S&S; Review: NCAA Football 13

Title: NCAA Football 13
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: July 10, 2012
Publisher: EA
Developer: Tiburon
Price: $49.99
ESRB Rating: E
I used to be one of the many football fans who would pick up the new iteration Madden and NCAA, well that was quite long ago.  I have a system now of buying one or the other, every other year.  NCAA 13 continues the long push towards to being the most realistic college football game ever created.
Presentation:
I believe when it comes to the presentation of the NCAA games, it has to be one of the big reasons that you buy the game.  The developers at Tiburon have created a much better college football experience, regarding the presentation, you really feel like you're actually there watching Alabama take on Baylor.  There is a lot more ESPN integration, that really makes you feel like you're watching a television broadcast.  The new ticker at the bottom of your screen will show scores happening around your own personal league.  There are a lot of these and other refinements in NCAA 13, but other than these minor improvements, the visuals didn't really take a graphical leap at all.  Given, NCAA 12 was a good looking game already, if you've just come off of playing last year's game, you wouldn't really see a difference at all.  The animations are smooth, with the occasional odd looking player you'll see once in a while.  There are 80+ plus new improvements including stadiums, fan and student changes, and new quarterback dropback animations.  The audio commentary just seems stale, in my opinion, you'll hear a lot of the same lines you heard in previous games. You'll even get these weird lines regarding your team, completely misrepresenting my team's strategy and play style.
Core Gameplay and Multiplayer:
Similar to the game's presentation, there isn't a lot new in the gameplay department.  You have the same modes like Road to Glory, which lets you take a high school senior and lead him to being a college legend.  Its almost the exact same as last year's version, other than some notable additions.  The big addition is the new Reaction Time, where you slow down time in order to analyze the defense and execute a big play.  Its a pretty cool addition, but its not game-changing by any means.  The Dynasty mode didn't receive that many upgrades as well, other than the many tweaks to the recruiting system.  The Heisman Mode is the one brand new mode,  which you choose one of ten previous Heisman winners and putting them on any team you choose.  Its actually a really fun mode, my favorite so far, and with Reaction Time, its pretty entertaining.  If you can find a good group of friends, you can have a good time in the Online Dynasty portion of the game.  Recruiting in the online dynasty is a lot easier than in the offline equivalent, so improving your team won't cause as much of a headache as last year.  The revamped total passing system is a welcomed addition, but it has its problems as well.  Linebackers aren't wide-receivers in costume.  Any potential ball catcher has to see the ball in order for them to catch it.  With this new feature, you'll still see a lot of interceptions though.  It will never be as bad as Madden 08's infamous fumble problems though.
Final Thoughts:
With all the new minor additions to the game, NCAA football remains the same overall.  Thats not necessarily a bad thing, its still good game of football.  Hardcore football fans will definitely get their moneys worth.
S&S Rating: 7.5/10