OT: Thoughts on NCAA 12 (from demo)
I have been playing the demo for a while since it came out, and I figured that it would be worth some discussion. My thoughts:
The gameplay hasn't improved much. The graphics are a bit better, the game runs a bit smoother, and while the new tackling system helps a ton, the gameplay is still about where it was last year.
The presentation improved, but I don't care too much about that. New franchise modes are cool, but not revolutionary.
My favorite part of the new game is the subtley retooled difficulties. Last year, I couln't find one that worked for me (all american was too easy, but heisman was unfair). However, this year Heisman has gone from unfair to more difficult.
For example, instead of CPU DBs suctioning to your WRs, making passing impossible, they will just cover better. You can still complete passes, but you have to be skilled at going through your progressions and leading WRs. Instead of CPU D-linemen getting into the backfield in 1 second on run plays, they just make it more difficult. Holes are still there, but they are smaller and close faster, meaning that you have to hit the holes faster. Another welcome part is that the CPU doesn't (at least from what I can tell) call their plays based off of yours. Last game, you could call a HB draw on 3rd and 20, and the CPU would line up with 8 men in the box. This year, playcalling is more of a skill.
What do you think?
My biggest complaint is the coverage of DB's. Last year they made a huge step forward in making agility and acceleration actually mean something in how guys move on the field. But in the demo, I've had multiple times where a safety was running deep with one of my WR's and I throw a shorter pass over the middle and the safety completely changes direction without losing any speed at all. The safety doesn't have to slow down at all, no stutter steps, just full speed starts running downfield when one second ago they were running upfield. Hopefully this is an easy fix with a patch because this isn't a problem with any other position on the field but DB's change direction without losing any speed right now.
It's an issue with other positions. The same thing happens when you run speed option. They will run right at the QB and you get rid of it after they commit, but they are still able to make it to the RB because they can change direction without losing speed.
...that this game is really awesome, but I find myself playing it less and less each year. It really is the same game play every year with new rosters. They make new additions to the game of course, but this time I'm going to wait a couple months to find it cheaper because I don't think it's worth $60 now.
I downloaded the demo a couple days ago and of course I liked it. Usually they pit the two teams that were in the national title game as one of the options to play, but Auburn isn't one of those teams. Not that I care of course, just saying. The crowd noise has definitely been improved, like when you throw a deep ball, the crowd gets louder and louder as the ball gets closer to the WR/end zone, which is what usually happens in real football games.
I'm extremely interested in seeing how good Denard will be in this game though and Michigan's offense in general considering they were one of the best in the country last season. Defense? Yikes.
They should have removed Pryor from the game. I know it was probably too late, but we all hate the guy and don't want OSU fans to be able to play as him anymore.
The one gripe I have, deep balls (har har, TWSS) across the middle of the field. I have such a tough time beat the deep safety inside. Man-to-man coverage on the outside, that's a different story.
My issue with the game is that the animations haven't improved much in years. For all the improvements in lighting and such, all sense of realism is gone when a player looks like he's floating or is running like a robot.
Completely agree with this. They really need to try to improve the way players look when they're running. I don't think that has changed much since the days I was buying this game for Nintendo Gamecube.
because they have no competition. All they need to do is update the rosters and make a few small changes that they can advertise as major game changing improvements and people buy the game because there are no other options.
The single biggest improvement from year to the next, in my book.
And the single player we all want to plays as with dreads, doesn't have them...
Denard doesn't have dreads? I haven't played much (or at all) the last couple years -- is that editable now?
Editing the roster is soooooooo easy. Why is everyone whining about this?
Okay, everyone, stop complaining about this.
Operation sports always has modified rosters which it sets up with player names, etc. I'm sure they will integrate proper dreadlock customization with their process. Hold your fucking horses, be patient, and it'll work out.
The monopoly point gets brought up way too often. EA responds to what consumers ask for online. In order to do this it would take a complete overhaul of their game engine, all in an abreviated product developement cycle.
the gameplay was actually better in tecmo bowl than on the current release of ea sports game. the last game i played with good gameplay was 2006 on ps2. everything since has sucked. i honestly don't give 2 shits about graphics. ea sucks balls...they always have and always will. i'll buy another cfb game when 2k can make one, if that ever happens.
If your struggling on heisman then you need to work on running the ball and setting up the pass. One thing that I hated was the fact that play action last year was terrible. They sent the house and you had to lob it up and user control it. I consider myself a veteran at the game ( top 10) on the Michigan board for points on 360. I will be the first to say there were many things the computer did because it actually new what play you chose but if you used the audibles right you could throw up 70 a game easy. I'm going to miss the basketball on turf offense but I like running power I and throwing to koger. I can't wait for the game. I get it July 6th any one in nw Ohio go to C&C in either port Clinton. Fremont or bg. They will have it the 6th or at the latest the 7th
was that a typo, or are you really getting it on the 6th or 7th? i thought the game was released on the 12th?
