Customer Reviews

NFL Head Coach 09

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the direction in which I always hoped Madden would go, giving the player more control and depth in running an NFL franchise. Scouting, salary cap and player/coach management, a solid draft experience, game planning - this game almost has it all. Unfortunately that also includes bugs. If any other game had as many bugs as this one, it would break it, but no matter how many times the game freezes up in the 4th quarter, I keep coming back.

No matter how much experience you have in football and sim games, there is insufficient official guidance on how to actually play the game, along with a very steep learning curve which may discourage the average gamer or football fan. It took me seven do-overs in my first franchise before I didn't completely mess up. Fortunately for those who like to read, there are hardcore fans of this game and external guides and advice are available. The best site for game information is, in my opinion, Operation Sports. The developers of the game actually read and respond to posts put up by gamers. Great community there - that could be a review in itself.

In general, the game paces itself nicely by having a constant clock/calendar running with only a limited amount of time to make decisions. My favorite part of the game is how much time and effort the developers put into the draft classes. To increase replayability and the connection you feel with the game, the developers have created four separate "draft tracks." You are put into one randomly when you start a new franchise. I believe a franchise lasts ten seasons. Each year's draft class has its own stars whose stories are told by in-game pop-ups from the menu screen by Adam Schefter as if it is coming from NFL Network. They've created stories for each draft's star players, going into where they are from, etc. Some are also based on real players (Johnny English = John Elway - same school, description, etc.). Long-time fans of the NFL definitely appreciate this.

When it's time for the actual draft, there is definitely a sense of urgency, even with 10 real minutes to make your pick. Do you go with the GM recommendation, or do you go over his head and pick someone else? Are you going to get the late round sleeper of this year's draft? Did you do enough scouting in the positions you need? Again, during the draft itself, Adam Schefter will be popping up frequently to let you know if a team's pick was good, a bust, or the "steal of the draft." Even stories behind the sleeper picks and the busts are here to add character to the players and dimension to the overall experience. Every time you make a pick and you hear the "Dadada, dadada" and Adam Schefter pops up, you're on the edge of your seat to find out if you made a good pick.

There are many bugs and issues with this game that can be a real pain, which keep it from a 5-star rating. Not everything was fixed with patches on either the 360 or PS3 version, but the game is at least playable. You need to constantly save in case of random freezing (most of which happens during an actual game). When actually coaching a game, it is hard to find successful plays, and even with an unbelievable RB and OL, I can rush for positive yards only once or twice a game. When simming games, stats are more realistic. Another issue is general menu navigation. Once you are in certain screens, critical information becomes unavailable and you can't cancel out of the screen to go find it. Also, with coach hiring/firing, you have very little idea of who will be available when you decide to fire or retain your coaching and support staff. And if you make the playoffs, all the other teams get first dibs. So if the owner wants you to fire the GM and you agree, you might end up with a complete piece of garbage as a replacement.

You can tell the developers put a lot of heart into this game, and I could gush on for much longer. While far from perfect, it's the best thing us fans of running franchises with real players may ever have on console. If you've ever bought a copy of Madden just to run a franchise and sim all the games (I don't think I played a single actual game of Madden 2005 for PS2), but you want more than what the next-gen console versions EA is giving you, then this game is for you. If I could pick only one game to play over the next several years, this would be it.

I have waited to write this review. Now that I have some dozen seasons with several teams under my belt, I believe I have seen most of what this game has to offer.

First of all, as other reviewers have said, it is a vast improvement over the first, flawed version of the game. Everything that was most aggravating about that game, including running practices and following appointments in your calendar, have been removed. In its place is a clipboard, which rotates to reveal several different menus. Through these you can check almost every aspect of your team at any time.

Speaking of time...though you no longer have an appointment book you do have to manage your time. It is always ticking. When you access some menus, time will stand still for you. At others, for example, when it is game time, it will not. If the game time message comes up on the clip board, you do not have much time. Any final preparations you wish to make, such as adjusting your depth chart or playbook, you should have done before now. If you try to do anything at all, you will miss the game and be rewarded with its results.

