NCAA Football 13

Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Price: $59.99
Genre: Sports

Common Sense Media says

College football sim adds Heisman winners to the mix.

Age

Quality

Learning

Positive messages2
This game sends the message that college and school spirit can be fun and shows that team-based sports encourage cooperation and healthy competition. Naturally, it's a physical sport, with tackling, but players wear protective gear as they do in real life.
Positive role models2
There is no main character in the game but you can play as or against your favorite NCAA team, and now with one of 10 Heisman Trophy winners to choose from.
Ease of play3
This game is a little more challenging than last year's game. It's still fairly easy to pick up -- especially for those familiar with these games. Football fans familiar with NCAA rules will also have an advantage.
Violence2
Tackle football is the name of the game, but players wear proper gear to minimize injury. Kids will see some big, violent hits.
Sex0
Not applicable.

Language0
Not applicable.
Consumerism5
ESPN branding is all over this game, even more so than in past NCAA Football offerings from EA Sports. Some people might think it's too much while others might argue it's part of the real experience. Other brands can be seen in the game, too, including billboards (e.g. EA Sports) and player clothing (the Nike swoosh is quite prevalent) and even audio branding (announcers saying things like "...brought to you by Dove Men Plus Care"...).
Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
Not applicable.
Privacy & safety1
Serious privacy and safety concerns: The game can be played online against others, and that includes support for talking freely with others via a headset microphone over Xbox Live or PlayStation Network. As a result, parents should know these discussions are not supervised or monitored and that kids could hear inappropriate language and be asked personal questions by strangers.

Expand to see more details

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that NCAA Football 13 is a college football sports simulation game. Since football is a contact sport, kids will see hard hits and tackles, some up close. The game supports open unmoderated online chatting, which could lead to unwanted conversations. Depending on the age of your child, you might want to disable that option.

What kids can learn

Kids can learn the rules and codes of conduct for college football. They can also learn about healthy competition, school pride, team strategy, and how to protect oneself while playing physical sports. By playing NCAA Football 13, kids learn the rules of the game, while also noodling about which football plays lead to wins.

Subjects and Skills

Subjects

Language & Reading
following directions, reading
Math

Science
motion
Social Studies

Arts
Hobbies
sports

Skills

Thinking & Reasoning
applying information, decision-making, prediction
Creativity
Self-Direction
goal-setting, motivation, time management

Emotional Development
Communication
Collaboration
teamwork

Responsibility & Ethics
Tech Skills
Health & Fitness

See more details

What's the story?

What's it about?

Are you ready for some football? EA Sports' NCAA FOOTBALL 13 once again delivers fast-paced college football action to your Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3. This year's version adds past Heisman Trophy winners to your roster -- such as Herschel Walker, Doug Flutie, Barry Sanders, Marcus Allen, and Robert Griffin III, to name 5 out of the 10 additions -- so you can hit the field as a veritable powerhouse. EA Sports has also talked up this game's new stadiums, pregame traditions, and trophy celebrations, along with significantly enhanced audio. More importantly, perhaps, new gameplay enhancements have been added to NCAA Football 13, including a refined passing system, smarter artificial intelligence (A.I.), and a new Dynasty mode with upgrades to recruiting, scouting, and more.

What's the story?

What's it about?

Is it any good?

While the presentation is about on par as last year's game, and despite a few graphical and audio glitches, NCAA Football 13 is, overall, a better game than last year -- mainly because of the new gameplay additions. This includes the new Heisman Challenge mode (Robert Griffin III and Barry Sanders grace the cover of the box); offensive and defensive tweaks (including new passing options, icons, and catch animations); the "reaction time" feature that slows down gameplay during key moments adds more drama and opportunities (such as having the time to find more holes at the line of scrimmage); and new school traditions, mascots, cheerleaders, chants, and more. While not a perfect football game, NCAA Football 13 should satiate fans of the sport and league, by bringing some of that college excitement to their television set all year round.

Explore, discuss, enjoy

Families can talk about whether the product placement and branding found in this game is over the top. ESPN graphics, personalities, and audio tags are all over this game, as are sponsored plugs read by announcers. There is also a lot of branding on the player's apparel and a little around the stadium, too. Is EA Sports making money from this?
If you opt to play online, families can discuss online gaming tips to keep players safe.

More details

Topics:	sports and martial arts
Platforms:	Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?	Available online
Genre:	Sports
Developer:	EA Sports
Release date:	July 10, 2012
Price:	$59.99
ESRB rating:	E for (No Descriptors) (PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)

1 of 3
2 of 3
3 of 3

This review of NCAA Football 13 was written by Marc Saltzman

Most useful reviews by all members

CommonSence22

Teen, 17 years old

July 26, 2012

OK for kids & up

Learning3

Nice game, but i got it for free tho :p

Its a great game, but i dont think you should have to pay for it. I got it for free through this www(DOT)prizerebel(DOT)com/index.php?r=4284320 Replace the dot with a dot obviously :3 Use this link and get bonus points after getting 10+points, i tryed it and it worked for me

What other families should know

Flag as inappropriate

was this review useful?

| |

Bigbillyboy

Teen, 17 years old

August 18, 2012

OK for kids & up

Great game for learning some football!

This game is AWESOME! I've learned a lot of football from playing it! It is a lot of fun! When my friends come to my place,we always play this amazing game!

Flag as inappropriate

was this review useful?

| |

Wwerobert1995

Teen, 17 years old

August 18, 2012

OK for kids & up

Learning3

Great game

It will teach kids about football and football is awesome

What other families should know

Flag as inappropriate

was this review useful?

| |

See all user reviews

Madden NFL 10

(Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2)

Excellent football game for players of all ages, skills.

AGE

NCAA Football 10

(Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PSP, PlayStation 2)

Solid college football experience with open chat option.

AGE

Backyard Football '10

(Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2)

Even the youngest armchair quarterback can tackle this game.

AGE

The Common Sense and Common Sense Media names, associated trademarks and logos, including the Decider Slider and Age Ratings Bugs,
are trademarks of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization (FEIN 41-2024986).

New Reviews	In Theaters
Movies on DVD	Games
Apps	Websites
TV	Books
Music

Best movie lists	Best game lists
Best app lists	Best website lists
Best TV lists	Best book lists
Best music lists	Best for learning lists
Essential books	Essential apps
Special needs guide	Learning awards

Apps for learning	Games for learning
Websites for learning	All reviews for learning

Advice	Educators
Movies in theaters	Movies on DVD

Reviews

Top Picks

Best for Learning

Videos

Blog

Members

Download our new Kids Media app today!

NCAA Football 13

Common Sense Media says

What parents need to know

What kids can learn

Subjects

Skills

What's it about?

What's it about?

Is it any good?

Explore, discuss, enjoy

Most useful reviews by all members

Nice game, but i got it for free tho :p

Great game for learning some football!

Great game

Madden NFL 10

NCAA Football 10

Backyard Football '10