NCAA Football 12 is the first time in a very, very long time I remember actually getting into EA's yearly college football series. I play the game every year, but I rarely get into the experience as much as I did this year. That's not to say there aren't problems - because there is still a lot that doesn't work with NCAA 12 -- but the core experience is a lot of fun. I actually found myself leaning forward in my chair, cheering on players and actively participating in my team's progression.

Presentation is a big part of the equation. The presentation is all ESPN College GameDay - right down to the music, intros, on-screen graphics and commentary from Kirk Herbstreit and Chris Fowler (no Lee Corso this year). It's great and immediately pulls you into the game. I also loved the addition of each school's traditional pre-game ceremonies. Auburn's War Eagle takes its pre-game flight about the screen, Chief Osceola rides across the field on his warhorse, and Mike the Tiger is takes his traditional parade around the field at LSU. Sure, Mike looks silly (a lot of the animal mascots do, actually), but just seeing that EA took the time to include traditions from smaller schools means a lot.

On the technical side, NCAA Football 12 is full of smaller improvements. There's a new lighting system that accurately tracks the passage of time. There are a few times where the sky makes weird transitions (mostly during replays), though I let that slide. It was fun to watch the sky go nuts and, well, the game looks great. Other touches include better turf and the crowd is now individually modeled, which has a nice effect on the TV presentation, since crowds look deeper.

NCAA Football 12 offers the usual mix of game modes, along with a few new additions. Nearly every mode has been tweaked in some way, either improving the flow of play, or just adding features to give players more control over the game. Of the tweaks, the most interesting is the option to completely blow up conferences and realign them however you want. I'm actually surprised the NCAA even allowed EA to include the option. The number of options available is mind-blowing, at least for college football fans. You can eject teams from divisions, force Independents like Notre Dame to join a conference or create the mythical 16-team super conference. You even have the power to dictate when teams play and their Bowl tie-ins.

At face value it is a passive addition, but it was one of the reasons I really got into NCAA 12. I actually sat down with a legal pad and list of schools to plan my dream conference. Even my dad, who hasn't touched a controller in years, loved the idea of realigning conferences.

Another cool addition is Coaching Carousel career mode. You begin as a coordinator at a smaller school and attempt to reach certain goals to keep your job. The mode is neat, though it is fraught with "New Game Mode" execution issues. Each year, you're given a list of goals to reach, though I never really got into wanting to reach those goals. I wasn't interested in switching schools, so I just saw the goals as another annoying menu. I think some players will get into the mode, though the only added value I saw was the option to only pick plays and not have to control players -- which is something a lot of my friends actually wanted.

Road to Glory, the single-player (meaning, you only play one position) career mode, has seen a few changes as well. Rather than just playing through the play-offs and state championship, you can now play through your entire senior year, allowing you to boost your stats and increase your chances at landing a spot at a big name school. It is also possible to list schools you are interested in playing for - increasing the chances your created player will at least land in your conference of choice - and create a player who can play on both sides of the ball. Although the position split is a risky option, it can enhance your chances at landing at a particular school.

Unfortunately, many of the "outside" issues, like balancing time between college life and football, have been streamlined. You spend more time on the field in practice though don't do much else. The upside to all that practice is earning the freedom to call audibles or alter plays. These smaller rewards really make Road to Glory engaging. There's nothing more frustrating than stepping to the line of scrimmage, seeing something and being powerless to do anything about it. Knowing your performance can help fix that issue is a great motivator.

I hate assigning "difficulty" to any sports title. There are so many ways to adjust aspects of the game it is hard to definitively gauge anything. I will say NCAA Football 12 offers a nice range of options for both beginners and hardcore players. In addition to choosing between the various difficulty levels, you can adjust other aspects or, if you want, ignore certain aspects of play entirely. I like that you can only play one side of the ball, or only coach. Similar to last year's Madden, EA really seems to be placing a focus on making the game as accessible as possible without alienating its core audience.

There are, however, a few measurable aspects. There are a few noticeable A.I. adjustments, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I don't remember as many bonehead moves in Dynasty games, though players are prone to stupid decisions during Road to Glory. I completely lost it a few times. There's little situational awareness in the play calling and other players seem to ignore what other players are doing. It doesn't happen all the time, but expect to lose out on posting some numbers.

The biggest change, at least mechanically, is a new tackling system based on collisions. In the past, tackles were handled by player proximity; if you were close enough, you could initiate a tackle. This led to a lot of silly tackles that looked more like glitches than actual game mechanics. Players would slide, or sometimes teleport into position so the animation could play. The new system negates those issues, creating something that is more reactive to what is happening on the field. Before a player can tackle, they must first make contact. After that, there's a bit of a numbers game going on in the background that determines success of a tackle, what it might look like and if the player has the possibility to break free.

That last part isn't important for the front-end; just know the tackling system is vastly improved over past games. There are still a few hiccups - some tackles still don't look quite right and there's still a slightly stiff transition period - though the system is on the right track. The system also brings a number of changes to other play mechanics. Since players have to make contact, it is easier to decide when to spin, juke or hit the afterburners when running with the ball. There's never a worry about suddenly being sucked up into a player. It's not quite to the point where player actions look completely real, you'll see a couple of odd pinball bounces, but it is getting closer and closer.

I have been really deep into User Interfaces for the last few months for other projects, so I can't help but notice when issues pop up in games. NCAA Football 12 is packed full of menus. I was able to find options, but finding the right options wasn't as easy an experience as I had hoped. The worst offender is the custom playbook option. You're slammed with screens and given few tools to smartly navigate through the list. It is an offbeat comparison, but I equate it to someone dropping a pile of Magic cards on your floor and telling you to build a specific deck. I may be in the minority here, but I ended up forgetting custom playbooks out of confused frustration.

Even with its blemishes, NCAA Football 12 is the best version of the franchise. Yes, it is still the same game on the core level and some of the changes are really minor, but even the smallest of changes end up having a major impact on the game as a whole. Even small tweaks, like the change in tackling, end up creating a better overall experience.

After years of feelings stuck in Madden's shadow, it finally feels like the franchise is making a push towards building its own legacy. Hopefully this continues into the next season.