Customer Reviews

NCAA Football 09

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I picked this game up to replace last year's version, and as a huge fan of college football I was pleased to see some neat additions (such as icing the kicker) that became a big part of the lexicon during last year's crazy season.

If you've played any of the games in the NCAA series, you know what to expect. Some new features for this year's version include "celebrating with the mascot" where you can run over to the mascot after running a touchdown and perform an animated celebration (mascot worshiping you/dancing around/etc.). The sideline players/cheerleaders/coaches actually exist this year, unlike in NCAA 08 when they mysteriously weren't on the sidelines during a game. You'll see cheerleaders dancing, players on the sidelines getting out of your way, etc. so the stadium atmosphere is much more alive than it was in last year's version.

Some new gameplay options are tweaks to the way running plays work. No longer can you just click 'go' and push forward, you can now find and exploit holes in the defense, you can get your offensive line to shift to one side to cover your option play, you can basically fine-tune your plays a bit more (as well as bluff your play art when playing side-by-side with a friend, something you couldn't do before).

On passing plays, you no longer have to worry about the AI intercepting the ball constantly. If they aren't facing it, they won't catch it. If you throw it directly into coverage though, do expect to be picked off.

Tackling has been upgraded, as has evasion. You can evade tackles if you know what you are doing, and you can also one-arm tackle, hit the player so hard they bust a flip and fall flat on their back, and basically do much more than just dive and pray like in NCAA 08.

Other neat features such as online dynasty mode, the ability to set up songs from playlists to play when certain things happen, downloading rosters, etc. give you much more in terms of having customization over your game.

Basically, each particular area in the game has been tweaked in just the right areas, and this is much more of a transition than 07 was to 08.

Bottom line: If they take what they have here and improve it for NCAA 10 then you can expect me to be a happy gamer for a while to come.

My only caveat with the PS3 version (I have both 360 and PS3) is that the controls are not quite as fluid. More often than not I was passing to the wrong guy, or lobbing the football like a girl. This is probably just due to the sixaxis way of handling the game, but maybe also because I was leaned back when playing and it probably didn't like that orientation. Otherwise - excellent choice for your system.

NCAA Football 2009 is by far the BEST yet. Sure, there are still some areas that can be improved upon or fixed. But, the game play, crowd interaction, icing kicker option, and many many other things make this an impressive and incredible game. I have been playing this nightly and can't seem to get enough. This WILL have you screaming from your couch just like watching real NCAA football.

COOL ITEMS:

- Icing the kicker: Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't but it's a cool and welcomed addition to the reality of football.

- Turnovers aren't quite that easy: In 2007-08, picks and fumbles were all over the field. Now, having to be more aligned with the ball and needing a bit more skill, it's not a turnover free for all.

NOT SO COOL ITEMS:

- Celebrate with the Mascot: It's cool for the first few times but gets a bit repetitive or boring. Would be great if you could use select buttons to execute a celebration (or unlock celebrations with 'user' points

- The graphics can be a bit "choppy". Someimes the ball magically moves out of the QBs hands or receptions go through a players head/arms. These glitches should have been fixed by now considering the technological & graphical improvements already made.

- Guessing the defense when you turn the ball over? What does this really get you other than an intermission? And added feature would be gaining coaching experience points when getting it right in order to unlock hidden playbooks or even plays of the other team (game film for future games).

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE (IF EA EVER LOOKS AT AMAZON): User tackles and such don't do much for you: Would recommend making 'user points' like you get with Madden. Maybe then you can earn points toward player improvements, coaching improvements, or even buy things for your campus (a new library, new uniforms). Just would make it even more fun to knock around people and have interaction! Include this and a celebration addition and it'll be even greater!

Overall - I give this 5 STARS and recommend it to anyone that LOVES football. It's as real as it gets!

I was hesitant about buying this game after being disappointed in the last several years versions, but I will say this year is an improvement.

I like the improvements made with the recruiting assistance, the player graphics and animations are better, I like the way the pre-snap routes will be squiqqly when playing on the road in a hostile environment, the re-addition of the cheerleaders is a good thing, and just playing the game is funner than last years.

