The first iteration of NFL Head Coach failed to make an impact on console gaming. First, it was released at the end of a generation, a time of transition for gamers who had either moved on to new consoles or were saving up for them. Secondly, it wasn't a well-received game by critics or consumers.

A quick check of Head Coach's meta-score shows ratings in the 60 percent range. In general, the game stripped away the joy of playing console football and instead gave gamers a series of confusing menus and repetitive drills. Fast forward to 2008 and EA gets to use one of its "rewinds" to attempt to sell a pseudo-PC text sim on consoles once again.

It's also the best reason to buy the Madden 09 20th Anniversary Edition, assuming you want Madden 09 anyway.

Thus far, the buzz around Operation Sports seems to be mostly positive. It garnered a hard-earned "9" in our review, and word of a patch fixing nagging issues has fans optimistic. It's also the best reason to buy the Madden 09 20th Anniversary Edition, assuming you want Madden 09 anyway. These are all reasons to believe Head Coach 09 might do better than its predecessor.

So, if this version of Head Coach sells or is received well enough to spawn a third edition, does that spell lasting changes for the sports gaming landscape? After all, "sim" games are a rarity on consoles, especially sport sims with no direct control of the players on the field. If so, we can also begin to speculate and focus on areas that may change in future editions of Head Coach.

First, it may be interesting to pay attention to the Head Coach/ Madden relationship. I think it was a good move on EA's part to offer Head Coach as an extra in a premium Madden edition; hopefully, it brings the game to a new crowd of people who might ordinarily overlook this game. An even better move was to release this game separately and not alienate those not interested in Madden.

I wouldn't mind seeing more integration between the two games -- or at least make it so the created plays work completely right when imported

The games may be sold together, but there isn't much integration otherwise. While importing created plays is nice, I wouldn't mind seeing more integration between the two games -- or at least make it so the created plays work completely right when imported. The idea has been presented multiple times in the forums: Head Coach should somehow replace or function as Madden's Franchise Mode. In this way, Head Coach could be integrated into the Madden disc; games could be either played or coached. That said, if you are following the trend of "less is less" when it comes to next-gen football, you might predict that this integration will pass the cost on to the consumer. Instead of buying one game with the best elements of both, you might have to buy a franchise-less Madden and a coach-only version of Head Coach and learn to disc-swap if you want the full franchise experience.

Beyond football, maybe a successful Head Coach in terms of sales would pave the way for more console "text-sim" games in the future. While the name may not apply (less text, more graphics), perhaps the local market is ready for these traditional PC titles. In Europe, the Football Manager series is huge, but we've yet to see a North American console counterpart reach the same popularity. Meanwhile, other PC-centric games have made the jump to consoles, including the real-time strategy genre (Command and Conquer, Supreme Commander), massively multiplayer online games (Phantasy Star Online, the upcoming DC Universe Online), and "4x" turn-based strategy games (Civilization Revolution). If Head Coach succeeds, is it too much to someday expect that similar games, like Out of the Park Baseball, will make a console showing?

I think for a game like OOTP to be successful on a console, it needs to have Head Coach's level of accessibility. Sure, there is a lot to grasp in Head Coach, but the "clipboard" interface helps to highlight what important tasks need to be done immediately. The player ratings give enough information without resorting to spreadsheets full of numbers. I especially like the "NFL Counterpart" comparisons, although I hear that there may be some technical issues to iron out. All told, I didn't ever feel intimidated or overwhelmed by Head Coach, and the pop-up tips were a nice thing the first time through.

EA seems to be spearheading the end of traditional sports on the PC; perhaps this movement will spill over to sim games.

The pessimist in me views this accessibility as a danger when it comes to the PC side. Will we see console versions of text sims become ports and perhaps "watered-down" console sims? Or, just as important, will any success on the console market spell the end of PC titles? Head Coach is already a console-exclusive title, despite seeing a PC version the first time around. EA seems to be spearheading the end of traditional sports on the PC; perhaps this movement will spill over to sim games. I doubt that the smaller companies behind the critically successful games like OOTP or Baseball Mogul will ever move away from their core audience; however, if console sport sims become more popular, that core audience might shrink. And regardless of what critics or fans think, companies still need to stay profitable.

With all of this in mind, here's what I'd like to see from Head Coach in the future: I'd like Head Coach to become a fully integrated part of Madden, yet retain its integrity as a coaching game. In other words, Madden's Franchise should be Head Coach: the weeks between games and the offseason should remain relatively untouched (or improved). When it's game time, there should be the choice to play or coach; either way, the decisions during the week should impact how the players perform. Ideally, all of this should be done on one disc. EA should drop Superstar Mode if they have to to fit Head Coach in. And to further improve the fun factor, it should have an online component, with real leagues and multi-year franchises. Again, the choice to coach or play should be an option. If everything is correctly balanced, then ideally you could coach against someone who is playing, with no advantage to either side.

Regardless of what happens with this title in the future, I for one welcome the addition of a coaching sim to the next-generation lineup. Hopefully, Head Coach sells well enough to bring about more console text sims that we can write about and play next year.