The game is not getting released unitl the 12th. Stores will probably get it early, but I believe selling it early is illegal. I could be wrong though
I think I'll wait a couple weeks for it to get cheaper on ebay. I'm glad I skipped NCAA '11 because it looks/feels really similar to me. Coming from NCAA '10, I think this will be an improvement.
I'm also coming from '10. I better not feel like I'm playing the same game since I'm skipping Madden this year.
Have they rid the game of the linebackers dropping back into coverage and jumping 6 feet in the air for a pass deflect?
Slightly. They are more "Stu Douglass"-ish this year compared to "Lebron James"-ish from last year.
It's still nearly impossible to throw a fast ball down the middle without a LB at least tipping it, but thats more unrealistic reaction time than unrealistic jumping ability
alabama's in-game oline is a steaming pile of garbage. either that, or fsu has a ridiculous defense. i got at least 6 sacks, a ff and recovery, and several more hurries. in an 8 minute game. while putting up >100 yards rushing on my side.
but on to the game itself...
- the look and feel is exactly the same as last year. seriously.
- when playing this game, stream music or something so that there's something worthwhile to listen to. because herbie and nessler sound exactly like they've sounded for the past 4 years. and they suck.
- the playcall screen is tweaked, and after playing 11 so much, i keep getting confused. but long run, id say its an improvement
- run blocking is much MUCH better. defenders actually get knocked down as opposed to being held back. blockers hold blocks longer. its at a point where, if you were able to run well in 11, 3000 yards (with one RB) is not out of the question in 12.
- linebackers still zoom to the ball and inexplicably bat passes out of the air. still not fixed.
- running the option is still very much hit or miss. the thing about option and misdirection plays is that they cause confusion. EA hasnt found a way to properly model that yet, because defensive players, especially linemen, make their reads way faster than humans.
- OP mentioned that computer doesnt adjust playcall to user playcall. i disagree. i called a run play, and the AI shifted the safeties down and the backers over to the strong side. i formation audibled to a pass play, and they dropped everyone back. i formation audibled back to a different run play and the safeties came up again. i had the same issues in 11.
- the punt return game is much better. in 11, returning a punt was a waste of time - you were more likely to fumble the ball on the hit and turn it over than get anything on the return. now, i feel like im one or two blocks away from breaking one. punt and kick returns are some of the most exciting aspects of football video games. im glad they're actually working now.
- the hit stick feels more fluid. when you whack a guy, you KNOW you've whacked him. its a nice feeling.
- the game does run a bit smoother. the flow is better and feels more like football.
"OP mentioned that computer doesnt adjust playcall to user playcall. i disagree. i called a run play, and the AI shifted the safeties down and the backers over to the strong side. i formation audibled to a pass play, and they dropped everyone back. i formation audibled back to a different run play and the safeties came up again. i had the same issues in 11."
I'm still not so sure. I've called a pass play out of the shotgun, then audibled to a run, and had a safety back out of the box on 2nd and short. I've also run it up the middle on plays where there are almost no defenders straight ahead of me (still on heisman). It might still be in the game, but its nowhere near as prevelent (and frustrating) as it was last year.
Meh doesn't seem much better. THe only thing I noticed that was different was the tackling, which was pretty good. Not good enough for me to buy though. I have bough '09,'10, and '11 now. I need a year or 2 break.
Operation Sports and other groups use sliders that make the gameplay options like zone coverage; pass rush and such really almost perfect.
Yea, I just found them this last week and I'm going to try some of their sliders this weekend.
Thats where I tend to hang out for my rosters and my online gaming needs... Good group of guys and they do a great job of weeding out the cheesier "gimmick" players that expoit the AI.
<br>
<br>Google it and sign up (it's free) if anyone is interested...
Has anyone found a cheap pre-order link like there was through dell.com last year? I know I saw that it was up at one point but just as a placeholder. I don't mind waiting a few days for the game if I can save $10-20.
Does anyone else find it odd that Denard doesn't have dreads, but Lamichael James somehow, for some reason DOES have them?
Thats just a legal thing because they can't technically use the actual player likenesses without paying them. Thus they added dreads and slapped them on random people. You can just edit the rosters to add/remove them.
Playing on Heisman my only gripe is that the CPU Oline blocking pancake animation is a little over the top/happens too often. Playing against Alabama it seems to happen 1-2 times a game where the whole Oline knocks over all my Dlinemen at the same time and move on to doing the same in the second level thus leaving Trent Richardson with nothing to do but run straight untouched.
I do like the difficulty overall though. I agree last year at times Heisman was unfair, but this year (outside the pancake problem) it is a lot better and challenging.
I can't wait to make my own playbook and start up a dynasty.
Heisman was too easy. I was hoping they'd make it harder. This sucks if it actually is easier.
