NCAA 2009: DIE, NINE FOOT TALL LINEBACKER, DIE.

by Orson on Jul 17, 2008 3:05 PM EDT

Peter Crouch: no longer all-time LB in NCAA 2009.

We have had NCAA 2009 for two days now, and are overjoyed to say that for once, the recently updated update of a game monkeyed with mercilessly does....does not suck. It doesn't suck at all in fact, and despite the embarrassing number of hours we played the good-not-great NCAA 08, it will easily surpass its predecessor in hours logged. Our XBox360, just like yours, keeps track of all of that for us. Our XBox360 is an asshole.

Cardinal points follow:

Die, nine-foot-tall linebacker, die. One of NCAA 2008's most grating tweaks was the hyperbolic pass coverage of opposing defenses, both yours and the defense's. A 5'10" middle linebacker with a 74 rating would, with bowel-twisting frequency, go on his toes when your qb dropped back, accelerate into the air like an anime character, and pick off your perfectly lofted crossing pattern. If this wasn't galling enough, the character would sometimes do this from impossible angles, or after "recovering" from a play-fake bite, or even soaring from the bench trailing little Nintendo stars on his way to ruining the clean slate you thought your were finally going to post in a game BUT NO NINE FOOT LINEBACKER MUST GET HIS.

The nine foot linebacker has been euthanized in NCAA 2009.

Amen and hallelujah; one of our first tests was to take a PA pass and then, almost without looking, dart it into the middle where Tacopants' brother Flautabritches the assface magical linebacker would be. No Derrick Brooks imitation here: having eaten the playfake after five straight runs, the space was exactly as it would be on the field. That is, terribly, terribly open for business. Flautabritches, eat hot death.

Balance, re-established. The eternal sway in any offense/defense oriented game in video game sports is between oversized, stingy defense and bombs-away offense, something video game designers seem to struggle mightily in establishing. (For a precious span of a few years the Madden franchise had a handle on the proper dynamics of the NFL, but given the anemic offenses/python defenses of the pros, this is perhaps an easier task.)

If NCAA 2009 bends toward any particular point of the compass, it's to the offense and to the pass. Picking up Missouri or Texas Tech, it's easy to rangefind at all three levels of the passing game, especially the short routes, which wideouts gobble up like so much exam week Adderall.

On day two we ran Mizzou and went intentionally short for a half to see if we could execute the ultimate test of passing facility: running a possession offense with mostly passing. We held the ball for over three minutes plus throwing little four and five yard patterns before scoring on Texas, meaning either the passing might be a bit too easy for our liking, or EA knows something we don't and Will Muschamp's defense will be baffled by the three yard curl route this year. The former is more likely.

The tradeoff comes with the fact that plays unfold even more realistically now: sure, you can actually hit the open notch between the corner and the safety in a Cover 2 spot now, but unlike in NCAA 2008, taking control of the safety means you can actually knock the hair off a wide receiver who attempts to do that, either knocking the ball loose or more. Rushing the passer with four down stiil seems like an impossibility, but we'll wait until we've logged some time with LSU's nine-deep collection of earthmovers before going so far as to say it is still an improbability here.

Online dynasty. The evil this could bring into this house is too much for us to contemplate. Already confronted with the ultimate distraction machine that is the internet, tempted on two sides of the video game coin by NCAA's solo mode and GTA IV, the possibilities of time spent on an online dynasty are...well, rude awakening doesn't do them justice.

We're avoiding it. For our own good.

Initial impressions, summarized: Yay, actual spatial depth on the field, ability to beat one on one coverage, and occasional unblocked blitzer not mysteriously caught up in universally perfect blocking, actual named rosters available for import, mascot celebrations, ability to return kickoffs more than once in a purple horned moon, TEBOW MY GOD TEBOW, and smoothed-out graphics that in HD give you an uncontrollable erection that even belt-tuckage may not help.

Boo: Life-destroying dynasty mode, defensive line immobility, and not much else. ONE HUNDRED INITIAL COCKTAILS TO YOU, EA!!!!

