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Every year, the designers of the NCAA Football franchise at EA Tiburon set out to make a game that simulates football — just like its more popular older brother, the Madden NFL series — except they have to differentiate their game by ensuring that it plays like college football instead of pro football.

Part of that differentiation is, in a sense, forced on the NCAA Football developers. These days, publisher Electronic Arts launches Madden seven weeks after it releases NCAA Football — the college football title typically comes out in early July, while Madden launches at the end of August. While the games are developed on an annual cycle that means Madden doesn't get extra development time, per se, innovations often come to Madden first.

We don't know yet what the Madden team has in store for Madden NFL 25, but this year's entry in the NCAA Football series, NCAA Football 14, is catching up in a few key respects when it comes to gameplay.

Follow the link to read Polygon's full preview. ...

Last year, NCAA overhauled its passing game. The gameplay makeover continues in NCAA Football 14, due out in July for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The first reveal for the game details developer EA Tiburon's focus on improving Madden's Infinity Engine, as well as some unique college football additions.

EA Tiburon decided not to integrate the Infinity Engine into NCAA 13. The physics engine used in Madden NFL 13 (which came out months after NCAA 13) aimed to realistically replicate hits to multiple parts of the body, but ended up being inconsistent and unsatisfactory. With the benefit of more time with the engine, EA Tiburon feels the engine has moved forward and is capable of more nuances. Impacts such as stiff arms, hit stick tackles, and dive tackles now jar the ball carrier appropriately. The team says it is also cleaning up the engine's previous failings (such as players flopping around on the ground due to minor contact) and not just heaping on features it can't handle. We'll have to wait until we get our hands on a build of the game before we can get a judge on how the engine is progressing.

Follow the link to read Game Informer's complete preview. ...

The official press release for NCAA Football 14 has been distributed by EA SPORTS and announces the upcoming release schedule for game information. Additionally, several game features have been confirmed/announced: The inclusion of NCAA Football Ultimate Team (NFUT), a 'Coach Skills' feature in Dynasty Mode, 'Play a Season' mode, and improved game presentation.

• Presentation (to be released 4/18) – NCAA Football 14 gets you closer to the action than ever before and tells the story of every game. Feel the drama of college football from a whole-new perspective.
• NCAA Football Ultimate Team (to be released 5/15) – The much-beloved mode comes to the college game, allowing you to build up an unstoppable team.
• Dynasty (to be released 5/28) – There’s no single path to success in college football, so build up your program into a powerhouse to fit your strengths and style of play by utilizing the brand-new Coach Skills.
• Play a Season (to be released 6/17) – Focus purely on the on-field action and take your favorite team to a bowl game.

Continue on to view the full press release. ...

EA's Ben Haumiller joined Wednesday's IGN "Up At Noon" and explained why physics work in this year's NCAA and how you can get into the industry.

Video Link - http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/04/03...noon-interview

After checking out the video, share your thoughts with the TGT community. ...

EA SPORTS has posted the official first look at the "new gameplay engine in NCAA Football 14 which unlocks the unpredictability and innovation of college football, bringing multiple college play-styles to life.

"Featuring real-time physics and enhanced running game that allows users to feel the big plays on offense and defense, with big hits, stiff-arms, include realistic hard cuts when a runner is changing direction, improved run blocking and a new acceleration burst that lets you get around the corner or through the hole and into the open field."

Continue on to view the gameplay teaser video. ...

ESPN's Jon Robinson provides us with the first-look at NCAA Football 14.

I’ve been running the virtual option since “Bill Walsh College Football” on the Sega Genesis. That makes me either a wishbone expert or just plain old (although I’ll settle for being an old expert).

So when I got my hands on “NCAA Football 14” for the first time at a special preview event in San Francisco, and some of the featured points of emphasis about the new game were all of the enhancements made to the option, I seriously spent the next 20 minutes reading the outside linebacker and either pitching the ball wide, or tucking it down and running as the Oregon Ducks. And I couldn’t get enough.

And for gamers unfamiliar with how to run the various option plays, EA Sports is ready to teach you, even designating icons above certain defenders’ helmets to alert the offensive player about positioning, and whose movements in particular they need to read. So while running the read option to the right, the left outside linebacker will have a No. 1 over his head, and if he cuts inside, you’ll learn to pitch the ball to your running back. If the linebacker plays outside, then it’s time for the quarterback to keep the ball himself, cutting up inside the linebacker as he tries to work his way into the open field. Other plays, the linebacker will be the first read, but a defensive back will be the second read, so depending on the call, you might keep the ball when you see the linebacker get blocked, but when the safety moves up to make a play, you pitch the ball to your running back at the last second and try to work the sidelines for a long run. ...

EA SPORTS has released eight new screenshots of NCAA Football 14. In the screens, some updated uniforms and team aspects are noticeable as well as the Infinity Engine.

Check out the screens below and then share your thoughts with the community.

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The EA SPORTS NCAA Football Facebook account has just posted what appears to be the first screenshot of NCAA Football 14.


With the added comment of "One cut. Infinite possibilities." it all but confirms the expected - the Infinity Engine (first introduced in Madden 13) will be in NCAA Football 14.

Let us know your thoughts on this screenshot. Is there anything else new in the image? ...

In what seems to be an annual tradition, GameStop.com appears to have leaked a new feature in NCAA Football 14 - Ultimate Team.


GameStop pre-orders will receive the "exclusive NCAA Football Ultimate Team SEC Conference Pack including key SEC players and bonus game extension."

While Ultimate Team is extremely popular in other EA SPORTS titles, it is unclear how such a feature could exist in NCAA Football where there is no player license.

If this is true, are you excited for Ultimate Team? What are you hoping to see in it different from Madden, FIFA, or NHL?

(Hat tip: Operation Sports) ...