NCAA Football 09

The game is still just ok. It has never been the same since the transition from NCAA football 07 on xbox to xbox 360. The controls changed on 360, the recruiting changed and got so ridiculous that its near impossible to get the recruit you want, even if he has your school as his number 1 pick of schools. When in legend mode you cant even recruit once again......cant play defense now, cant even control the rest of ur team when the ball is our of ur players hands! The game is way harder.......which is good, but it is hard playing on varsity mode. When throwing down the field on a post route a defender can still jump up and backwards to intercept the ball!! A ball carrier can STILL break through 5 guys for more yardage because theres a way thats already programmed for him to go down while getting tackled. Basic navigation from menu to menu is still complex and stupid. It should take one button to scroll through a depth chart, or some other menu, but NO, instead you have to press two buttons and take up more memory on the disk. There are errors and bugs in the game when scrolling through stat menu's during a game. THUMBS UP EA SPORTS. Look, the game is enjoyable but don't try and make it more complex every year! Keep it simple but fun! The last time it was fun was NCAA football 05, 06, and 07 and regular xbox! KEEP IT SIMPLE MORONS!

This is simply the best football game out there. The most teams in a game, which makes the game so easy to adapt to. Madden has fallen to Ncaa franchise many years before the 2009 games came out, and it doesn't even come close this year. The broken tackles are actually realistic. The only thing is that some catches/interceptions aren't realistic but they make up for each other.

Awful. I believe that this is what EA deems a revolution in gaming: tweak the graphics, offer (stupid) minigames like bowling, and provide the ability to play as mascots. I completely agree with the other reviews regarding the lack of defense. As an experiment, I created a DE with all stats maxed out. He rarely registers a sack regardless of opponent or gameplay level. Conversely, the CPU doesn't seem to have that problem and mounts a relatively effective defense. As with the other reviewers, I am a huge college football fan, and NCAA Football 09 has been a big disappointment. The last NCAA Football that I truly enjoyed was 06, and I don't plan to purchase another.

The only reason this obviously flawed game gets ONE star is it still has a deep, versatile, and challenging dynasty mode. Mind you there are glitches there but they are minimal and microscopic in relation to the gameplay. The graphics while sleek, don't make up for the players running straight up and down like marionettes even while changing direction. To add to this there are no individual running styles. A 6-3 195 pound receiver, a 5-9 220 lb running back, and a 6-7 330 lb lineman will all have that same goofy, hitched-up gait while running. Vision is limited on defense and offense as you can't see what the recievers and corners do at the snap.

The defense is lacking any realism whatsoever. Looking for a good, old-fashioned SEC defensive struggle between Bama and Auburn? You won't find games like that here. What you will find while controlling your D is the stats for you team or the CPU don't matter. Your players will have little to zero reaction on plays. No awareness of down and distance. The linebackers at times take horrible angles to the ball carrier. You won't ever have a pass rush with your linemen due to the invisible force field the offense has. Like your matchup of a 80 rated reciever with a speed of 86 against your All-american DB? Think again, that lowly wideout w/ an awarenesss of a submoronic 50 will outjump, outrun, your man all up and down the field with no mercy. There is no call you can make the CPU doesn't make yards on, especially in 3rd and long plays. Go ahead and call an audible if you like, the CPU will have a play for that too. The individual/position player audibles seemed clunky and wooden to me also.
The cons from this game far outweigh the pros, save your money like I did this year and play someone else's.(If you like to be frustrated) Shame on EASports for peddling garbage like this to a seemingly happy public. Maybe next year if they want fans like me to buy their product again, they should put in a simulation mode to go with the arcade mode they already have installed.

Great Gold Box price. I would have spent $20 more for this game and luckily it popped on to Amazon the day I was going to go to BB or CC and purchase. Can be played with lots of strategy or simplified with plenty of great graphics.