NCAA Football 13 Demo Is Out, Post Your Impressions Here

[moneal2001]

my first play was an 80 yard run for a td with the rb from kstate

[jonskinny12]

My overall impression on the demo is that I like it. A few things I really like:

* The option (both read option and traditional) actually works again - at least for humans, I don't think the traditional option really works for CPU still. It was really fun running the option with Oregon and K-State.
* Better passing trajectories make a world of difference.
* ESPN Bottom Line and studio updates are really cool. I don't care if the commentary by Rece Davis sucks, I just like seeing the updates. I've been saying for a couple years now that I wanted a way to keep an eye on important dynasty scores.
* Crowd reacts better to what's happening during a play.
* New tackle/catch animations are cool.
* Nice to see WRs and DBs diving for tipped passes.

Some things I don't like:

* DBs go after the ball but WRs just let the ball come to them. It would be nice to see more of a battle while the ball is in the air.
* Crowd still doesn't feel engaged/loud enough when the home team is on defense, especially in 3rd down situations.
* I don't know if this was just me, but Baylor ran HB screens on about 1/3 of their plays. I only played against them once, so I'll have to try it more. Did anyone else notice this?
* This is stupid, but I don't like that they moved some controls away from LT/L2 and moved the LB/L1 receiver to RB/R1 for the pump fake. On the option I found myself hitting LT to pitch the ball by habit, just to get tackled. I have yet to play RTG so I don't know how it works with reaction time, but changing the button configuration annoys me. I'll get used to it after playing a little.
* I don't like how the camera swivels when you have the ball on the hash and you view coach cam. Why not put it back to where you can swivel the coach cam yourself?

There were more likes/dislikes but I can't think of them right now. Overall, the gameplay does feel a bit better than 12 and I really like some of the additions. I'm also excited about the scouting/recruiting improvements. And the most important thing, it was just more fun. Every game is going to have bugs and things that are unrealistic, but it's a game and is supposed to be entertaining. So instead of asking if things in the game are realistic, I ask myself if I'm having fun playing it.

I got the discounted pre-order so I feel like the game is worth $45, even though I probably won't really touch it for a few weeks until a good roster set and a patch or two are released.

[MrOctober430]

Is the demo and the E3 NCAA 13, is a final product or is it still WIP?

[El Niche]

My impressions after I skipped NCAA 2012 (seems I didnt miss much). I'm really not impressed. Def not a preorder. The colors weren't vibrant, looked dull although the ESPN implementation is nice. I popped in 2011 and 2013 just didnt seem more than a patched version with blur (which to me doesnt look too good).
On the bright side, passing is nice and no superman LB which is a big plus. Hopefully next year they get the physics engine and make the ball the correct size.

2013 is not WOW! but its OK. My 2c

[Critical Kills]

Quote: Originally Posted by El Niche

My impressions after I skipped NCAA 2012 (seems I didnt miss much). I'm really not impressed. Def not a preorder. The colors weren't vibrant, looked dull although the ESPN implementation is nice. I popped in 2011 and 2013 just didnt seem more than a patched version with blur (which to me doesnt look too good). On the bright side, passing is nice and no superman LB which is a big plus. Hopefully next year they get the physics engine and make the ball the correct size. 2013 is not WOW! but its OK. My 2c

I agree with your last statement but I mentioned in my review colors were much better this year than last. Any more "colorful" and we will go into cartoon looking territory IMO

[blkrptnt819]

Pitching is really slow but that could be because I play on Very fast. And PLEASE tell me the pitch button can be changed. Also can the reciever buttons be changed? Tell me they are just locked for the demo.

[jkra0512]

I'm not overly impressed with the demo. The line play seems unchanged and the FB is still worthless. It bothers me that they don't pick up a LB in pursuit, but will let him fly by and tackle the HB. They don't even need to engage, if they just chip and move on, it'd look/be great. I also found an instance where the DB was running ahead of the WR on a route. Finally, not a fan of players playing on ice. Seems like there's no momentum, which is something that has always plagued this franchise.

The new passing is cool, awesome catching animations, the presentation is good, the studio update and ticker are great touches. It's a "prove it" year for EA Sports, and I don't think they quite got there. I'm more excited for Madden, and I think with all the revolutionary changes there, it hurt their NCAA franchise this year.

[TIMB0B]

I actually came away pleasantly surprised. All of the gloom and doom that I've been reading, which was warranted after last year, had my expectations pretty low. But this will be a pre-order buy for me. I'm still not thrilled about the new Heisman addition, but the gameplay feels so much better than 12.

There were a few problems I noticed, though. A trips left bubble screen is broken. The receiver runs upfield at an angle toward the sideline instead of to the flat, and on a potential tackle in the backfield after a read/option, my DE morphed through the QB instead of tackling him. I'm sure these types of things will be patched upon release???