Madden 09 vs. NCAA 09: Battle Royal

Feature Article

Submitted on: 08/27/2008 by Wil McCombs

From July 15 to the present, I have had a rather difficult time prying myself away from my Xbox 360 in the few hours of free time I have during the work week. Between NCAA’s breakaway gameplay to Cris Collinsworth’s analysis of my dubious passing blunders, I have become a full fledged junkie for EA Sports' formidable tag-team of football sims.

As I alternate between my Illinois Dynasty and Bears Franchise, I have begun to ask myself, which game is better? True, it’s not a direct competition, as both games are based on different leagues and are made by the same company. Still, I thought it might be fun to throw both of these games in the octagon, and let them go one on one in a fight to the death. Here are the not-so-violent results.

Round 1: Gameplay

First things first, thankfully both games nipped the turnover malady in the bud. Turnovers are exciting and game-changing events are not common occurrences during every other possession. Thanks for figuring that out EA developers, we appreciate it.

Madden does feel different this year, but at times it is hard to pinpoint how it is different. It could be the new running system, made fluid and dynamic through branching animations. Then again, it could be the adaptive AI, which generally does a solid job of keeping games realistic, although does tend to overreact to a single game’s performance. Whatever the exact reason, Madden’s gameplay feels more refined, and a whole lot tighter than year's past. Offense and defense are well-balanced (as they generally are in the real NFL), giving the gameplay a satisfyingly authentic flavor.

The ability to explode in the slightest crease of open space has made NCAA 09’s in-game experience ripe with nail-biting unpredictability.

NCAA feels exceptionally different than last year, namely because of the new “Break-Away” animation system. As was widely expected, NCAA 09 is weighted toward the offensive side of the ball. The ability to explode in the slightest crease of open space has made NCAA 09’s in-game experience ripe with nail-biting unpredictability. There are some drawbacks here and there, such as the widely discussed inflated passing statistics. But there is nothing that overly detracts from the roller coaster thrill ride that is NCAA 09. Just like real college football, you never know what will happen next, which is why NCAA 09 takes the taco in the gameplay department, but only by a smidgen.

Round Winner 1: NCAA Football 09

Round 2: In-Game Presentation

EA Sports touted that “the atmosphere is back” in NCAA 09. If they were speaking by comparison to last year’s putrid simulation of the electric energy of college football, then they were correct. Speaking in the general sense, however, the flair of the stadiums in NCAA still falls short of my expectations.

It is a combination of things that prevents NCAA 09 from really excelling in the presentation department. For one, there is still no re-inclusion of the pre-game show and player entrances. Crowd noise and stadium sounds still seem a bit canned, and not quite on the mark. And please, PLEASE, let’s get some new and original commentary. I love the trio of Nessler, Corso and Herbie as much as the next guy, but it’s played out. We have been hearing the same clichéd, generic commentary for years now. It’s time for a change, and I’m still casting my ballot for a Musberger/Herbie duo.

Madden, on the other hand, exceeds expectations in the presentation department. Even though there is no pre-game show, and player entrances/introductions are removed, everything else about the presentation drips with the NFL’s larger-than-life aura. The stadiums are living, breathing entities that exude teams’ attitudes. The commentary (namely by Collinsworth) is spot-on as well. All in all, a smashing success.

Round 2 Winner: Madden 09

Madden scores a few points for it's much improved presentation this year.

Round 3: Problems/Glitches

It is shameful that we must include the presence of technical shortcomings as a category for evaluation, but it is the age we live in. Patches can correct the problems for those of us fortunate to have online access, but can do little to correct first impressions. Thus, glitches are a factor in the overall comparison.

It isn’t even really close here. The roster glitches of NCAA 09 caused a pandemic of panic throughout the NCAA community. Just when our hopes were skyrocketing with the prospect of online roster sharing, they hit the proverbial crapper when teams began to disappear while in roster edit mode. Thankfully, the storm has subsided, and all is well, but it was a scary few days.

Madden, on the other hand, has shown nothing of this magnitude. There are little bugs and annoyances here and there, but nothing that strikes fear into the hearts of its loyal followers in quite the same way.

Round 3 Winner: Madden 09

Dynasty/Franchise

Any kind of Dynasty/Franchise mode is the backbone of any sports game. In order to achieve at least 12 month longevity, an entertaining multiple-season game mode is crucial.

