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Despite Flaws, NCAA 09 a Great Experience

Sometimes, you play a game and it just feels right. While there may be a few annoying bugs and a few quirks about a game, it still doesn't diminish your overall opinion of that game.

I felt this once already this year with MLB '08: The Show. I have seen more strange little bugs and have had a few fairly "out of this world" experiences with that game. But I also truly believe it is this year’s best sports game to date.

As a writer and reviewer of some titles, I cannot take the promise of a future patch into consideration when issuing a score on a game, just like the NFL could not hand the Patriots the Lombardi trophy just because they were favored to win. However, I can say that when the time comes for the end of the year awards, a patched NCAA Football 09 on my little PS3 could be in the running for the Game of the Year.

Most of the issues out of the box can be band-aided with a right set of slider settings, but it's hard to discount the game favors the offense heavily right out of the box.


As it stands right now, NCAA Football 09 is a game which is extremely fun to play and as such warrants a high review score. While there is just enough wrong with the gameplay out of the box to hold it back from receiving a 9 or higher, I would give it a score some where just below that mark if I were the one reviewing the game.

Most of the issues out of the box can be band-aided with a right set of slider settings, but it's hard to discount the game favors the offense heavily right out of the box.

I am already almost finished with year two of my dynasty, and I have only had the game for two days. Even though I am getting older (in my early 20s), I cannot remember playing that much NCAA just after its release.

Overall, the Playstation 3 version of the game runs similar to its counterpart on the 360 and looks very similar as well. I would bet both versions with an HDMI output into my 42" TV would look rather similar if they were running side by side. As with most sports games, the choice on which console you want to play on simply rests on which online service you prefer.

 


Playing in the ACC for the first time has been very rewarding thus far.


Speaking of online play, I have logged just two games in thus far and both were score-fests to the highest order. Both games were frustrating, yet fun experiences. Frustrating because my defense couldn't manage a stop minus a turnover, but also fun because the games were close and you just knew the next play could be "it." EA was touting this to be the main goal for this year's title and I would have to say they accomplished their mission.

In single player Dynasty mode, with some slider tweaks to the kicking power and accuracy as well as to some other variables, I have managed to get an NCAA which I am getting very realistic scores and very realistic results. So far, losing just means I made the wrong calls at the wrong time. I have never felt cheated and my losses have never felt cheap.

This doesn't sound huge but it is, and I feel it encompasses what NCAA Football 09 is all about, the little things


Dynasty mode itself has not been improved drastically like last year, but it has been given a facelift making it very accessible to all players. Instead of having to tediously do all of the recruiting yourself or blindly let the computer take a whack at recruiting, you can set a strategy and let the computer follow it. This doesn't sound huge but it is, and I feel it encompasses what NCAA Football 09 is all about, the little things.

The one big complaint I have about the gameplay is the AI does not stretch the field with deep passes. A patch will most likely change this down the road, but right now this issue is the single biggest thing keeping NCAA from being so much better.

Stretching the field is something that should be done rarely, but also enough to keep you honest as a defensive coach. If a team can't stretch the field, they should get shut down by good defenses. The action in the trenches is another thing that needs to be tweaked. Right now, AI controlled linemen seem to have a bit of an advantage over their human controlled counterparts.

NCAA Football is a fun and dynamic game which is just a small step away from being a historically great game.


Many would argue that if all of these issues are in the game, NCAA doesn't deserve a high score, but they could not be any more wrong. NCAA Football 09 is not a revolutionary title. EA did not reinvent the wheel with the game. Instead, EA went back to the basics, got the tackling engine down and also managed to throw in a lot of new little things to make the game as a whole a much better experience over last year's game.

Last week, I said that if you wanted to sacrifice some realism for some fun you should buy NCAA. I still agree with that after playing nearly 30 games. NCAA Football is a fun and dynamic game which is just a small step away from being a historically great game.

This article is also featured on Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report is where the sports bar meets the press box, the place for fan-journalists to create and critique high-quality sports analysis. Visit Bleacher Report for more video games news.