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Comments

I appreciate the new Conference Stereo Type Mode

http://www.gatorswearjeanshorts.net/blog/uploaded_images/SECSPEED-744556.jpg

by crane on Jul 17, 2008 3:10 PM EDT reply actions

The untold rainbow of anti-social awesomeness must be kept in check, like crack to a young Charles Thompson. Indeed, this is a cornucopia of bacon-like goodness. PSA: If you play online, avoid Mizzou and FSU. You will lose, handily. FSU has an unbelievably overrated offense while Mizzou’s combination of Daniel/Maclin/Coffman along with Daniel’s ability to run the ball is like a post-season game to a Bob Stoops team. WV is another team that’s an obvious, “no thanks, I’ll play someone else”. This game is going to seriously damage my social life.

by them oklahoma on Jul 17, 2008 3:17 PM EDT reply actions

I picked it up for the Wii. It’s awesome for all of the reasons mentioned, but I’ve never played an EA Sports game on the Wii before and I miss my trust PS3 controller. I did find rushing the passer with my end to be easier than in the 2008 version. I also found throwing the ball to be impossible with the nunchuck.

by Biggus Rickus on Jul 17, 2008 3:24 PM EDT reply actions

But what about the 9-inch linebacker? Any signs of him?

by Out of Conference on Jul 17, 2008 3:25 PM EDT reply actions

The game is a vast improvement over the 08 version but still lacks any kind of defensive play. Stops on defense are usually driven by chance and luck. The game still lets you throw over the top on a fly route for an easy six. The ability to upload rosters makes this a great game. No longer will I have to hear the announcers say #15 throws it to #1 for the touchdown.

by Ryan on Jul 17, 2008 3:27 PM EDT reply actions

3- No 9 inch linebackers…yet. One big issue with the linebackers is the underneath zone coverage. They play around 3 to 5 yards deeper than they should, so stop routes/button-hooks, a few variations of the underneath route, and anything else that’s a relatively short timing-route is way too high-percentage. On a positive note, your basic cover 3-zone actually works the way it should this year. The nice thing about playing online is that most guys don’t have a clue about general x’s and o’s but do know that cover-3 hasn’t worked for much of anything in past NCAA games. So following the often used strategy of cover 3 on 1st down and 2 on 3rd down actually works fairly well. Watch out for the slip screens, though. They’re the “money play” this year.

by them oklahoma on Jul 17, 2008 3:33 PM EDT reply actions

Tebow Speed Option. Its either a guaranteed 10-yard gain or touchdown. I had almost 421 yards in the first half against FSU. Hell and yes.
Is it just me or do the graphics don’t look as great as they should be?

by BurritoBrosShits on Jul 17, 2008 3:34 PM EDT reply actions

Haven’t bought this yet because of some maintenance that needed to be done for the LTR. However, after reading this I’m tempted to drive home, toss her shit in a dumpster, get a case of PBR and pick this up. Decisions, decisions.

by AlanInDC on Jul 17, 2008 3:35 PM EDT reply actions

Any other broke-ass non-adapters who are still rocking the PS2 platform like me? Any thoughts?

by The Song of Hiawatha Francisco on Jul 17, 2008 3:35 PM EDT reply actions

Great Post. Can you customize your playbook in Dynasty mode? I don’t think that we could in NCAA 08.

by Jim Bob Cooter on Jul 17, 2008 3:49 PM EDT reply actions

Not sure yet, but the custom packages are dead-on. Florida even has the Harvin in the backfield mod, which is like giving Godzilla a huge machete to play with on his travels.

by Orson Swindle on Jul 17, 2008 3:54 PM EDT reply actions

Nice Peter Crouch reference, who is always referred to by the way as Peter “If you haven’t noticed, is very tall for a footballer” Crouch. Portsmouth is better for it.

Go ManUnited!

As for the game, I’ve got to play it on the Wii. I think I’m too old for Playstation.

by Lawrence Ross on Jul 17, 2008 3:57 PM EDT reply actions

Mine arrived in the mail via Amazon yesterday. On my instructions (and her own suspicions), the wee-fay has hidden it from me until after the bar. Then … oh, golly, then …

by Eirishis on Jul 17, 2008 3:57 PM EDT reply actions

I realize doing the Tenuta every play wither burns me really bad or works out in small increments. Studying football is hard.

by BurritoBrosShits on Jul 17, 2008 3:58 PM EDT reply actions

Is there a way to change the view of the gameplay?

I like to use sideline view when on D so I can see the line of scrimage when I blitz… I’ve spent way too much time looking for it… and it’s pissing me off.

by Erdinger on Jul 17, 2008 4:02 PM EDT reply actions

Is it better on the Xbox 360 or the PS3? Has anyone played it on both?

by CrimsonBarrister on Jul 17, 2008 4:06 PM EDT reply actions

Football on the Wii = Fail.