Neither NCAA 09 nor Madden 09 really blew me away in this department. NCAA took a bold leap forward in last year’s game with a new and improved (although some would say monotonous) recruiting system, but added very little to the system this year. To be brutally honest, we have been playing the same Dynasty and Franchise modes for years now. Are we suckers? Probably. That or addicts. The latter is more likely.

My opinion of the NCAA Dynasty vs. Madden Franchise has remained static yet again this season: NCAA is a cut above Madden. The presentation of the mode is more interactive and quite frankly, there is just a lot more to do. From perusing rankings, the Heisman race, and various campus and national headlines, NCAA 09 provides a heaping helping of peripheral college football goodness, while Madden’s Franchise mode leaves you scraping for crumbs. Until we see a revamped interface and some new features like a weekly highlight/recap show, Madden will continue to play second fiddle to the NCAA Dynasty.

Round 4 Winner: NCAA 09

Playing games like this online in dynasty mode with everything on the line? KO.

The Knockout Punch: Online Dynasty

To break this 2-2 tie, NCAA lands a devastating right hook with Online Dynasty mode. When matched with Madden’s measly Online Leagues, it is not even a fair fight.

Online Dynasty/Franchise modes definitely play into the future of sports gaming, and moving forward, will be a necessity for all sports games. Such modes not only bring NCAA Football into this century, but also provides old-timers like myself the ability to rekindle old rivalries thought long-dead, leaving only memories of epic battles waged in basements and college dorm rooms.

It is disappointing that Madden did not make the leap to Online Franchise this year. Next year, there will be no excuse.

And the Winner Is…

Down goes Frazier! Down Goes Frazier!

Call me biased, but NCAA is still where it’s at for football gaming, although the gap is quickly closing. We can still long for the days of non-exclusive licensing and NCAA/NFL 2K, but for my $120, this has been collectively one of the best years for football gaming in a great long while for me, and NCAA is still king.

NCAA Football 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 Da Birthday Boy @ 08/27/08 04:30 PM

NCAA's gameplay was a joke, if you like scoring every play then it's obviously for you. Madden is better in all categories, it shouldn't even be talked about..

# 2 asu666 @ 08/27/08 04:35 PM

The NCAA team needs to get all of the Bowl Division team's stadiums in the game next year. There's nothing that kills the atmosphere of a game more than playing in the generic stadium. I'd like to see the crowd size change with performance too and defense come back in as a meaningful part of the game. It would be nice to have a setting that eliminates turbo use too. Players should run at their maxium speed when the analog stick is pressed all the way in one direction.

Madden needs its Owner Mode back. I'd like to see interactive sidelines like All Pro 2K8 where you can run into the real players standing there or if you break one down the sideline some of them step forward and cheer you on. I was excoted about the stadium exterior shots until I relized that they were just pieced together with the stadium in the middle, a shot of downtown in the background, and the same cars always in the foreground. Anyone who has been to the Cardinals stadium knows that it is out in the middle of no where to keep the sink away from the population centers in Phoenix. If you've never been there and just played Madden you might get the impression it is right downtown.

People keep talking about the running game improvements for both games too and I still think that being able to put the runner right in behind a blocker and have an anmation where the runner puts his hand on the blocker's back and can smoothly break either way like in the 2K series is still better than where Madden and NCAA are right now.

Having said all of that, I think Madden is the better of the two games this year. I can see that the gameplay is starting to catch up to NFL 2K5 in a few areas and maybe even improve upon it in others. It's still sad that we are four games into this generation and I still play ESPN NFL 2K5 more than Madden or NCAA. I guess there's always next year. I believe that Peter Moore will make some postive contributions over at EA Sports. Maybe Madden 09 is the first step to something better.

# 3 Spanky @ 08/27/08 04:45 PM

Right now, my vote also goes to NCAA, thanks in large part to the second patch. That could change after Madden's second patch and some more time with that game, but right, I'm having more fun with NCAA.

NCAA just plays a tighter, more realistic game, with less issues like 20 for 22 CPU passing and no cpu run game. The atmosphere is much better in NCAA (there is zero atmosphere in Madden, you can't even hear the crowd). Graphically, NCAA gets the edge because there seems to be more close-up scenes. Madden's close-up scenes look good, too, but there isn't enough of them.

# 4 BlackRome @ 08/27/08 05:12 PM

bigjake62505 : Madden is flat and boring.

