NCAA Footal 13 has seen some major improvements over the years, but sadly, there has been some major repetition within the franchise. And while there have been some big changes to the game, loyal players from the previous installments may feel this game is a bit of a copy and paste. Regardless, there are definitely things NCAA Football 13 does right, and things it does very wrong.
NCAA Football 13: The Good
Let's start with what NCAA Football 13 does right. There are over 400 new animations that make that make tackles, receptions, and runs far more realistic and gritty. Think about that, over 400. That's impressive. That can only come from hard work and time on the developers' part and it's remarkable to watch in action. As far as football games are concerned, NCAA Football 13 is among the best in creating the suspense and action-packed glory that is the game of football. And all the new animations make the whole experience all the more enjoyable as the level or realism is astounding. They look like real players receiving, passing, and crashing into each other like two bullet trains with the sole purpose of destroying each other. I for one love the new receiving animations, which were fantastic in the last game, but even better now.
NCAA Football 13 sports many improvements besides animation. New pass trajectories makes controlling the field in a realistic way feels more natural and makes it easier to make a play as you can place the ball almost anywhere you want on the field. You can control the velocity of the throw, and even control on which side you throw to the receiver with relative ease. Aren't those long passes oh so satisfying?
NCAA Football 13: Real-time Strategy
Players have even more added control of the decisions they make and how they run a play as they can now cancel play-fakes if you read the defense and realize the play will only result in a sack or tackle-for-loss. This has helped me several times, perhaps because I run terrible plays, I dunno, but it's a welcome addition that adds new strategic value to the gameplay. And of course, it adds to the level of realism, as the play is changed or tailored to meet the situation.
One of the things I like most about NCAA Football 13 is that, finally, there are no more blind kung-fu master swatting at the ball, catching it, intercepting, blocking the ball when the player isn't even looking at it. How many times has the AI done this during a game and you're thinking there's just no way he'd be able to do that? And then those with a bad temper would rage quit. Or, how many of you took advantage of this flaw yourselves? Whether you meant to or not, there have been some big changes. Players now constantly look for the ball and don't be surprised it they don't react the way you've come to expect in previous games. If they don't see it, they won't magically catch it or block it. A loss for the more casual players, a big win for those of us who like a challenge, especially when said challenge makes the game better and actually makes sense.
The only real new game mode is the Heisman's challenges where players step into the shoes of Heisman Trophy winners such as Barry Sanders, Charlie Ward, Desmond Howard, Archie Griffin, Carson Palmer, etc and place them on the team of your choice.... which may seem like a blasphemy for some, or a cool what-if scenario for others. I experienced a bit of both. You'll spend the Heisman challenge slowing down time to cut through the defense or complete impressive throws. The overall experience is a bit easy, and with such a realistic game the reaction times and slowing things down actually takes away from the realism. Does look kinda cool though. However, after a while you'll move on the the main modes of play.
NCAA Football 13: Recruitment, a Boring Chore
Recruiting is still a bore in NCAA Football 13. Tons of screens and tabs with weird loads and an unresponsive interface make recruitment a chore in most cases and hasn't be changed very much. Which is a shame considering everything else that has changed. Be sure to take advantage of the 20:00 Scout time to help you find "Gems" and avoid "Busts" when recruiting preseason. Otherwise, you'll be restricted to 3:00/week once the season begins.
NCAA Football 13: Outstanding Graphics
As amazing as the graphics look in NCAA Football on the surface, there are still some instances where you see some weird things like see through people, or someone apparently caught somewhere, sometimes the stadium and players look washed out and almost painted in((and i'm not talking about motion blur), and there will be some lag from time to time
Okay, some of you may not get the Family Guy reference above. Commentators in NCAA FOOTBALL still say more or less of the same thing they said in previous games and they may say something contradictory to the way you've been playing. I deliberately put this to the test. I pretty much rushed every play, almost never opting to pass and they went on and on about my passing as if I've been doing it, and not only that, but a relatively good job of it too. and I was sitting there thinking hmmm..... time for some glasses.
NCAA Football 13: Too much repetition?
And, of course, as I mentioned in the beginning of this review. The level of repetition in this game is a bummer. This series is known for having some great things going for it such as the amazing graphics and physics, but the overall gameplay is relatively unchanged. And the people have spoken, many times, they want something new and exciting, not a few touch-ups to what made previous games great. Developers can do that, and they should, but that shouldn't be the only thing added to a game and charging full price year after year after year.
Unfortunately, for veterans of the series, I issue NCAA Football 13 a 7 out of 10. There's just too much that will have you thinking "Been there done that". Players and reviewers have stated, it's near identical to its predecessor. But it really depends on the player. And many, I'm sure, won't mind too much. So what do you think? Is NCAA Football 13 simply a touched-up version of its predecessor? Or is it really worth the price of an entirely new game? Leave a comment below and let everyone know what you think.