GTA4 and Halo have already ruined my social life, might as well nix sleep too with NCAA09.

by Brian O'Blivion on Jul 17, 2008 4:12 PM EDT reply actions

Yes, Peter Crouch, slayer of Abagail Clancy.
Get yer Lerch on.

by scalz1 on Jul 17, 2008 4:20 PM EDT reply actions

I am glad I am not the only person that plays this game till it goes way past what might be considered a normal amount of time. :-)

I have had the problem since NCAA 2001

by Ethanator1088 on Jul 17, 2008 4:27 PM EDT reply actions

- I’m in the same boat you’re in, man, still rocking the PS2. I have a Wii, but after failing miserably on Madden 08 and reading a ton of bad reviews of the game, I broke down and got 09 for PS2. The gameplay feels more realistic and the multiple RB moves are nice, but it’s still essentially a roster update. Not like that’s going to stop me from wasting insane amounts of time on it.

by Nasty Nate on Jul 17, 2008 4:29 PM EDT reply actions

Hiawatha: You think you’re a broke non-adopter. This month I am making the leap from NCAA 2005 on the GameCube all the way to NCAA 07 on my (just-arrived from eBay) PlayStation 2.

But whether you’re playing 07 or 09, last-gen is where it’s at. Too many kinks still to work out with the next-gen version of this game…and they still don’t have Create-A-School on it! (Yet they made sure you can celebrate in the end zone with the mascot. What does EA think we all are, brain-damaged 9-year-olds?)

That right there, plus a still-incomplete set of modeled stadiums and under-representation of I-AA-land, would be a deal-breaker for me, if the price of the PS3 weren’t already.

by Blog Goliard on Jul 17, 2008 4:33 PM EDT reply actions

My question is…can you play as the 01-02 Miami Hurricanes and really beat the crap outta tOSU ?
Who is the greatest video NCAA football team of all time? I bet the All-Miami team is pretty tough to beat

by Mr. Pelican Pants on Jul 17, 2008 5:00 PM EDT reply actions

How is recruiting in the dynasty mode? While using my Trojans in NCAA 2007, I could recruit classes that were on par with what Pete Carroll and Urban Meyer can do in real life. Can I still do this, or will my recruiting classes look like they did with NCAA 2008… like Wake Forest’s, even after winning my 12th consecutive BCS championship?

by socalbryan on Jul 17, 2008 5:04 PM EDT reply actions

Still playing 08 on the PS2 (I’ve invested too much time with the rosters to switch now), and the nine-foot, teleporting linebacker drives me crazy on a daily basis. That tweak alone, plus the graphics (played on a friend’s X-Box the other night, and I think it looks incredible) make a next-gen upgrade pretty enticing. But not for a while yet — maybe 2010.

by Hannibal Montegna on Jul 17, 2008 5:05 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed, Mizzou is darn near unstoppable on O. Recommend trying 4-2-5 defense for any team, but yes playing D is a challenge. Despite tOSU’s 99 rankings across the board, they still look slow. Took ’em down easy on all-american with Mizzou.

by Jeff on Jul 17, 2008 5:11 PM EDT reply actions

Well for Madden ’09, you can upload your EA Sports Fantasy Roster and beat the crap outta your league… D-Mac is fast…..inside connection…some bitch is awesome on the Inside Trout

by Mr. Pelican Pants on Jul 17, 2008 5:23 PM EDT reply actions

Orson,
You could single handedly boost Xbox 360 sales if you set up a NCAA 09 EDSBS league with 16 slots, and please set aside a slot for tAFKAtOSUB, if he doesnt have an Xbox 360- we will pitch in to get him one…..

by Mr. Pelican Pants on Jul 17, 2008 5:31 PM EDT reply actions

Hiawatha: I’m still on a PS2 but it is more of a choice not to spend money on game systems due to my being a geezer. I’ll probably stick with that an NCAA 07 a couple more years.

And nobody does the robot quite like the “Freakishly Tall Peter Crouch” (as he is know around my casa).
I’ll be happy to see him actually playing for Pompy rather than riding the bench for the ‘Pool. Does anybody know if they are keeping Kanu? I’d love to see Kanu and FTPC on the field at the same time.

by oc phil on Jul 17, 2008 6:21 PM EDT reply actions

another poor soul stuck still rocking the regx-box. played 09 for 360 for like a day and a half straight at my friends house. so far as i can tell there is no playbook editor for 360, but there wasnt one last year for 360 and there was for regx-box, in fact there was a bunch of stuff the did or didnt do between the two versions last year. they did fix the multiplayer for 360 tough, last year it was one per team and two tops, now its back to the traditional 1-4 on each team for 2v2 battles

by al-d-gator on Jul 17, 2008 7:08 PM EDT reply actions

The Wii version is an absolute disaster. I swear to God EA put less effort into this abomination than I do into an Excel spreadsheet on a Friday.