It's harder in the sense that the broken plays are gone. It's easier in the sense that the plays like PA, Running out of shotgun, etc. are no longer impossible. It's more realistic is all.
I've never seen a problem with the coverage from the computer DB's in the game. From what I have seen as long as you stay in the pocket and make proper reads and lead receivers you should be able to complete any pass you want.
The biggest gripe I had was with the read option. Even when the DE went down the line it seemed like he could stop on a dime and chase down the QB instantly. I actually haven't used Oregon yet so I have yet to see if that works better this year.
On this subject, the folks at The Gaming Tailgate were given final copies of the game by EA (apparently by serving as intermediaries between the fans and the EA developers) and are answering questions.
Also, I'm not sure if i read it there or at another site, but apparently EA is going to use the feedback on the demo to create a release day patch and/or tuning update, so the demo as it stands now is not the final product.
Every year people complain about this game and Madden. Can anyone actually try and appreciate the difficulty of making the game play perfect to them when everyones skill levels are different and their views of how they would like to play the game are different?
Scroll thru any NCAA thread and read the comments...running is too easy... running is too hard.... how come they didn't get the mascot right for North Texas St?......passing is too easy...I score 100pts with Weber St vs Alabama with Weber St on Heisman level.....etc....
If you select the correct level, play with the right team and fix the sliders anyone can have fun with these games, much more fun to be the genius who knows it all.
I'd be fine with it if they didn't lock up the rights to make the game. I miss 2k football, was way better then madden in the day
So I feel we have a right to critisize since there is no competiion for the game
Agreed, 100%. NFL 2k5 is still the most fun football game I've ever played. My buddy and I usually rent the new Madden game each year, try it for a week or two, then go dig his PS2 out and play 2k5 again. It's just a superior game engine and EA has no reason to want to overhaul theirs. I don't blame them, why improve when you don't have to?
we're not debating whether the game is a great feat of engineering or not (no its not - its a video game built on the same platform for the past 3 years). rather, we're debating whether this game is worth the 60-odd of our hard-earned simoleons we'll have to shell out in order to get this game. we're trying to determine if this release is merely just an updated set of rosters with some tinsel (e.g. dreads and 3D grass) in a blatant cash grab. if the game truly adds gameplay value over previous editions, most of us are ardent enough about college football that we'll buy it. but its only fair that we be able to voice our concerns and be able to properly understand the value being offered by the software before we go out and buy it.
seriously? they made the tackling better. that took an entire year. everything else is the same as it has been. what a joke. there is no competition so they sit on their lazy asses all year and just rake in peoples money. think about all the great games out there, do you think it's worth $60 for a roster update and no suction tackling, which should have never been like that in the first place and shows you the incompetence of ea sports?
we will always have to put up with ea's big pile of shit sports games until everyone grows some balls and just doesn't buy it.
I hate to sound like a commercial, but...
For a little more than the price of a game (about $68-$69) you can get a unlimited two game plan for three months.
I get to play games even if only mildly interested. Some are pleasant surprises... I'd never have tried Metro 2033 or Singularity (both much better than I expected) if I would have had to buy them. I definitely wouldn't be buying every new sports iteration year after year.
As long as I keep an open slot for it I get new games the day after they hit store shelves (they ship the day before they hit the shelves).
I never get burnt on a bad game and if I do decide to keep one it's usually about $15 less (About $45 on newer games) than buying new in the store. I know the GF games are technically "used"... But if you're the first one to have it it's simply "pre-opened".
I've also been getting better deals on trade-ins from GF than my local Game Stop gives.
I can increase/decrease my plan based on how many games are out (or coming out) that I'm interested in.
... And I don't have to leave my house for any of this.
I'm not sure why any gamer would go without a GF account.
I also have gamefly and use it all the time (I would definitely recommend it). I only buy a game if its a NCAA game (which I play every year) and if I know I'm going to love it (Mass Effect games are the only ones that fill this category for me). Overall, its an amazing service.
I'm a "sim" football video game nerd and it seems like the slider tinkering won't be as extreme this year.
<br>
<br>The tackling looks sweet and gameplay is just more real to me too.
<br>
<br>I'll snag it for sure.
Will be playing NCAA 06 or 07 on my Ps2. I have ranted about my reasoning in pass threads. Screw EA for this year.
I played the demo some more last night to test some of the things I have read about on the internet. The biggest thing is that you have to get a running game going. It's almost impossible to throw if you don't and when they sellout on the run, it's a guaranteed big play if your receiver catches the ball.
Sometimes plays like Read Option or Wildcat plays work really well and sometimes they don't work at all. I think that just shows that you have to figure out the opponents gameplan each game and exploit that rather than exploiting individual plays that have worked in the past.
I blocked a fucking XP last night.
You used to be able to just run in the general direction of the player and the suction tackling would do the rest. Now you actually have to commit to the tackle by pressing X. That'll be huge when playing option teams.