On the Fence About NCAA Football 09

Feature Article

Submitted on: 07/14/2008 by Carlos M. Hernandez

While getting ready to play NCAA Football 09, I had an epiphany. An epiphany not simply about NCAA Football, but the sports video game genre as a whole.

Sadly, I have discovered I’m unsatisfied with the overall quality of sports games. Even fan favorites like MLB: The Show and College Hoops 2K8 have left me desiring a richer product.

There just seems to be something missing in all titles and I have yet to find the common issue, if one even exists. There is no clear feature or gameplay mechanic that will have me believe that NCAA will be any different.

Now, I will admit that while I don’t hate or dislike NCAA Football, I am not one of the great majority of sports gamers who gets excited when the football gaming season approaches.

I have played every incarnation of NCAA Football since its Super Nintendo days, and before that Bill Walsh College Football. I've watched EA go from a five year Dynasty Mode to an intense recruiting system with campus visits and player preferences. While I had fun through it all, I never got amped for a new upcoming release.

Maybe its because I was raised in a professional football city. New Yorkers hardly get the chance to read about the St. John's Red Storm or the Syracuse Orangemen and when we do there’s usually just a small, nearly insignificant block on the back page.

I also do not have an alma mater I care to lead into the BCS Championship. Stonehill College is a D-II school and has trouble enough gaining first downs, let alone championships.

But I do fancy myself a sports fan - a follower of the theater of sports. Whether it be baseball, tennis, gymnastics or college football. I know the schools involved, most of the conferences and even the star players.

So why else could I be purposely avoiding the herd of sheep aimlessly awaiting the arrival and unofficial start of the college football season?

For starters, I just do not like the general pacing and presentation of football video games. NCAA does one of the finer jobs of capturing the overall feel and emotion of college sports. But for a stubborn, tough to please gamer like myself, it just does not do enough.

What makes anyone believe that I will find ecstasy in a sport's franchise that does not rank near the top of the list for me?

Now, I am certain, without a doubt, that NCAA 09 will be one of the best titles in its franchise. The franchise is hitting its next-gen stride and the introduction to wide-open gameplay will help bring it even closer to capturing the game.

That being said, I know myself. Right now I am struggling to enjoy two of my favorite sports franchises. What makes anyone believe that I will find ecstasy in a sport's franchise that does not rank near the top of the list for me?

So what does this mean to you, the sports gaming enthusiast who’s not overly excited to grab NCAA Football?

Chances are you are just like me. You hear how great NCAA is going to be and the idea of it excites you, but then you remember you’re not a huge college football fan. Then you begin remembering what you did not like about previous versions. Whatever it may be, the mere thought of it makes you want to keep that $60 in your pocket. "I will wait till the price drops," you say. Then the onslaught of basketball and hockey games starts hitting store shelves and you have a new decision to make.

Let us make the decision right now. If you have ever been a fan of the series and you enjoy football then get off the fence and enjoy a great title.

Otherwise, stay back a bit, wait to see how your friends - the ones that enjoy the same types of games as you – feel. And if that fails, just wait for a price drop.

NCAA Football 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 41 Playmaker24 @ 07/14/08 06:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tywon


	That's the best advice I've read on these boards in weeks.

Agreed.

# 42 GatorFan1963 @ 07/14/08 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GaryT531


	Everyone loves Tecmo Super Bowl because we were all kids when we played it. As kids, all we cared about was having fun with the game. We knew we would, and so we did. We weren't looking for bugs or glitches or whatever, but there were a ton of them, and we didn't care. If somehow we can get back into that mindset when playing a game, then we will enjoy these games more, like the way we did as kids.

I understand what you are saying, but I don't agree 100%. Yes, Super Tecmo was fun because we were kids, but it was fun because it was pound-for-pound a great football game. PERIOD. I don't know about you, but from where I come from people love their Madden and NCAA. But, pop in Tecmo, and you will have all out wars. I remember when I was in late high school (about 11 years ago) and somebody actually brought their old NES to school with Super Tecmo...we literally had like a 2 month tournament. Complete with conferences and all...ending in an 8 man tourney. I have never seen the likes of that (in terms of passion and trash talk) in any Madden or NCAA game.

And to be perfectly honest, if Microsoft got that game for Live and was able to update the rosters somehow and allow online play...I'd play it like there was no tomorrow.

# 43 theaub @ 07/14/08 08:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GatorFan1963


	I understand what you are saying, but I don't agree 100%. Yes, Super Tecmo was fun because we were kids, but it was fun because it was pound-for-pound a great football game. PERIOD. I don't know about you, but from where I come from people love their Madden and NCAA. But, pop in Tecmo, and you will have all out wars. I remember when I was in late high school (about 11 years ago) and somebody actually brought their old NES to school with Super Tecmo...we literally had like a 2 month tournament. Complete with conferences and all...ending in an 8 man tourney. I have never seen the likes of that (in terms of passion and trash talk) in any Madden or NCAA game. And to be perfectly honest, if Microsoft got that game for Live and was able to update the rosters somehow and allow online play...I'd play it like there was no tomorrow.

