From the fun in the option game and the improvements in the physics engine, “NCAA Football 2014” is easily the most well-rounded college football title this console generation. After years of solid, but “souless” games, “NCAA Football 2014” has a definite identity.
Ironically, the way this is done by taking some of Madden’s gameplay elements such as the Infinity 2 physics engine and the run and hit stick options and incorporate them in the NCAA franchise. At the same time, it’s easy to see that the passing game is still far from perfect. If you have time in the pocket and can pass to players within their routes, the passing game is a gem. But if a play breaks down and a receiver has nowhere else to go, it’s hard to complete a pass. This becomes a bigger problem against a team with an excellent pass rush and otherwise doesn’t hinder the game when two evenly matched teams face-off. For the most part, it’s just an annoyance.
As far as the other options go, the core features that make the NCAA series intriguing, such as the Dynasty and Recruiting modes, have been expanded, with more options to playcalling and the development of your staff. This year, coaches have skill trees and abilities unlockable by players. It kind of turns the whole experience into a dungeon crawler. Is it needed? No, but it does add another layer of gameplay to a title already brimming with gameplay modes and content.
The addition of the Ultimate Team option in “NCAA Football 14” however is absolutely necessary and does wonders for the series. Instead of playing with nameless characters, gamers now have a plethora of former and current NFL players at their disposal. It’s an element that adds hours to the gameplay experience.
Overall, “NCAA Football 2014” isn’t perfect, but it’s got enough endearing qualities to occupy you for hours.
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
From the fun in the option game and the improvements in the physics engine, “NCAA Football 2014” is easily the most well-rounded college football title this console generation. After years of solid, but “souless” games, “NCAA Football 2014” has a definite identity.
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