To rate this game as low as Gamespot and IGN have is just foolish.
Dumping a 6 on a game like this and claiming that is has yet to see any type of innovation is utterly foolish. Their opinions are not even fully fleshed out. Here is my take on their unworthy opinions. Yes. Unworthy.
One of the major complaints about this game is that the graphics engine is dated. But with new systems merely 4 months away, it begs the question, why put in so much time souping up an engine when we are so close to such new systems anyway? It is not as though its an ugly game. Far from it. The uniforms and helmets are crisp and detailed, especially teams with vast wardrobes like the Oregon Ducks., with their liquid metal and carbon style helmets from the past season. Ohio State's helmets, for example, look spectacular. the metallic detail stands out and reflects the sun beautifully.
Where I feel Tom McShea did fans of the series a serious disservice, and why I feel like he should never bother with a review for a sports game again, is his claim that this is the same game that has come out time and time again, when it's actually not...Hello Infinity engine! Welcome to College Football! The first college installment to feature the new physics engine also does a better job in rendering the real time physics of the plays than Madden 13. That is a huge change! Gone is the horrible, jarringly unrealistic play-form of previous entries. Quarterbacks shift weight, plant their feet, and will even hop-skip as they move to thwart a sacking lineman, throwing across their bodies in the hopes of linking up with a receiver. Running Backs lower their heads and plow through the defensive line, planting their feet and pushing forward, using their lower center of gravity in an effective and utterly believable fashion. And the old ball physics, even in Madden 13 are much improved. Remember how the spiral would stop as the ball closed into the receivers arms in replays? Gone. The ball moves crisply and realistically, and its motion does not stop until its been caught. Additionally, there are several major tweaks to the AI revolving around the pass play, run blocking, manned coverage, and even on the line several new animations have been added to make the action more realistic and believable.
Tom McShea did not even mention the Ultimate Team feature, replying to angry posts that it was not even worth mentioning. Well, so much for valuing his opinion. His job is to review games so we consumers can make a potentially worthwhile purchase, knowing full well what we are getting into. That means every aspect of it. Rather, he just shuns it in follow up posts where users called him out on his poor, biased, half-formed review. Do us a favor man, stay away from these games if that's the way you feel. Your foolish ranting that the game is the same is as outdated and old as the older entries into the series itself. It's American football. What in the hell do you want them to do? Change the rules?
All in all, this may be the best game in the series. Sure, sometimes the AI still does something stupid, but for the most part, it is a way more solid entry than they have produced before. I really cannot wait to see how the next entry unfolds on the next gen systems.