This is so true. A couple months ago I was at my friend's house and we were incredibly bored. Somehow the SNES got busted out and we started playing Super Bases Loaded. Now, SBL is truly an awful game. Every flyball is basically a homer, the positioning of the players is incorrect, and there are some truly bad ball physics, but IMO it was more fun than playing MLB '08. Now 5-6 of us get together every so often and play a double elim tournament, and its amazing.

And I think that's the key issue. When you play NCAA '09 or MLB '08, you expect a perfect experience. I remember when MLB came out, if someone played three games where the scores were 9-8, 11-7 and 7-5, they'd be all "This game is too offensive!" and then someone would play the same series with 3-0, 2-1 and 4-0 scores and complain about the lack of offense. A lot of people expect every game to be 5-4, just like a lot of people playing Madden expect every game to be 21-17 with each team throwing for 225 yards and rushing for 125. Super Tecmo Bowl wasn't a good game per se. Bo Jackson ran for frickin 800 yards a game. The last time something even remotely close to that was seen in a video game (Mike Vick in Madden 2004), people were pissed.

At the moment, I have no idea if I will buy this game. The roster glitch seems like a killer (which is funny, because games like SBL or even the first Griffey game didn't even have real rosters), and five years ago when I bought my first NCAA game, I didn't care about that. Hell, until I came here I didn't even know what a slider was. I played about 200 games of NCAA '04 on the default setting and had a ton of fun. Now I play 5 innings of a baseball game and I'm adjusting strike percentage or pitcher aggresiveness if whoever on the mound is throwing 70% strikes. So yeah...I guess we all screwed ourselves over

# 44 zeroice @ 07/14/08 10:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMChrisS


	Are you on the fence about buying NCAA Football 09? If so, you are not alone. Our very own Carlos Hernandez is as well and you can check out his thoughts in his article, On the Fence About NCAA Football 09.

I always get it free anyway, i never pay for MADDEN OR ncaa, I ALWAYS HAVE SOME STUFF TO TRADE IN ON SELL VIDEO GAMES .COM................i SOLD MY Halo 3, Mass Effect and Guitar Hero with Guitar...Should be here tomorrow, might be in tonight but oh well, they shipped it two days ago.

# 45 ramenite @ 07/15/08 12:52 AM

Ok, I'll open this up with noting the major TSB glitch. The nose tackle dive. A move that if done in a TSB tournament would get you banned.

But it was said earlier and it's the truth--sports games in general are just too bug ridden. You HAVE to read sites like this to actually get some real impressions about a game before you put down some money. Or else you get a game with some major bug that just makes the whole game almost worthless. Look at the top threads in ANY of the game boards. What are they? Bugs and glitches. Things not working as advertised. I fully expect NCAA 09 to have something goofy like all Big 10 schools only recruit QBs and DEs. They also never got things like Big 12 schools mixing up what teams they play in the North/South. And it's not like scheduling is something that's even hard to code. I actually DID a schedule generator for a project back in college for baseball. And it worked better than you would see in any baseball game today--my seasons didn't start with 14 away games.

Oh, how about THIS bug you STILL see in Madden. Who's ever seen a player catch a ball out of bounds, you go to challenge, and the only option that comes up is "challenge spot of the ball". Or what about the bug in all the current NHL games, where they can't even get how many points you get for a Win/Loss/OTL correct? I'd put money down that's not fixed for NHL 09 either. I'd put the same money down the horrible "reply" in Madden wasn't fixed either. Seems like that game intentionally screws up calls just so you have to use it--just hope it gives you the option to challenge what they blew.

So basically all sports games go on the "pass" list, until like a month after release to see if there aren't any major issues with the game. I'll let other people beta test it for me, and see if they ever come out with a patch. I have better things to spend $60 on than some some sports game with 5 new bullet point features, and the same 10 major bugs from last year not fixed.

# 46 rom3 @ 07/15/08 12:31 PM

I believe that the best NCAA Football game was NCAA 07 for the XBOX and PS2. While this game did have a few bugs, all the features such as the presentation (player intros, celebration scenes), create a team, Division IAA schools were included. I have a PS3 with full backwards compatibility and I have spent countless hours playing this game. I also own the game for the original XBOX and I have many Dynasties that I have been playing with different teams. These features have been left out of NCAA 09 which is why I will not be buying this years game. Maybe NCAA 2010 if EA can finally get all the features included that were on the last generation systems.

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