Oh, Notre Dame Stadium is Lincoln Financial Field with “Go Irish” banners. I shit you not.

by Irish09 on Jul 17, 2008 7:38 PM EDT reply actions

I am having trouble with the passing right now. I’m trying to get used to the reads and get picked quite a bit when the defense is in a zone. But I play with Michigan, so I have two problems right off the bat; 1) my quarterback has the accuracy of Harry Dunn when he’s trying to shoot that gun and 2) my o-line can’t block anyone so I don’t have time to wait for recievers to find the holes. And this is only on All-American. This is also the first time I’ve played in on the next-gen systems.

what difficulty did you play Ohio St on and was it a home/away/neutral site game? I played them at OSU with Michigan and they were impossible. I had to almost give up passing with the exception of the short out routes because they corners jumped everything and Beanie Wells is a bitch to stop. For a big back in real life, he’s super shifty in the game.

by Brandon on Jul 17, 2008 7:50 PM EDT reply actions

the three yard curls on tejas’ D might not be that big of a stretch, they suck since the Chiz left. except when they beat isu 56-3 last year, probably destroying any chance of my grandparents coming to watch another game.

by cyclonestate on Jul 17, 2008 9:29 PM EDT reply actions

Please come beat me on NCAA ’09 @ Xbox Live Username: Worstie . The game single handedly caused me to purchase a 360, so please come take my online v-card with crippling force. I promise not to cry (much).

by WorstFan on Jul 18, 2008 1:07 AM EDT reply actions

Solid picture of Peter Crouch, all 6’9" of him, in a Queens Park Rangers jersey. Just viisted Loftus Road a few weeks ago.

by Fire Ron Guenther on Jul 18, 2008 9:32 AM EDT reply actions

While playing at home as the Trojans, when it gets to halftime or the third quarter, Fowler says (if it’s tied, or whatever the score is) “it’s all tied up here in Pasadena.” Pasadena?! Fuck you, dude. That’s the other team. We’re in South Central LA, fool.

by The Humanitarian on Jul 18, 2008 10:18 AM EDT reply actions

I got it last night from my wife. Silly girl! Haven’t started my dyansty yet just laid a whupping on CU with NU and I was impressed. No fucking pics until the end of third when I dicked up and threw into a mass of black and gold covering teefat like he was a thai hooker!

as for the d-fens comments. I rock a cover three almost exclusively even in hypesman mode. I mix in a blitz to keep the PC honest. I also use 4-4 and bring the house inside the 10 as a goaline on occasion and play out as a safety just in case they can get the ball off. I did this in NC08 as well and it worked pretty good you just have to be able to get pressure from the d-ends. sometimes i’ll give up a big play out of some bull shit intermediate route but most of the time this gets it done for me.

on offense I run between the tackles alot to set up the play action. or i run quick slants and quick outs. I also like the TE across the middle but I had to abandon that in 08 as it was almost always picked by the fucking LB! It does, however seem to work in 09 pretty good, but I’m so used to not going there that it will take awhile to break my tendency to avoid the middle of the field.

by iggy on Jul 18, 2008 10:46 AM EDT reply actions

#27

YES,YES,YES!!!!!

Tuesdays, instead of that damn radio show.

by FW Barner on Jul 18, 2008 10:54 AM EDT reply actions

#35
When playing in Auburn, they say Fayetteville in 2008 and 2009 versions.

I bought a PS3 just for this game, now i am staying up till 2 in the morning and getting up at 6 to be at work by 7:45. That shits tough when your 29
Sleep deprivation! It’s not just for college students anymore!

by Dumpster Baby on Jul 18, 2008 12:14 PM EDT reply actions

Where did you get the rosters from on XBox 360?

by Justin on Jul 18, 2008 12:28 PM EDT reply actions

I’m the only person on here with a PS3, aren’t I?

by CKGator on Jul 18, 2008 3:05 PM EDT reply actions

I have the 360 version and for whatever reason, LaTech is dominant. I am on my 4th season in dynasty and they have been in the NC game twice and in the top-5 all of those seasons.

by 02sundevil on Jul 20, 2008 3:31 PM EDT reply actions