At times, there is a rush of events and they all seem to come at once. It is, at times, impossible to look at them all because as you do, the timers on the other items on your clipboard are expiring. This can be frustrating, if, as so often happens, the game is moving slowly. And it is not only outside of games that this happens. During games too you can be overwhelmed with tasks to see to. At times, you will find yourself without time to choose a play and will have to let your coordinator make the call. At times, you will suffer because of it.

That said, the game is a great deal of fun. If a football game is more to you than hand-eye coordination, then play Head Coach '09. You get to run your franchise pretty much how you want it. There are consequences to all your decisions, in game and out, but you can do pretty much what you choose until you lose the owner's approval. Though you are only the head coach, you have GM powers, including even choosing to fire the GM if you wish.

The game is not without flaws. There are some strange graphical things which take place from time to time, including phantom tackles, where a player will suddenly jerk to one side as if struck, and go down. The player who apparently tackled him might already be on the ground and in no position to have laid on the hit. Then there are the times your pass rusher will be on top of the quarterback, only to suddenly turn to the side to block an offensive lineman. I'm thinking this is meant to be an offensive lineman stepping in front of the pass rusher but it doesn't appear this way. It's frustrating, especially if the quarterback then throws a 70-yard touchdown pass. It happens.

Still there are many good things to be said about this game:

* Scouting for the draft is much improved. Before you could narrow the range of their Overall score with repeated scoutings of individual players; now you can see some of their strengths and weaknesses, whether they have strong arms, are tough or durable or well conditioned, etc. This gives you a better idea of what you're going to get.

* You can trade on draft day. Hooray! You can even trade future draft picks, and you can trade players.

* Free Agency is much improved. You bid against other teams now and the management of those teams is much more intelligent. In the old game you could pick up some very good players in free agency, then trade them to other teams for draft picks and make a killing. You can't do that here.

* Screen passes work! Yet, they actually work. Not always, and not always to great effect, but they do work.

* There are now actually punt returns. In the original game, this almost never happened. Now you can even get touch downs on a punt return.

* The salary cap works in a much more realistic manner than in the first game. You could have a superstar lineup and never be strapped for cash. Now you have to make decisions - and cuts - to stay solvent. And watch those penalties, they can get you fired!

* Game Changers. I love these. These are little things that pop up now and again, out of the blue. Some affect your team, some don't. For example, before one play off game I had my kicker, Alexis Serna, take off to Mexico with his "Hollywood girlfriend." It didn't really affect the game and it was not like I could bench him in punishment, but it made me think of Tony and Jessica and gave me a good laugh. Others might cause an injured player to miraculously recover or to improve their learning skills. Other times a player might criticize the team; I even had my coach lose fan support because of apparently criticizing the owner (I swear I didn't do it!).

* Players will decide not to renegotiate with your team and become free agents instead. Usually, these are the materialistic, self-focused players. I make a habit these days of not drafting such players. One year, my Dolphins drafted Josh Johnson (QB), Josh Morgan (WR) and Alexis Serna (K). All are very talented. All are materialistic and self-focused. All three became free agents and left my team. At the time, I had developed Johnson into a premier QB (OVR 91). Needless to say, I had to start from scratch and draft a new QB. Since you don't even get a chance to approach these players yourself but must wait for them to approach you, I recommend not drafting them to begin with. It's not worth it.

* Levels of control. You can be a real NFL coach and get your team ready, then let your coordinators call the players. I typically let my defensive coordinator call defense while I run the offense. But you can do it all or delegate.

* Rate of development. One complaint about the original game was that players developed too fast. That is no longer true. Players develop at different rates and much of this depends upon your coaching staff. Some players, like Matt Ryan, come into the league nearly fully developed (speaking of which - and it's too soon to tell in real life - Matt Ryan isn't that much of a steal. I typically avoid drafting him after my one experience with him as QB and wait for another draft to solve my QB issues. There are some great ones down the road! But back to my point: You won't see every player reach max potential during his first season, sometimes not even his second. Some will, some won't, and it's something you DO have some control over.