NCAA Football 09 Videos
Member Comments
# 101 Perfect Zero @ 07/20/08 11:18 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by RAZRr1275
Do you really think that I care whether you believe it or not? I haven't seen it and I stand by that. This is not happening to me. With EVERY game that I get the ratio of glitches reported and glitches that I see is like 1/10. I am honestly not seeing the robo qb and all of the other stuff that people are complaining about.
I think you do, otherwise you wouldn't have posted this.
 
# 102 hq3000 @ 07/20/08 11:19 PM
You sound like you're having a cow over something. Of course other people can't because its beneath you to honestly believe people enjoy this game as a solid football game

Listen I'm not a big fan of EA as well. I bought the game on a whim, thinking I could enjoy a football game that wasn't Madden despite it coming from the same company. I have never even bought an NCAA before, but I could tell you this much, its a pretty fun game.

I'm a nitpicker about realism as well. The whole point of me going on this site was to just find ways to make my sports games more realistic. I've found however that reading posts from people that over react about a 60 dollar game can seem a tad out of hand. To call any video game an atrocity is a bit over the line. To be devastated by a game is grounds for rethinking about certain things in your life. Calm down, you're an adult.

If you are that upset about the game Perfect Zero, return it. I know its terrible to have spent that money but at least try to make some of it back and just don't buy the game next year. Get something you will enjoy, it'll hopefully make you feel a little better.

I have to be honest but it does seem that EA is making some effort to hear the pleas of the upset. They get their people to post on this site. Perhaps there some consolation in that.

I'm not blind to the problems either. I see the bad kick off AI, the lazy defense, the weak d lines and blitzing, but there is more good in this game than the "atrocities" some people perceive them to be. It doesn't mean my football knowledge is lacking, but its a fun game to play overall.
 
# 103 RAZRr1275 @ 07/20/08 11:25 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Zero
I think you do, otherwise you wouldn't have posted this.
Well your way off there.
I have a question for you. Do you like this game?
 
# 104 GoVols1985 @ 07/20/08 11:25 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Zero
It's idiotic because when you pay for a game, you expect some sort of realism with it. I don't know, maybe because I work my end off every day for a living, my dollar means more. I can't go out there and play when I'm supporting myself.

In any case, if this is fixed next year, you wouldn't know the difference, I would swear it to you. If it was fixed this year, you would still be saying how you just loved the game. For me though, I look into the details. This game doesn't satisfy that need, and if it means saving my money and buying a game that's worth the price, so be it.

I'm not angry with anybody here, I'm trying to prove a point. If you can't take off the rose colored glasses, I'm not going to force you to. For those who look at games objectively, I'm just trying to prove my point. That point is, the defense is busted, and this game is not worth the price.
It's funny how two people can look at a single thing and see something completely differant, you know? If only EA made custom games for every differant customer we'd be golden right.

By the way, I've been wondering this since we first started debating, what is your avatar logo? I don't recognize it.
 
# 105 Perfect Zero @ 07/20/08 11:26 PM
I wish you people could read. Once again, I rented the game first because EA has a track record of putting out games that are broken and are just roster updates. I WAS going to buy the game, because the new features sounded really good, but nearly every single one of them is broken, plus the gameplay is worthless when it comes to passes over the middle.

My hope is that EA actually listens. If these things are patched, then I might buy the game in the future. If they are not though, I will continue to let my voice be heard over those that want to shove this under the rug. EA needs to fix these problems with a patch, with working sliders, with SOMETHING other than "only three people complain about it and it's not a big deal." It is a big deal.

I guess if you like games that are almost there but are far short hq3000, then go for it. For me though, since this is the only football game out there on the 360, I don't have any other option. I don't demand perfection, but I would like for them to test their games so that stuff like the defense actually works.
 
# 106 Perfect Zero @ 07/20/08 11:28 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by GoVols1985
It's funny how two people can look at a single thing and see something completely differant, you know? If only EA made custom games for every differant customer we'd be golden right.

