NCAA Football 12: My First Impressions of the Recently Released Demo

More to come on this, I may do a second look at the demo, but these are my first impressions.
 

One thing is certain, there will be college football this fall. The NFL lockout has stretched to over 100 days, and could push some pro football fans to the collegiate ranks.

The same may be said for the virtual gridiron. EA Sports brass have stated that the release of Madden NFL 12 will not be affected by the NFL labor situation. Even so, many video game football fans draw their biggest inspiration from what they see on Sundays. Without that inspiration, will they feel a sense of urgency to run out and pre-order Madden?

That said, EA hasn’t missed a beat with their production and hype for NCAA Football 12, as the demo was released today. The biggest changes are primarily visual enhancements.

The game now features 3D grass and improved collision detection, which leads to realistic chaining of animations. The results are not quite on par with Natural Motion’s Euphoria engine, which was used on the inferior but ambitious Backbreaker Football. Still, this approach is a step in the right direction.

There are noticeable details in regards to player models, such as the return of the dreadlocks, more athletic gear, elaborate mascots and marching bands. This also speaks to the biggest enhancement from a visual and overall feel aspect.

The presentation has turned the corner in mimicking a TV-style broadcast. I did hear a few repeats from previous seasons from the long-time team of announcers. This was evident through three games played. I could be wrong, but I think it may be safe to assume that number will grow with more games in, even on the full version due to release on July 12.

There still wasn’t much of a halftime show, it's possible they'll add one in for the full version. This was one of the glaring omissions from past versions.

From a gameplay standpoint, most things felt almost identical except the for the CPU’s AI. The CPU seemed to be much smarter, especially in coverage.

I definitely appreciated that as the game moved fast and was very exciting. The running game was natural, free-flowing, and was very dependent on following lead blocks and picking holes, as it should be.

Potentially, the best enhancements to NCAA 12 could be in the augmentations in the Dynasty & Road To Glory modes. Now in the Dynasty mode you can completely customize conferences with completely customizable conference bowl berths and BCS impact. No, you can't change the format to a tournament style look, I wish you could, but you can't.

In Road To Glory mode, you are now able to play your high school player’s full senior season. Even better, you’re able to create a prospect that plays both sides of the ball. He will be evaluated by college recruiters at both positions, it’ll be up to you to decide which position you’ll take on at the college level.

In conclusion, my first impression is positive, but much of what will have a lasting impression on me won’t be revealed until the retail version is released. Until then, download the demo through XBOX Live and see for yourself. Let me know your thoughts.