NCAA Football 09 Review

Heading into the official release of NCAA Football 09, I was very skeptical. With so much talk of bugs and glitches, I really was not sure what to expect, especially after enjoying last year’s version of the game so much. Was I correct to not buy into the hype or do I now have a reason to be excited to play this game?

Before I get into the specifics of NCAA 09, I will say that I am having fun playing the game. That’s the most important thing. Right? It is a solid game and is something you can pick up and play for hours at a time. And even though Michigan’s QB situation is bleak in real life, you can definitely make the spread work with Steven Threet.

Although the game is fun to play, there is no denying that EA dropped the ball in the testing department. How so many bugs and glitches made it into the game boggles my mind. When entire features don’t work simply because a team was added to the game (Western Kentucky is behind the roster issues), it might be time to hire better testers.

Similarly, people are now discovering that the sliders in the game may not be accurate. You have the ability to mess around with the sliders as a way to change the gameplay. You can adjust QB accuracy, run blocking, and field goal accuracy among many other things. That has always been a great thing to have in sports games as it gives people the chance to make the level of difficulty as hard or as easy as they want. Problem is, in NCAA 09 people are finding out that most of the sliders listed don’t affect their intended setting. Instead, they change a different slider, resulting in mass confusion and frustration. Again, I don’t know how bugs this big make it into the game, but they have.

Aside from the major bugs and glitches, the game is very good. Last year I rated NCAA 08 as a 9, and I’d say NCAA 09 deserves an 8. It would be a 9 or better if all of the bugs and glitches didn’t exist, but for EA to be that sloppy, they don’t really deserve anything higher than an 8. Below you’ll find out why I gave the game that rating as I’ll take a look at some of the different things in NCAA 09.

**GAMEPLAY**

NCAA 09 features “wide open gameplay.” That means that the more speed you have the better off you are as fluid movements are the newest addition to the game. With better looking player models being added as well, the offense is much better than in the past when it comes to gameplay. I’d say it not only is more realistic, but it just feels smoother when you play.

On the defensive side of the ball, I think the complaints about there being little to no pass rush were over-exaggerated. The computer does do a better job of blocking than in the past, but with Michigan I was able to get pressure on the quarterback in all of the games I’ve played so far. The problems with the computer quarterback being too accurate is understandable to an extent, but if you play the right defense it shouldn’t be that big of an issue, especially since passing is so easy against a computer defense.

**DYNASTY MODE**

Not a whole lot has changed with dynasty mode in this year’s version of the game, but you do have the ability to have an online dynasty. That is something people have wanted for quite some time, and now it’s finally in the game. With an online dynasty, you can play random people or your friends in an actual dynasty. That means you recruit against each other, play to win your conference, and play to win the national title. Rather than just have a regular dynasty by yourself, you can take it online to up the level of your competition.

Other than the online aspect of dynasty mode, the only noticeable difference this year is a slight change to recruiting. In 09 you now can make a “quick call” to your recruits, which limits the amount of time you have to spend recruiting. That is definitely a good thing as recruiting gets pretty boring after a few weeks into the season.

**ATMOSPHERE**

EA has designed a new lighting system and a new look to the field that makes the in-game experience look more realistic. The lighting system really looks good at night, but it did cause dynamic lighting to be taken out of the game. Since they changed the look of everything, dynamic lighting, where a game could start at 3:30 in daylight and end at night, won’t be back in until hopefully next year. That was one of my favorite features of the game, and I really hope it returns soon.

Getting away from the look of the game when you’re playing, EA has made the atmosphere better with something called custom stadium sounds. Custom sounds lets you pick the songs that play during different situations in a game, and then when you’re playing you’ll hear them. Here is a quick look at how to get them into the game:

It’s really cool to make a stop on third down and hear Temptation or score a TD and hear a real version of The Victors.

**OVERALL**

EA has definitely made great progress with NCAA 09, but there is still lots of room for improvement. Already they are working on a patch that should be out soon to fix the roster glitches, but that still doesn’t excuse the fact that a patch is necessary. Whether it means hiring more testers or better ones, EA really needs to step it up in that department. I’m used to minor bugs here and there as every game has them, but when entire features don’t work properly because of glitches, something has to change.

In the future, if EA can get rid of those issues and really tweak the gameplay to make it better, they have a chance at making the best sports game ever. That would be a pretty tall task and by no means do I expect EA to ever deliver, but they do have a chance if they go off NCAA 09.

As stated already, I give NCAA 09 an 8. It could be better but overall it is a solid game that will provide fun and entertainment.