NCAA Football 14 doesn’t have that spark that makes a game great. The gameplay is better, the load times are shorter, and the physics engine that made Madden NFL 13 is here. But the graphics look dated, the players seem more generic than ever, and the announcers stiffly call matchups. Although it has changed under the hood, the overall package feels like well-worn territory.
Still, NCAA Football 14 packs a lot to love. Developer Tiburon has gone out of it’s way to take the much-loved Infinity Engine and make it an integral part of the game. Sure, the helmet-rocking hits are here, but where your player is landing his stiff arm matters in terms of where that defender is going to go. Size, weight, impact -- it all means something in the brave new world of on-field physics.
That was the same story in Madden, but NCAA Football 14 applies it to the running game in a brand new way. Players shift their weight on the turf and make sharp, accurate cuts; it’s the death of those arcing routes you used to be forced to make, and it makes the running game far more responsive and fun. It gives you the chance to use the new combo/juke system (think of a juke and a spin at once with one right stick flick and turn) to leave defenses in the dust.
All of this is intoxicating. When I’d shake off a tackle, cut to the left, and head to the end zone, it felt great. But not every interaction is perfect. Goofy AI had my defenders out of position on key runs, and I was in control of a linebacker at one point who chased a QB down by running backwards. When this stuff happens, it’s hard not to cringe at the seams of the game showing.
Dynasty is back and packing a number of nifty improvements. EA ditched phone calls and pitches; now, recruiting comes down to assigning points and adjusting as need be. Everything you do as a coach earns you XP, which you can spend on coaching skill trees to make your boys better on the road or tougher against the run. All of this is a welcome focus that gives you the RPG stuff EA’s been toying with for years, but gets you back to the gameplay as quickly as possible.
But once I was back to playing, it felt flat. The colors, fields, and crowds look decidedly passé. Nessler and Herbstreit's canned dialogue is old and still has those awkward inflections. EA is trying the same presentational improvements I loved in Madden (stuff like highlighting a star QB as he comes on the field), but it doesn’t work with the generic “HB #9” names and sidelines packed with stiff dudes who occasionally disappear. It detracts from the experience and calls attention to NCAA Football 14’s shortcomings -- like the recurring bug I found when I’d score a touchdown and it wouldn’t bring up the next playcalling screen.
Still, though, there’s good stuff here. I’m a guy who wrote about getting worse at the game as it becomes more real, and that’s why I really did like the inclusion of the Nike Skills Trainer. From Play Now, you can jump into a number of drills that teach you what defender to watch on an option play and the best ways to make an open field tackle. Sure, it’s rudimentary for some, but it’s a great way to catch the little doses of reality EA’s putting into the sim.
However, the real hook to the drills is a medal system that unlocks rewards in Ultimate Team, a mode where you unlock players by getting their trading card and attempt to build the best team. I’ve toyed with Ultimate Team before, but this is the first year the mode really clicked for me. Taking on the Duke name and having Bo Jackson in the backfield was cool, the games were just two-minute quarters, and I liked being just one more win from a new pack of cards.
Trouble is, Ultimate Team is online only. Even if you don’t want to take on someone else’s Ultimate Team in a head-to-head matchup, you can’t tackle the AI challenges unless you’re logged on. It’s weird, and with EA’s servers on and off during the review process, it was annoying.
Road to Glory returns and has you creating a high school prospect and taking him to college, but it’s largely untouched. It’s a good thing as earning XP in games and buying stat boosts for your player is addicting, but it’s sad that my O-line getting rocked and me getting taken down before even getting a chance to move the ball hurt the coach’s confidence in me.