I couldn't have said it better.

I feel like I'm wasting my life watching the clock tick.

# 5 mercalnd @ 08/27/08 05:34 PM

Wow. I can't believe that the author said Madden had no major glitch, How about franchise mode freezing in year 2 or 3 every time for many users, making the mode prety much useless?

# 6 ab2c4 @ 08/27/08 06:01 PM

My vote goes to Madden this year for the first time ever. Both games have their share of problems, but Madden is the winner because it has less gameplay killing problems than NCAA. It's sad really. This is the first time ever that I have already sold NCAA and am going back to 06 on the ps2 and 08 on the 360.

# 7 sbmnky @ 08/27/08 06:18 PM

This is the first year in quite a while I have decided not to purchase either game. After reading this article along with other threads and comments throughout the boards, I'm confident in my decision.

I must admit I really want to play a good game of football, but after reading all the glitches, freezes, etc I don't want to feel as though I'm wasting my time.

Perhaps when the patches are complete for both games I'll look into purchasing one or both. But for now I'll continue to be on the outside looking in.

# 8 asu666 @ 08/27/08 06:41 PM

Next year is Madden's fifth and NCAA's forth on current generation hardware. I think people are rightly getting a little tweaked that EA still has not been able to flesh out the feature set in each game to meet the prior generation's feature set. Not having all of the stadiums in NCAA and no Owener mode in Madden are my two biggest compliants in the arena of features, but little things like play conduct in NCAA to bigger issues like a lack of ESPN integration (or some kind of more dynamic reply, commentary, and statistical breakdown graphical overlays with more frequency) during games and overall lack of atmosphere are nagging problems too.

Another huge issue is that games development have been too focused on the 5 minute quarter crowd. That's the only reason I can think of that defense is under appreciated and the CPU QBs run to the line and snap the ball while the play clock has only run for a few seconds. This makes playing a game of official 15 minute quarters with realistic stats almost impossible. Tiburon should concentrate more on the pace of the game in the real world and let the 5 minute quarter audience hit the A button to hurry to the line. The 40 second play clock in NCAA and the additional time at the line the CPU QB will have to make adjustments (letting the player make defensive adjustments) will be welcome changes.

# 9 TCF @ 08/27/08 06:47 PM

mmmmmm i will take ncaa over madden and nfl hc over both

# 10 rckabillyRaider @ 08/27/08 08:40 PM

after the 2nd patch, NCAA by far is better, IMO. Madden couldnt keep my interest for more than a few days. Its collecting dust now. Hopefully the 2nd patch and DLC for Madden make it better also.

# 11 ChicagoSparty @ 08/27/08 09:03 PM

NFL Head Coach 09.

# 12 deebo2246 @ 08/27/08 10:01 PM

I must add that NFL HC is the way to go this year, but Madden and NCAA are improving in the right direction????

# 13 XCalmLikeABombX @ 08/27/08 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keith121212


	Is this is a joke article? How does NCAA win against Madden in the gameplay department? How does NCAA FB '09 win in anything compared to Madden outside of atmosphere?

First question, have you played NCAA 09 with Patch #2. It without a doubt has better gameplay at this point than Madden 09.

Small list:
CPU has a running game.
The players do not catch passes out of bounds, and run out of bounds in wide open field.
No ROBO QB where the qb is hitting 95% completion ratio and are second string.
No freezing at all.
No WR online cheese glitch.
Not only has cpu sliders, (which Madden does not) they actually work.

Just a few reasons why NCAA is superior right now. It will be interesting when Madden finally gets patch 02. There is a lot to correct. I do hope the Madden patch does fix a lot of the glitches/problems. I recently returned my Madden09 and switched it for NCAA09 after hearing about how well the second patch did for NCAA.

# 14 rckabillyRaider @ 08/28/08 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XCalmLikeABombX


	First question, have you played NCAA 09 with Patch #2. It without a doubt has better gameplay at this point than Madden 09. Small list: CPU has a running game. The players do not catch passes out of bounds, and run out of bounds in wide open field. No ROBO QB where the qb is hitting 95% completion ratio and are second string. No freezing at all. No WR online cheese glitch. Not only has cpu sliders, (which Madden does not) they actually work. Just a few reasons why NCAA is superior right now. It will be interesting when Madden finally gets patch 02. There is a lot to correct. I do hope the Madden patch does fix a lot of the glitches/problems. I recently returned my Madden09 and switched it for NCAA09 after hearing about how well the second patch did for NCAA.

