When you compare NCAA Football 14 with last year’s game there is no question the franchise has moved forward in the right direction. The enhanced running game, new physics driven animations, and the re-engineered spread and read option game make for an unparalleled NCAA football experience.
The on-field gameplay and especially the running game is the best of any next-gen NCAA football game. The dynasty mode is as good as ever, especially the revamped recruiting. The presentation may not be as good without the intros, but let's be honest how many people actually sit through them after you've seen it a couple of times. Overall this is without a doubt the best NCAA Football game on the 360.
NCAA Football 2014 feels like the culmination of a long-in-development college football gaming experience. Tiburon has gradually fixed sloppy mechanics that have long plagued the series and streamlined the behind-the-scenes modes. It's no surprise given recent uneven releases, but NCAA Football 14 is the best, most polished entry yet in the series.
Even with these positives, and a better-late-than-never addition of the Ultimate Team mode, NCAA Football 14 is not a game that shows a series playing at its peak as a console generation ends.
This year, NCAA’s lack of novelty is more evident. Yeah, it now has Infinity Engine physics — which Madden NFL got last year — and Ultimate Team — which FIFA has had for a while. It does play a better game of college football, however, and that’s important. But ultimately, NCAA Football 14 is like your friend who showed up to the first class of the fall semester with the same haircut, shirt, and summer story to tell. Maybe he lost a few pounds, and you’re happy to see him, but he hasn’t really changed.
It's a shame that NCAA Football '14 has the same problems the franchise has been burdened with for years. The on-field action is tight and rewarding, but everything else is sloppy at best.
This is an interesting and very good bang that the series goes out on because of the lawsuits surrounding it and the NCAA. The game is far more fluid this year than in any other year and the gameplay is still, I believe, better than in Madden. There are minor things that bug me including a clunky menu screen and the cut-aways for the updates on other games become very annoying. But overall, if this was the year that the game was going to end, they went out on a high note. This game will be a highly sought after game in about 2-3 years as it is the final college football game to be released. I know I'm keeping my copy and probably going to buy up some more in the future, if this goes the route that the final college basketball game did in 2010.
It's funny because I have always preferred the NFL compared to college football, yet I like this game a lot more than the Madden games. That's because I have always preferred the more wacky modes in sports games. I have fond memories of playing the mascot mode with my friends and just having a good old time watching 11 of the Stanford trees trying to tackle a Notre Dame leprechaun. I haven't played this game since it was released so I don’t know how it holds up to this day, but that doesn't change the fact that I still look back on this game fondly.
I enjoy playing it, and it's certainly the best due to graphics and feel, but overall, I was disappointed by how similar it was to NCAA 13. It really seems to me like they're taking the games and recycling them over and over while making them a bit shinier every time.
Like many consumers I was hopeful that EA would turn it around this year, and produce an NCAA Football that corrected many of the errors of the past few years. Sadly this game is weak in many areas and bears what I would term, "a frustrating resemblance to college football". The most notable weaknesses of this year's game are as follows:
1. Heavy scripting of game outcomes While this is a perrenial complaint about this game, in my opinion it is worse than ever this year. Catch-up behaviors by the AI play heavily into the game and seriously hurt the game's immersion factor.
2. Strange AI behaviors on defense Generally weak defense (lots of points, even in abbreviated games), strange behaviors by players and odd routes taken by defensive players. I'd love to see a real football game like this. I have a good sense of humor and it would be the funniest game I ever saw, as long as it wasn't my favorite team.
3. The AI players are notably faster than the human controlled players.
4. Bugs. No game killers, but definitely a few bugs that can affect the outcome **** if you hit them at the wrong time.
5. There was a lot of talk about "physics" being introduced into this game. I really don't see it. There are some nice animations for the running backs, but animations are not physics. Human controlled runners don't seem to have any weight. My running backs seem light as a feather and rarely push forward after contact. They usually look like a volleyball that just got spiked.
I love college football and I'd love to recommend this game but I can't without reservation. If you're craving a college football game, go ahead and buy it, since it's the only game in town, but be aware of the weaknesses I have mentioned. I've invested my money so I'll wait and hope that some of the more glaring problems are patched soon.
Gets a 4 out of 10 for not being a crash fest this year. but the same bugs are still there, i just watched Ball St destroy Oklahoma, TAMU lose to FCS West, and Sun Belt teams pull 5* recruits. EA could fix all this, or they could introduce a feature to encourage you to spend more money on top of the $60 in the form of Ultimate Team. Guess what they picked?
SummaryNCAA 14 gives players enhanced control over their fate on the turf and as a head coach. The introduction of Infinity Engine 2 lets you play true to your team with gameplay tuned with the unique college game in mind, while new Coach Skills and Power Recruiting create an engrossing Dynasty experience. Also included is the Ultimate Team mod...