* Staff Development: You and your coaches all gain skills. You get to buy them after games when you've accumulated enough points to spend. Not all coaches are equal. I hired one defensive back coach who had a skill that improves the likelihood of interceptions. He did not have the prerequisites for that skill, however. It was a nice touch that this guy had that special ability. Some have more potential than others. Some are good at development and some are not. Sometimes, as a result, you will want to fire a coach the owner wants you to keep. Do it if you feel the need and try to get somebody better in if you can afford the approval hit. And remember, think twice before firing a coach when you've reached the playoffs. By then, all the real talented coaches have found jobs. You'll get the dregs to choose from and probably won't end up helping your team.

Along with the good there is the bad. There are some problems with the game, which I will list below:

* In the old Head Coach game your QB might suddenly turn around the throw the ball backwards, down towards his own end zone, as far as he could. In the new game, your QB might suddenly throw the ball as far up as he can. I had my QB do this twice in a row, on the exact same play. I didn't want to risk him doing it a third time, having been lucky enough not to have it intercepted the previous two times.

* Player ratings seem to sometimes mean nothing. For example, a player who should almost never fumble will fumble several times a game. There was a glitch in the release edition of the game which a patch supposedly later corrected, but I'm not convinced. A player who is 99's on every stat that matters, speed, acceleration, agility, etc, will still repeatedly run head on into the first defensive player he sees and fall down. No attempt to dodge or juke or spin or stiff arm. Down he goes. And he seems to make a beeline for the player. Ozzie Jones, supposedly a reincarnation of Barry Sanders, does this regularly for me. I watched Barry Sanders play. I don't remember him doing that. Other players, who are supposedly almost indestructible, are, contrary to their ratings, injured all the time. It happens too often to simply be a case of bad luck.

* Some kickers cannot kick a field goal even from the 10-yard-line. I've yet to see an NFL kicker who cannot at least kick this far. If he couldn't, he wouldn't be in the NFL.

* You cannot direct your punter to kick for the sidelines to pin the other team against the end zone. You just have to hope he decides to try to do it.

* Quarterbacks do not really scramble. They will either stand there and be sacked, or they will sprint for a first down, but they do not maneuver to find time to throw. In other words, you will not see a quarterback pull a Fran Tarkenton or a Tony Romo and run around in circles looking for a receiver.

* Though the drafting system has been improved, some information is still hidden from you. For example, the knowledge that a player (in this case, Demetrius Grimes - you'll remember him from the original game) has had two ACL surgeries, one on each leg. You can see that durability is a question mark for him but the actual nature of the reason why isn't told you until Adam Shefter fills you in - AFTER you've drafted him. I appreciate the histories and biographies they've created for the draft but some of these things teams would know before making the decision to draft the player in question.

* Draft-day trading. In the real draft, teams will exchange draft picks. Sometimes, these are little more than exchange of draft places - your #75 pick for my #77 pick. You won't see that happen here. If you want their #75 pick you'll have to not only give them your #77 but probably also another pick in the current draft and a pick in next year's draft. This makes draft-day trading very expensive. Moving up two slots shouldn't be that expensive.

* AI issues: Running backs have an annoying habit of having a huge hole in front of them, the entire defensive line knocked down or aside, and instead of running through that hole, they go half way, then turn sideways and run towards a sideline, smack into all those defenders. I've seen this happen on passes too, sometimes on screen plays or other outside passes. Instead of running up field, the receiver will think for some reason that he has a better chance of getting a first down by running sideways.

* Hurry Up Offense: You will get frantically called on by the AI coach to call a timeout. You do. But then the AI fails to go into the no-huddle offense and not only that, fails to snap the ball and lets seconds tick off the clock. This is something you have no control over and it seems entirely random. The best you can do is change your coaching philosophy to use the hurry up more aggressively, but that's no guarantee that your team will do so. In the NFL, no head coach who wants to hurry up is going to be forced to stand on the sidelines and watch as his team ignores his wishes and runs the clock down instead. And the final frustration is that unlike the original game, you can't force the snap of the ball.

