EA Sports NCAA Football 14 hits stores at midnight tonight. Gobbler Country is participating in the "Keeping it Real" campaign so you can know what to expect when you pick up your copy, whether it be tonight at midnight, tomorrow, or a month down the line.
We here at Gobbler Country have already gone into some of the details of this year's game, including the top-10 Virginia Tech players and how Virginia Tech will be represented in NCAA 14. However, we haven't actually touched on what is new in this year's edition. Let us enlighten you on what you have to look forward to.
New to the NCAA series is the inclusion of the Infinity Engine 2. This new physics engine means that you'll finally feel momentum playing a part in running the ball and player collisions. This also means that players of different sizes will play differently (ex. power backs vs. speed backs). That means J.C. Coleman will run differently than behemoth quarterback Logan Thomas. That's a welcome addition to the game.
One big improvement this year is an all-around overhaul of how running the ball is handled. An EA gameplay blog goes into more detail about this.
Another significant improvement to gameplay in NCAA Football 14 is the running game. This year, we enhanced the running game by enabling you to make hard cuts on the field. The running game is an integral piece of college football, and in order to deliver the most realistic experience, we've emphasized changing the running game to eliminate inauthentic turning and running. With NCAA Football 14 you can make more hard cuts, which give better feeling of better weight and realistic running.
Moreover, the dynasty mode has received a huge overhaul. One big inclusion this year is the addition of neutral site games in dynasty mode. You know what that means, Hokies. Alabama vs. Virginia Tech in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff will be playable at a neutral site in your dynasty. I, for one, think that's awesome. And given how stacked Alabama is in this year's game, the neutral site will probably make your life a little bit easier.
Recruiting has also undergone some tweaking as well. You know how you used to have to place phone calls and make those boring pitches? Well those are a thing of the past. Instead, EA is introducing power recruiting.
This year, NCAA Football 14 introduces Power Recruiting, which streamlines the process of scouting and recruiting players without sacrificing the depth fans have come to expect. Rather than using phone calls and pitches to try and sign players, Power Recruiting allows coaches to assign a set number of points to each recruit on a week-to-week basis. If you see a player you want, set your board so that you spend the maximum number of points available each week to win him over. Once you feel a commitment is imminent, move some of those points over to a different player who needs a bit of extra persuading. Power Recruiting makes it easy to efficiently adjust your focus and put the perfect amount of energy into signing the players your team needs most.
So what does this mean? Essentially, if you see a highly touted recruit that's down between you and UVA you can throw all of your points into getting that recruit (because you can't just let him go to UVA, right?). This mirrors real life in some ways. Coaches will target big-name recruits harder than others. That's just how recruiting goes. Power recruiting gives you more freedom in the size and scope of how you recruit.
I'm psyched for this year's NCAA Football game, as I have been for the past seven-or-so years. I plan on getting my copy at midnight so I can help Virginia Tech fill that empty national title case as soon as possible.
But now it's your turn to "Keep it Real." Do you think Virginia Tech's defense deserves to have the second-highest rating in the game? Do you think Virginia Tech's offense is overrated in this year's game? How many national titles do you plan on winning in your dynasty (not one, not two, not three, etc)? Let us know in the comments!