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M Rod's Review Of NCAA14

"Keep it Simple Stupid!"  Mr. Bob Allen, my 8th grade gym teacher, once described the K.I.S.S. system to a group of us during class one day and it's funny what you remember some 30 years later.

I want to start off by saying that NCAA 14 is an outstanding sports gaming experience, but in order to reach the playing field, you need to go through some not so simple steps to get there. The initial gaming menu has the look, feel, and complexity of the new Windows 8 platform.  Boxes and blocks of useless clutter to work through just to find the good stuff.  This revamped interface is one that I'm hoping the Madden series will ultimately avoid.

As far the grid iron interaction goes, this game has taken the NCAA series to new heights.  Fast paced camera changes, detailed graphics (improved sideline and fan cutaways), and the overall gameplay is better than ever. Jersey numbers and names remain anonymous from the start, but the tech savvy user is just a couple of quick google and specific user name downloads away from having the real names to appear.  Just like that here's Johnny Football!

Another new and exciting feature to this year's game is the Ultimate Team section and unlocking past Heisman Trophy winners. I'm a huge fan of sports games bringing back classic players and teams, and more games should embrace their history.  EA is off to the right start in this process and will hopefully add more legends in the future.

Simply put this game gets a 3 out of 4 stars!

You can follow M Rod on Twitter @mrodsports

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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