* ONSIDE KICKS. I capitalize this because it is my single biggest grip about the game. If you line up expecting a regular kick and the other team lines up for an onside kick, your team doesn't respond. They're just out of position. HOWEVER, if you onside kick and they line up wrong, they suddenly all scurry into their proper places to receive the onside kick, with the result that your surprise onside kicks will never work. In fact, onside kicks are hardly worth attempting. I've yet to recover my own in more than a dozen seasons. The other team, unsurprisingly, is more likely to recover theirs. I don't know if this is an intentional cheat built into the game to help the AI or just poor design. But it's irritating.

In the final analysis, I believe where this game shines is in taking over a failed franchise (Dolphins, Lions, 49ers, Chiefs, etc) and working to raise them from the ashes. It's fun to create a new coach and bring in a new system and try to change the culture by weeding out older, less talented players and bringing a new crop in. It might take several years but it's very rewarding, a great deal more enjoyable than controlling a single player on the field. Here it's thinking and planning, not hand-eye coordination.

There is an immense amount of information presented, even the results of the combine. You can make of all this what you will. The point is, you can devote as much time to scouting for the draft as you want. You can skim quickly through all the data or you can dig right in and make exhaustive assessments. But unlike the original game, you don't have to do the plodding, slow, and boring stuff if you don't want to, and we don't all find the same things boring. And because there are thousands of new players to draft, no two seasons are exactly the same. It's endlessly playable, so even if careers are limited to 15 seasons, you won't mind starting up a new one, even with the same team. It won't be the same as your first time through, I promise.

I was one of those unfortunates who bought, and struggled, and struggled with the predecessor. This version is light-years ahead. My only concern is that the game is essentially inscrutible without buying the "Game Guide." The instructions enclosed with the game are horribly inadequate.

For those like me who do not like to frantically push controller buttons and appreciate the mind side of football, this is a great game.
Some ideas are simple yet extremely effective, such as the play learning principle, which captures both game preparation, encourages stability in your playbook and your roster, and neatly explains why some great athletes never get there. The offseason,including the draft, plays great.
There is still room for improvement, such as the defining moment feature which is just stupid and annoying, or the fact that your team captain cannot audible while the opposition do it routinely. One is also severely limited in creating plays, ang generally playbook management is awkward and unpractical.
And it is, as always with EA Games, a little bit too easy.
Nonetheless, the experience is immersive and immensely fun, and can drive you to distraction for months; it sure did with me!

If you are the type of person who just enjoys game day, playing as the player, and want to leave the behind the scenes work up to someone else, this game is not for you. However, if you are a manager and have the personality of wanting to control almost every aspect of a football team to lead it towards success on and off the field, this game is for you!

I have to be honest the first hour or so I played the game I didn't enjoy it very much. I had to learn how to play the game first. So basically, give the game some time before you form an opinion. It was kind of confusing at first with all of the menus and all. After figuring out the "clipboard" menu was the most important thing to focus on, the game got a lot easier and enjoyable. I also enjoyed how accurate the game is with some of the stats. For example, they had Chad Johnson on the Bengals as a 0 approval rating due to "tired of losing." I would TOTALLY agree with that finding. You can control almost everything from scouting, free agents, types of contracts, who to focus on during practice, who to draft, who to release or keep, salary cap considerations, play by play calling, who to activate for the game, give individual players days off of practice to help them become healthier, etc. It has it all! The more I play this game the more I like it.

Let me begin by saying that I typically enjoy games like this. Football (soccer) Manager, Eastside Hockey Manager, even the original Head Coach... I enjoy them all. But for a game that gives you "total control" of an NFL franchise, this game takes an awful lot out of your hands.

My main complaints are in free agent / rookie signing periods, as well as the trading process. I'll start with the free agent / rookie signings. Unlike other games, which let you build your own packages (i.e. you choose the amount of money offered and the length of the contract offered), Head Coach 09 presents you with pre-determined packages, which only vary slightly from one another, and typically give you ZERO say in the length of the contract. For instance, I tried to sign Marcus Trufant as a free agent. I had about 15 options I could offer him, but every single one was for 5 years, and paid him between 4.5 - 5 M per year, with signing bonuses that varied no more than 1.5 M from each other. In a game like this, I expect a lot more flexibility. Hypothetically, if I wanted to offer Trufant a 6th year and pay him an absurd amount of money for that 6th year, he would accept it, guaranteed. And I should be able to do that. But I can't.

