, if one feels that this aspect is too out of whack. Sometimes you just get the impression that a reviewer doesn’t watch real football, because a SIGNIFICANT portion of easily catchable balls are dropped by defenders (I’d say at least 40%, maybe as high as 60%). Whether they just weren’t ready for it or just have shitty hands, that’s usually why they’re on defense.
ZT GAME DOMAIN (80)
http://www.ztgd.com/reviews/ncaa-football-13/
“The dressings are always nice, but making tweaks to the gameplay is always what we pick apart with these games each year. NCAA Football 13 has been touted as having some major improvements to much of the core. The biggest changes are to the passing game. Quarterbacks now have over 20 new dropback animations and slipping past a certain mark will definitely result in inaccurate throws. QBs now have multiple escape animations and slipping away from defenders is much easier. You can also pull out of play action if the defense blitzes; something for which I have been clamoring for years.”
This makes some decent points. Proves he read the press releases. On a sour note, I read this two or three times amongst the reviews, that being able to “pull out” of play action is a great new feature. REALLY? How is this grounded in realism whatsoever? These reviewers generally claim they want that, right? The first thing a real QB does when running a play action pass is to turn his back to the defense. Case closed. Dumb addition. I make the following promise, that I will not “pull out” of a single play action pass this year (at least on purpose) and will have words with those in my league who do. You know how you pull out of play action? It’s commonly referred to as an audible.
COMMENTARY ON GRAPHICS
GAME TRAILERS (82)
http://www.gametrailers.com/reviews/t2498j/ncaa-football-13-review
“Like the rest of the game, finding obvious improvements to the presentation is a challenge. Of course, the game already looked quite good. There are over 80 new stadiums, new pregame rituals, mascots, gear, cheerleaders and more. Yet it still looks nearly identical to NCAA Football 12 in fidelity and performance. A few new animations appear here or there, but this is largely the same graphics and sound you got in last year’s game. Further integration of the ESPN license means intrusive game updates about tilts you could care less about.”
I agree. Not particularly impressed with the new lighting. It seems like basically the same old thing. I continue to feel that the helmets and uniforms look way too washed out in direct sunlight. Let’s face it, at this point, not many of us are here for the graphics; they are what they are.
EGM (80)
http://www.egmnow.com/articles/reviews/egm-review-ncaa-football-13/
“I can’t recall an NCAA product this rife with bugs and glitches. For example, the basic replay tech fails to capture all your animation data, causing players to freeze in poses and glide through their route on every play.”
For me this is the most glaring disappointment so far in NCAA 13. Are you telling me that we won’t be able to even upload replays because our players are literally ICE SKATING AROUND THE FIELD the vast majority of the time? In NCAA 13? In this, the seventh installment of the game on present gen?
RECRUITING
GAME INFORMER (88)
http://www.gameinformer.com/games/n…h-down-conversion-during-a-crucial-drive.aspx
“The on-the-field gameplay sells this game, but scouting in NCAA’s Dynasty mode is another important addition. The mechanic is straightforward, where you’re granted information for the more time you put into it, but I like how scouting and recruiting work together. You can uncover gems and busts, which in turn influences where those players are on your recruit board. However, I still think the recruiting feature needs more points distinction among the different pitches you give recruits, and overall Dynasty mode needs to be injected with some color and personality.”
Agree and disagree. I also like the addition of scouting, and agree this mode needs color and personality. However, they did a good job in really changing up the amount of points you get for certain pitches now. I find it very realistic that if a player doesn’t care about a pitch, you might get zero points. and instead of topping out around 100 points, now you can sometimes get 200 points for a great pitch that the player cares most about. The inner workings have actually been completely revamped and I didn’t see much credit given for that. We’ve yet to see how it will all play out, but it appears to be setting the stage for dominant schools to continue their dominance in recruiting. The fact that pitches are now dynamic, that you can now go with a pitch the player brings up, and the fact that the player responses make a little more sense now inject some much-needed life into hardcore online dynasties like ours.
NEW FEATURES
CHEAT CODE CENTRAL (60)
http://cheatcc.com/xbox360/rev/ncaafootball13review.html#.T_y7OZGWxIE
“The Heisman Challenge is a mission-based mode that asks you to reach certain goals in order to increase your Heisman score. Unfortunately, these goals aren’t the most interesting milestones to shoot for. With challenges like “reach a certain number of passing yards in a season,” the goals actually feel more like in-game achievements than an active simulation of a Heisman trophy winner’s career. It would have been more interesting if you had to recreate memorable plays or replay clutch moments in important games rather than simply attempt to reach these milestones. In the end, it kind of reduces what should be the most epic part of the game to an RPG-esque stat grind.”
I have to agree here, and don’t think it can be said much better. Other than looking like Barry Sanders, Sanders plays a lot like the other running backs. Why there is only one juke prevalent in the game now is sort of beyond me, but if ever there was a player that should have had a couple of extra moves, it would be Barry. I’d say if you’re going to do this mode, then play with a QB, because they do appear to have unique throwing motions. And racking up great numbers with a QB from that camera angle is a real challenge; that should add a a bit of interest.
PURE INANITY
I found the following reviews to be so damningly moronic that I had to give them their own special section.
PLANET XBOX360 (80)
http://www.planetxbox360.com/article_20372/NCAA_Football_13_Review
Terrible, painfully aimless review.
GAMES RADAR (80)
http://www.gamesradar.com/ncaa-football-13-review/
Literally half of the review was spent on the Heisman challenge and associated modes. Some decent points were made, but I felt the review missed the boat.
CANADIAN ONLINE GAMERS NETWORK (80)
http://canadianonlinegamers.com/review/ncaa-football-13-xbox-360-review/
Guy contradicts himself so many times in the space of a page that it just got ridiculous.
- Bryan Clark (Hellisan)