By the way, I've been wondering this since we first started debating, what is your avatar logo? I don't recognize it.
It's supposed to be an Eagle. I didn't see any North Texas avatars in the system here.

And again, it's not like they should make a different game. I would buy this game if the defense wasn't so gosh darn bad at passes over the middle and in the pocket. If they would fix it, many sim players would be happy, and you would probably never know the difference.
 
# 107 Alliball @ 07/20/08 11:28 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Zero
I agree with people renting this game first. Also, I have no problem with anybody enjoying this game. If you feel like you spent your money well, by all means enjoy your game. I'm just saying this game is far away from being worth the price when it comes to playing like actual football.

Seriously, some of you are having a cow over nothing.
When you make no bones about calling people liars about the games they're seeing, I wonder why they may react that way. Hmmm, I wonder?

In the grade the game thread, over 2/3'rds of the respondents have rated the game above average or better. Can you explain that?

The game must be playing some semblance of what you call "actual football", or maybe their just fools and as some genius pointed out earlier, football just ain't their game.
 
# 108 RAZRr1275 @ 07/20/08 11:28 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Zero
I wish you people could read. Once again, I rented the game first because EA has a track record of putting out games that are broken and are just roster updates. I WAS going to buy the game, because the new features sounded really good, but nearly every single one of them is broken, plus the gameplay is worthless when it comes to passes over the middle.

My hope is that EA actually listens. If these things are patched, then I might buy the game in the future. If they are not though, I will continue to let my voice be heard over those that want to shove this under the rug. EA needs to fix these problems with a patch, with working sliders, with SOMETHING other than "only three people complain about it and it's not a big deal." It is a big deal.

I guess if you like games that are almost there but are far short hq3000, then go for it. For me though, since this is the only football game out there on the 360, I don't have any other option. I don't demand perfection, but I would like for them to test their games so that stuff like the defense actually works.
Well about EA and fixing it. They need to see the glitch to fix it. And if 3 people is all thats seeing it, chances are that they aren't seeing it either.
 
# 109 Perfect Zero @ 07/20/08 11:34 PM
Do you people know why they think only three people see it? It's because nearly every time there is a thread on here that criticizes the game in any way, it gets locked. It's EA's way of silencing the big group of players that have a problem with the game, and saying "everything's alright."

And I stand behind my lier comment, because when I had the game, I only sacked the quarterback once. I used everything from inside blitzes to the cornerbacks, and I had only one blitz on a screen pass. ONE. Is that normal? I mean, I watch a lot of college football, and I see more than one sack in ten games.

Oh, I did forget, we aren't aiming for actual football.
 
# 110 GoVols1985 @ 07/20/08 11:41 PM
[quote=Perfect Zero;2038522682]It's supposed to be an Eagle. I didn't see any North Texas avatars in the system here.

And again, it's not like they should make a different game. I would buy this game if the defense wasn't so gosh darn bad at passes over the middle and in the pocket. If they would fix it, many sim players would be happy, and you would probably never know the difference.[/quote]

Alright, I'll give it a shot, and we'll continue this debate once the gameplay patch comes out (assuming it fixes the issues you're talking about, of course).

North Texas huh? Is that where you went to school? They play in the Sun Belt with Middle Tennessee State, where my dad played his college ball.
 
# 111 hq3000 @ 07/20/08 11:42 PM
Thats great that you rented the game Perfect Dark , because at least that was only like 8 or 9 dollars that you used up. Perhaps next time that pedestal you're on won't be so high and you can actually enjoy a nice game of football. I am glad you are intelligent enough to just rent these games before blowing a huge gasket from spending sixty dollars. I would hate to hear what you sound like if that happened. I couldn't even imagine.

For someone who thinks something falls short, how short can it be? By you're standards it doesn't sound short at all. It sounds like you almost enjoyed it but you just could not let yourself do it. You could be having so much fun with me playing right now. Just have some fun ,darn it. Caution be damned!
 