I am disappointed in the way the crowd looks though, and there are a few glitches that bug me as well, such as when you throw passes near the sidelines your player will tip-toe and stretch to make the catch and fall down, even if they're not right next to the sideline, and have plenty of open field ahead of them. There are still some things that they can be improved upon to make it an even more enjoyable game playing experience, but I still like it.

First thing...this game is far and away a superior title to last years horrendous offering, and don't get me started about the 07 version. Gameplay is much improved with the game having a more natural feel and flow to it overall. You actually get a sense that you have some control over what you're doing, and what you may do next, when it comes to running with the ball. The previous versions were nothing more than an advanced guessing game with some less than intuitive button mashing going on to try and get to the next level. With 09, you can see the play developing and can react accordingly. The passing game benefits from this as well...I no longer feel immediate pressure to get the ball in the air the second I snap it. There is no issue with setting up to throw and finding a receiver for the most part. Of course you don't have all day either, and it's this solid balance that gives it that more authentic feel while running your offense.

Defensively...there is still alot of guess work involved...especially with rushing the passer. I wish it was more intuitive in regard to collision detection with the offensive lineman while using a defensive line player. I'm hoping this is something that gets easier to gauge as I continue to play. Linebacker play isn't all that bad, but you have to be careful not to lean on that left stick too much before the snap, or you will quickly put yourself either offside or out of position. Secondary play might as well not be allowed. I don't know anyone that ever bothers to start with a defensive back when playing these games.

Overall...very fun game. Would like to see some of the old PS2 bells and whistles added back in...like editing my coach, or playbook editing...but this is still a very fun game.

It looks amazing as well! I am so glad that the players no longer look like someone placed some plastic army men under a heat lamp anymore. The sizing and scaling of the player models is more true to life than it had been on next-gen consoles. They all still look like their skating up field still, but this is a very small issue considering that they have definitely improved on the player animations when tackling and making plays. (I flipped the first time one of my players broke into the open and then "looked back" at everyone after a few more steps)

The mini-games seem like they would be a great way to have fun online. Not sure how interesting the online dynasty will be...but we'll see...and one last thing...the recruiting has been revamped to make it as easy or involved as you would like it to be. (HUGE improvement!!)

Bottom line...BIG fun...grab your wallet...pick this one up!

I purchased this game for two boys who have really enjoyed this game. The only drawback is that it is so much fun...they don't want to stop playing it. As part of the game, they had to choose a major and then take exams. Which I thought they would hate, but they actually love it. The game requires that they maintain a certain GPA. And they compete in the football part as well as the GPA part. It's funny to listen to them answering the questions and trying to remember what they had learned previously in a class. Not sure how much fun this would be for someone who just wants to sit there and play video football non-stop all day and not have to think about anything the entire time. While the tests are easy enough, if you don't know the answers and you don't maintain your GPA you will have to start your football game over again. It's No Pass, No Play in a video game.

I have two caveats to this review--first, this is the first time I've played the next gen version of NCAA so I cannot compare it to last year's PS3 version. Second, although I only gave this game 3 stars overall, I've been playing it as much as I ever have in the past. With that out of the way, to the review...

NCAA 2009 has great graphics, the players and stadiums look great, and I like the playbooks compared to last year. I think they've missed some stuff (bubble screens, the jet sweep from under center like Oregon State and South Carolina run, etc.) with the playbooks, but their is a wealth of plays to choose from. However, most of these pros are lost by EA's insistence on "wide open gameplay". I think their effort to create this has actually hurt the game. Personally, I don't want NCAA to be a Madden clone. There has always been something fun to the more "arcade" feel to NCAA. However, the problem with this year's game is that the gameplay isn't as good as years past. Both the human and CPU defenses intercept way too many passes. Running the ball is nearly impossible for either side. Unless you mess with the sliders sacking the QB is nearly impossible. Unless you mess with the sliders penalties are almost non-existent. And the CPU will call way too many pass plays for teams that are usually run heavy or balanced. The game is fun, but the overall gameplay does detract from it somewhat. The thing that bugs me the most is really the lack of a running game. Granted, I am not the best gamer in the world, but I've been playing NCAA since the Bill Walsh days and I was always good at running the ball. On this years game you could have the best offensive line in history against the worst d-line and still struggle. It's just unrealistic. That has bothered me to no end.

