It’s said year after year by many people “Why would you buy the new NCAA/Madden game? It’s the same as the last one.“ To those people I say they obviously don’t play them year after year as changes are always abound no matter what franchise’s month we’re in. We’re currently almost to July (breaking news to many, I’m sure) and that is of course NCAA Football’s month. Though football Saturday is still around 67 days away, the newest NCAA Football plans to tide you over until then.
Arguably the biggest change to NCAA Football doesn’t take place on the actual field itself, instead it is a new mode titled “Heisman Challenge.” In Heisman Challenge you’ll take control of some familiar athletes such as Eddie George, Doug Flutie, Barry Sanders, and many more as you try to match their Heisman totals which if you succeed will ultimately unlock them in Road to Glory mode. There are already DLC players being talked about such as Mark Ingram, Tim Brown, and everyone but no one’s favorite, Tim Tebow.
EA Sport’s is also slightly editing the way you control your QB during the game and altering the way you pass the ball to receivers. With “Total Control Passing,” they’re attempting to give you more control of not just who you throw the ball to but also how the ball gets there. I actually got a feel for this with the latest demo released on XBL/PSN and it seems to not ultimately affect the game too much but just enough to help you appreciate and recognize the difference between NCAA 12’s passing system and it’s predecessor.
If there was one thing that needed tampering with in the latest NCAA Football game it was the Dynasty mode. I’ve always been that guy that gets hooked on every aspect of it, from recruiting to taking my Vols to the national championship (someone has to do it) and even the slightest of changes gets me giddy in my seat and the fact that the main changes were to recruiting sold me on buying into the hype surrounding NCAA Football 13.
Now instead of basing your want of a player on his star rating and position alone, you can scout him further to determine his exact overall ratings and attributes. Letting you easily determine the differences between players, knowing whether they’re all about speed, strength, or a balance of both. Another huge annoyance with the previous NCAA Football games was the fact that from the get go every recruit has their top 10 or top 12, and it’s literally impossible to break into that if you’re not in it at the beginning of the season. That is finally changing as well, now you can work a kid and if you keep on him long enough, you can break into his favorites and content for his letter of intent. EA Sports also promises a bottomline ticker running at the bottom of your screen, enhanced phone calls, and recruits labeled as athletes to be more dynamic and effective.
The only other significant change coming to NCAA Football this year seems to be the addition of Reaction Time. Reaction Time is a new featured installed into Road to Glory and Heisman Challenge that allows you to slow down time and pick apart the opposing team with more confidence. This greatly helps passing situations where the defense has an all-out blitz coming at you, allowing you to pinpoint that open receiver rather easily. I’m sure it would also make playing cornerback and safety more fun as it would allow you more time to contend with a pass or for linebackers, more time to approach the running back or quarterback and lay a hellacious hit on him. It may not be the most “realistic” part of NCAA Football 13 but it definitely helps contend against some of the more frustrating aspects of the game.
While there isn’t a big blockbuster change coming to NCAA Football 13, this year’s model seems destined to be as fun and as addicting as previous games have been for college football fans everywhere. Combine these previously mentioned additions with new tackle and receiving animations and I say you have a fine product for any football fan drooling for their team’s first kickoff.
NCAA Football 13 hits store shelves July 10th,