# 112 hq3000 @ 07/20/08 11:44 PM
I mean Perfect Zero, sorry, its late. Don't get too upset about the game. Like every season, there is always next year.
 
# 113 GoVols1985 @ 07/20/08 11:46 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by hq3000
I mean Perfect Zero, sorry, its late. Don't get too upset about the game. Like every season, there is always next year.
Lol, I knew it was only a matter of time before someone called him Perfect Dark. I almost did it myself a couple of times when I wasn't paying attention.
 
# 114 Alliball @ 07/20/08 11:48 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Zero
Do you people know why they think only three people see it? It's because nearly every time there is a thread on here that criticizes the game in any way, it gets locked. It's EA's way of silencing the big group of players that have a problem with the game, and saying "everything's alright."

And I stand behind my lier comment, because when I had the game, I only sacked the quarterback once. I used everything from inside blitzes to the cornerbacks, and I had only one blitz on a screen pass. ONE. Is that normal? I mean, I watch a lot of college football, and I see more than one sack in ten games.

Oh, I did forget, we aren't aiming for actual football.

You've just hit dilussional status.

I had a game where I sacked the QB 4 times in the first half.

Guess I'm a liar.
 
# 115 bkrich83 @ 07/21/08 12:58 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Perfect Zero
And I stand behind my lier comment, because when I had the game, I only sacked the quarterback once. I used everything from inside blitzes to the cornerbacks, and I had only one blitz on a screen pass. ONE. Is that normal? I mean, I watch a lot of college football, and I see more than one sack in ten games.

Oh, I did forget, we aren't aiming for actual football.
At this point, I doubt you even played the game.

If you did and you got your results, I am not sure what you are doing wrong.

I do think consistent pressure is a problem, but getting sacks hasn't been a problem no matter what slider set or defualt slider set I use.

The more I read what you have written, the more I think you gleaned some peoples gripes and then attempted to re-hash them as your own. Your statements just don't mesh with what, even the detractors of the game have been saying.
 
# 116 bkrich83 @ 07/21/08 01:02 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Alliball
You've just hit dilussional status.

I had a game where I sacked the QB 4 times in the first half.

Guess I'm a liar.
Even AA who's spouted on non-stop about lack of pressure on the QB in this game, has said, getting sacks isn't the problem. it's getting consistent pressure on the QB. That I actually do agree with him on.

It's becoming more and mroe apparent Perfect Zero either hasn't played the game, or he's pushing an agenda.
 
# 117 AUChase @ 07/21/08 05:43 AM
I know anyone who has spent their hard earned money on this game has every right to complain, but geez.

I've purchased NCAA Football since 2002 every year on release day and been playing it online since it was made availible around 2003-2004 and I think that EA has done the best job in a long time with this game.The minor quirks can be settled with a patch, which is the advantage of the next gen consoles, right ?Also, I'm tired of this game being compared to Madden. They are two totally different games, and people play which ever one suits what they are wanting in a game, generally..

If its so big of a deal that you have to come out and threaten to play Madden and sell NCAA .. then so be it.. stop trying to ruin this game for the rest of us.This wasn't directed at anyone in particular.. I'm just sayin..
 
# 118 steelersfan7 @ 07/21/08 08:12 AM
Adjust the sliders???? The CPU defensive sliders don't work and if you adjust the HUMAN sliders for defense they affect the CPU also.
 
# 119 yamabushi @ 07/21/08 12:41 PM
Am I the only one that finds this article disturbing? Barely a week after the games released and we get, as Spankdat says, a “remain calm - all is well article”. What other games have gotten this treatment? None that I can remember.
I've come to expect un-biased, critical reviews, and coverage from OS. After all this? Not so much....
 
# 120 hail2thevictors @ 07/22/08 12:43 PM
Good game BUT the issues are very annoying and can kill the fun sometimes during the game. Plus online play laggs too much which is a whole nother issue in itself. Fefenitely a good game though so I'm looking forward to the patches. And I'll just have to deal with everything else until NCAA Football '10
 


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