In the end, the game is still fun, but I actually think it is a step down from previous versions even though many other reviewers are saying it is better than last year. I'm still a big fan of the franchise, but I hope EA makes some tweaks for next year.

NCAA 09 is still a lot of fun, but I agree with many other reviewers on this site that this years' version is no major improvement over the last few years.
Having played through a full college season schedule with my alma mater TCU (on the All-American level- and now playing another at the highest Heisman level), I'd offer the following criticisms, largely of gameplay features:
1- Agree the running animations look much worse than previous versions: players look like they are on ice-skates most of the time. Odd, because there are many other new and excellent animations for collisions, jukes, etc- but the basic running animation looks silly. Not a gameplay issue, to be sure, just annoying.
2- Biggest gameplay issue is the high percentage of pass completions, by either the human user or the AI. Consistently runs about 75%, and so far I haven't seen much effect of turning the slider bar for QB accuracy (or WR catching ability) down, either. Even on the Heisman level, this stays the same- and doesn't even change much depending on the team you are playing, either. There should be a lot more simple incomplete passes.
3- Defensive AI (even with the slider for this turned up to 90%) is still poor, for either the human player or the CPU- one of the reasons the pass completions % are so high, I guess. This plus #2 above lead to generally high scoring affairs in every game (same as in most previous years, only maybe worse). As an example, I averaged 64 points per game in 13 games in my TCU season, (and averaged giving up about 32 ppg, too). Lots of scoring is fun every now and then, but when it happens EVERY game, it gets annoying pretty fast.
4- The new menus for calling plays (several selections possible)are less user-friendly than before, and when you only have 24 ticks on the clock to work with between plays, navigating through too many screens to find the play you want is annoying. As a result, I usually run only a few plays every game, that I can find easily and quickly- I would guess I use about 10% of the available playbook for any game.
5- Thankfully, and unlike this years' Madden game, its not inevitable that the CPU will suddenly turn unbeatable and make every game close. I was able to blow out teams I should have blown out, and was in close games when they should have been close. However, should I really have been able to beat the one Division II team on my schedule 131-9?
6- Doesn't seem like the CPU has much in-game AI adaptation to your playcalling (much better in Madden). I kept running my star HB all year long, with just a few basic running plays, and even the best teams (ie: OU) never seemed to "catch on". As a result, my HB had a ridiculous season: averaged 194 rushing yards and 4 TD's per game, usually playing only 2-3 quarters, too.
7- On the plus side, the college stadium graphics and sounds (atmosphere) are great, and the player graphics and animations(except the running) are first rate. One thing still lacking, however, is the total inability of the CPU to anticipate and/or stop a QB sneak. One animation I've never seen in any football video game, that would be both realistic and nice to see, would be pile-ups of lineman in short yardage situations, with a controller button you have to hit to make your RB/QB either burrow down or try to leap over the pile. As it is, its too easy to get 3-5 yards just by sneaking your QB between the defensive tackles.About the only way the CPU seems to compensate for this is to have your QB tend to fumble a lot on sneak plays.
8- Penalties are rare, even with the sliders set way high for the same.
Hardly ever more than 2 penalties for either side per game. Didn't see a single defensive pass interference call in 13 games, for instance, though I have the slider for this set at 85%. I guess penalties and incomplete passes are felt to be boring by the game developers, but for those of us who enjoy a realistic game experience, they are important enough to tolerate.
9- Probably too much to ask for, but harkening all the way back to the old Front Page Sports pc football game series, I'd like to see a play editor, so you have the option of designing at least a few offensive plays and defensive sets for your playbook. That was always a fun feature of the FPS series: it also allowed you to "plan" a few new plays to deal with a particular opponent, too.
10- Overall, this is still a very enjoyable game, but like many others who have commented on this site, it seems like EA Sports is getting lazier every year, without improving the game in the many ways that it could be improved. This may be the last year I reflexly buy the next years' version, unless there is some clear sign that the game developers are listening to their customers.