Trading works much the same way. I can't select a team and build a package of players from that team to trade for. I can only target one player at a time from a team, and then that team will respond with several 'packages' which mix my draft picks with players that I currently have on the trading block. Similarly, if I want to get rid of a certain player in particular, all I can do is place him on the trading block and hope that his name shows up in one of the computer-generated 'packages'. I have a problem with this because one of the first things I like to do in a 'GM' game like this is get rid of all of my over-paid players to clear salary cap space for younger talent. And while I understand that no one else wants my over-paid players any more than I do, I should at least have the option of offering a few over-priced veterans for a low-round draft pick or two. But Head Coach 09 doesn't even give you the freedom to do that. Realistically, if I wanted to trade Bobby Engram for a 7th round pick to clear cap space, teams would be lining up to make that trade. But in this game, I can't even offer a deal like that because of how things are setup.

This game does have its good parts... I enjoy the scouting process and draft day. The free agent bidding is a good idea but, as mentioned before, could be executed a lot better. In the end, this game focuses a lot more on coaching than it does on the GM aspects of running a team. I suppose I should've seen that coming, as the title of the game is HEAD COACH, but for a game that promises total control over an NFL team, Head Coach 09 falls well short of expectations.

Im gonna try to keep this short.

1. This is a head coach game. Remember that as I read people upset and bored because they're better fit for Madden. If you played Madden's franchise mode, think of what you enjoy more. The game playing or team building (Off Season mode especially). If you like the later, this game is for you

2. The game is awesome to play. Played probably 100 hours or more. Amount of detail it includes makes it brilliant. Philosophies, personalities, play learning, scouting. All of it is great.

3. The game is frustrating to play. A lot of bugs and had EA sports just tested the game, most of them would of been caught. I HIGHLY recommend downloading the updated rosters from XBL, it'll include a patch and it fixed most of the bugs I was experiencing. There is a catch though to that. There are several reports from other players saying that once they download the patch, the game freezes at the same spot over and over and they cant progress any further. I didnt experience this, just saying what I seen on the EA forums.

I also recommend installing this game on your hard drive. The game is a bit choppy sometimes and when I installed it, load times were much faster and the game play was smoother.

Overall. Its a great game. Why EASports couldnt just test the thing so it could of been a hit? Beats me. It does explain why I landed this for 10 bucks on Black Friday and why the price has been slashed 3 times since its release.

Alright so I'm playing this game right now.. I just finished The second season.. And the simulation of computer controlled teams seems to be a little bit off to me.. For example.. The browns had offensive player of the week every single week but one.. Derek Anderson passed for 5900 yards and 67 Touchdowns.. Jamal anderson, who is a halfback, Rushed for only 253 yards and zero touchdowns, while catching for 1797 Yards and 23 Receiving Touchdowns.. Something doesn't seem quit right to me for some odd reason.. Also, The AI is awful when coaching games.. I notice if i do a GB Sneak, no matter what QB, He can run straight up the gut every time for about 8 yards per carry on average.. and it's almost impssible to run the ball consistently because the RB's are retarded and cut lef or right and run sideways alot, even when they have awide open field ahead of them for easy yards.. seems as though they're just trying to follow blockers from side to side instead of actually trying to gain yards.. which makes it very frustrating to play.. I've never been so mad at a game in my life.. also, the approval system is awful.. for example.. i had a 4th and 1 on the 4 yard line and it asked if i wanted to go for it or kick the field goal.. I chose to go for it, gained 3 yards and got the first down.. but my rating still managed to go down 9 points because i didn't get a TD on the play.. In my opinion just getting the first down should have been good enough to earn a positive boost to it, but it didn't work out that way.. just One of the many flaws in the approval system.. with that being said, the idea of the game is good, and it has potential.. although i still wouldn't recommend it, It's just a few bugs away from being Pretty fun..

I really enjoyed this game back when it came out. I like the detail and control you have over your team. Plus you can create your own schemes with the custom playbooks. Overall it's good game if you ever wanted to coach football.

purchased this game for my 13 year old nephew for christmas. He LOVES it. He's a football junkie and has all the madden games, so this one was a hit!