+100000

# 15 noplace @ 08/28/08 10:32 AM

NCAA....Madden is a snore fest! Although I think the gameplay on Madden does somethings a little better, its really not enough to put over the top or make a big difference. The only thing I like in Madden over NCAA are the pre-snap movements seem more fluid & the weather effects. Other than that Madden is a bore beyond belief! I cant play it with out yawning thru the entire game....

# 16 sportyguyfl31 @ 08/28/08 11:25 AM

Both games are flawed in entirely different ways.

On the field, NCAA is fundamentally broken.

There are a wide array of running plays that the cpu simply cannot execute without maximizing run block sliders and RB ability sliders.

CPU QB logic is horrid, and the defensive programming is hideous.

Spot on game day environment though, and online dynasty literally saves the game.

Madden on the field is better, online head to head play is "better"..but the atmosphere, and imersion factor is non existant, online leagues arent worth the time of day, and the franchise mode is a bore.

# 17 Tyrant8RDFL @ 08/28/08 02:48 PM

its a hard choice cause they both have thier pros and cons. I agree with alot of what is being said here. man if I had to make a choice. I would choose NCAA.

# 18 dkrause1971 @ 08/28/08 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by XCalmLikeABombX


	First question, have you played NCAA 09 with Patch #2. It without a doubt has better gameplay at this point than Madden 09. Small list: CPU has a running game. The players do not catch passes out of bounds, and run out of bounds in wide open field. No ROBO QB where the qb is hitting 95% completion ratio and are second string. No freezing at all. No WR online cheese glitch. Not only has cpu sliders, (which Madden does not) they actually work. Just a few reasons why NCAA is superior right now. It will be interesting when Madden finally gets patch 02. There is a lot to correct. I do hope the Madden patch does fix a lot of the glitches/problems. I recently returned my Madden09 and switched it for NCAA09 after hearing about how well the second patch did for NCAA.

Using the dummy sliders on Madden- I would thrown out the roto QB and say- you actually have more sliders than NCAA. Its a pain to do the dummy sliders and its silly we have too but the QB is much more human with them. Typically low 60s.

The Run games are pretty similiar with the dummy sliders. If anything NCAA is worse because you get so many of the stupid QB runs.

Freezing and online glitches i don't know about so i cannot say.

I see players in both games catch balls and still see some odds catches and then running out of bounds on both so i cannot really back one or the other.

To the general points- i also didn't see how NCAA won the gameplay catergory but maybe its all due to the dummy slider thing.

NCAA clearly wins the presenation and replay values in my mind however. I play Madden more but i can see why some prefer NCAA. When i find a dynasty to play in- i might go that route myself.

# 19 XCalmLikeABombX @ 08/28/08 06:54 PM

I am confused about some of the responses about NCAA and Madden09.

NCAA w/patch 2 is getting a great response in the community, and I have seen very positive feedback about the patch. I am sure when Madden 09 gets the second patch, we will see some positive feedback as well. I am just confused about how people can compare madden's gameplay to NCAA's at this very moment and not see that Madden09 has some huge glitches that take away from the gameplay.

Again, another small additional list.

Madden 09
The AI in pressure situations is absolutely broken. When I had the game I had CPU teams down by less than a touchdown, and they were on my side of the field with less than a minute left and they would punt on 4th down. I had teams score, and be in a postion to win if they did an onside kick, and they would just kick it deep.

Once again, the CPU running game is just inept. The passing game is unreal with the robo qb. (I know there is a dummy slider to change this, but I am talking about the game head to head. The dummy slider still didn't take away the ball being thrown out of bounds 6-7 times a game. I mean way out of bounds by CPU. You just don't feel any intensity from the crowds in Madden09 either.

Just out of curosity, what do others think about NCAA after Patch 2? I am really enjoying it, and just feel like I have much more control over the actual gameplay than in Madden 09. Also, what things do you still see in NCAA that was not fixed in Patch 2?

# 20 XCalmLikeABombX @ 08/28/08 06:55 PM

In response to above post concerning the running games being about the same, with NCAA qbs running poorly. Was that before the second patch, because I am not seeing that all in the games I am playing in NCAA09?

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