I am taking a break from my busy online NCAA 09 dynasty schedule to write a review of this awesome game. This version of NCAA is leaps and bounds better then previous versions due to the addition of online dynasties. Yes, they have also upgraded the graphics, added the cheerleaders and put nice little touches in like tight rope runs down the sidelines and kickoff teams stretching and prepping.

But the big news here is the online dynasties *you can still do offline dynasties too and even convert an online dynasty into an offline one. You choose a team and build that team through recruiting and winning games. You make promises to incoming recruits and redshirt players and you make sure you are under the 70 player limit. This was only available offline before. Taking dynasties online has propelled this game to a new level. You are now playing someone, season after season and chasing not only the National Championship but Conference Championships and Rivalry wins.

I have the new Madden too and while Madden has online leagues they are nothing like online dynasties. In Madden you choose a team, and if you want, do a draft for your entire team. Then in Madden you play whatever other player you want to in your league. Not so in NCAA 09. You start with the current players your team has in real life and while you can drop and add non conference games you are locked into your team's conference schedule. Of the 2, I currently play NCAA 90% of the time.

Here is my breakdown of the game:

PROs

-Graphics
-Gameplay and commentators are realistic
-ONLINE DYNASTIES with up to 12 players!!!
-You can voice chat with everyone in your dynasty while you are logged into the main area.
-A few more penalties then last year making it a little more realistic
-Controls are the same as last year and same as Madden
-Many more audible options then before-Specific plays plus Play Types (run,quick pass, cover 2 etc) as well as O Line slide to counter D Line
shfits
-A tremedous amount of detail that does a great job of emulating real college football atmosphere
-All the Bowl games and Tons of Rivalry Game hardware to win and store in your "shrine"
-Ability to upload your favorite play movies to your profile at EA
Sports World

Cons
-Not all team mascots are in the game
-Team rankings for some teams are arguably wrong.
-Sometimes defensive players just stand there and don't go after the
ball carrier.
-There is a weird new "bobble" run that I am not sure if its a bug or not
but sometimes your ball carrier runs like he has a wedgie
-99 speed receivers can't outrun 91 speed CBs and safeties
-You can sim games that are blowouts so you don't sit there through a boring game. However when you sim you are much more likely to have injuries that can have serious effects on your team.
-AI games are pretty much wins. Being beat by the CPU is a rarety

There are some bugs that were supposed to be addressed in a second and final patch that was released on August 29. Unfortunately it did not address some of the more serious problems and even created a new one. A major bug in the online dynasty is that in the offseason your best couple of undergraduate players will want to go to the NFL draft or even transfer to another school if they are reserves and have a good rating because they want to start. You can talk them out of it. Well there is a bug that even though you talk them out of leaving, when you complete the offseason they leave anyway. Well this can be devastating to your team when your key players leave. Patch 2 was supposed to fix it and it didn't. Since Patch 2 there is a new bug. In shotgun plays TEs and CBs will line up in slot positions. Hopefully EA Sports will release another patch soon to fix these bugs.

UPDATE: For those now comtiplating NCAA 09, I suggest you wait for NCAA Football 10, due out 7/14/09. It fixes bugs in 09 like players leaving in online dynasties even though you talk them into not transferring or going Pro. It also fixes defensive player pursuit angles. The AI in the new game is adaptive so its not a push over. You can make your own school from the ground up in NCAA 10 at EA Sports website and then download it for play into your console. In online dynasties you can swap teams in and out of conferences for custom play schedules. They have done much to make the new game better. The demo is now available in the PlayStation Store.

A nice upgrade - Some nice new features added and graphics are very nice. Gameplay is better then '08 and looks more realistic.

However one disappointment is that there are still no officials in game (though now when penalties are called it does have an official calling those). For a realistic looking football game it would be nice to have officials on field during the game.

Overall if you enjoyed NCAA '08 I'd recommed NCAA '09 for the PS3.

This game is great!!! I have more fun playing this game than madden 09. It would have been better if they kept the QB avoidance thing. They should put that in Madden too because of the underrated speed ratings of all QBs. I mean Def. Tackles can outrun QBs in these games so the QB avoidance can give them that extra second to make that game winning pass. But this game has awesome graphics and brings the feel of college football to your house.