Sports games year after year all consist of what I like to call; “Same crap different
year.”
I mean the only thing that ever really changes with them is a simple roster update and the
guy on the cover.
Well, after years of redundancy it was about damn time that EA Sports called an audible
of their own!
Now, don’t get me wrong I love sports!
Especially, the pigskin!!!
But even I get tired of playing Madden year after year.
It got to the point where I needed variety, I need a different approach, I needed something
fresh, I needed, well, I needed this game: This is NFL Head Coach ‘09 for the Playstation
3.
When I played Head Coach 09, I immediately fell in love with the fact that you are in
complete control of the franchise.
From this football game’s perspective the future of a franchise’s success is solely
dependent on your decisions, OFF the field.
Your objective in this sports management game, is to keep your team successful while keeping
your approval rating as high as you can so you can keep your job.
You can do this by fulfilling tasks desired by fellow staff members, players, fans, etc.
Every decision you make affects your approval rating, keep it high and everything is cool
with your owner.
Let it fall too low, and the owner will fire your ass on the spot without thinking twice.
And if I was an owner, and my team went 0-16, I’d fire the son of a****, too!
This amazingly underrated game is packed with features that heavily improve the competition
against the A.I.
compared to the first installment of the game, making you really sit down and think about
every decision you make before committing to a specific player in the NFL Draft, or
simply a play call during a game.
Let me break it down…If you’re going to draft a QB in this game to try and turn around
your franchise, do yourself a favor and do an individual workout with him to make sure
the man isn’t the next Jamarcus Russell or Ryan Leaf.
Because the last thing that you want to do in this game is use your first round pick
to draft a player only to find out after training camp that he has the potential rating of a
gnat.
One of the greatest features in this game is that everything is negotiable.
From trading players for draft picks, to player contracts.
In this feature, you can get down to the Nitty Gritty in an auction and be as generous, or
as tight assed as you wish with your negotiations…..The only downfall to this is that the negotiations
are preset.
Now, this preset concept is beneficial due to there being a timer on negotiations, but
if there’s a certain combination of things you are willing
to get rid of or like to offer specifically to
another team, sorry about your luck, you’re going to have to find the best option in the
list of packages the computer provides.
So choose wisely!
From the West Coast Offense to the Dick LeBeau Zone Blitzing scheme, after you
pick your team that you’d like to coach, you may create and and customize your coach’s
appearance as well as his style of coaching.
Now, don’t assume that the entire game is strictly you on field coaching your favorite
team.
I mean, yeah, its good chunk!
But, almost half of the game is in the war room of your team facility making roster moves
and staff adjustments.
This is the part of the game most will find quite boring, because of
the slow pace.
But the off-seasons in head coach 09 will really determine if you’re true
football fan or not.
Anyone can simply sit down and watch a game every Sunday from
week one to super bowl, but it’s the people that follow Free Agency and the Draft just
as close as a playoff game that will enjoy this
game more than most, since those sections of an NFL year are a major part of the game.
Finally, in my opinion, I find that the biggest flaw in this game is the lack of unlockable
content.
From my viewpoint, a game that’s built entirely around being the Head Coach as opposed to
being one of the players, you’d think that as you play the game and make progress, historical
Head Coaches would be waiting for you in the off-season just waiting to be signed.
Someone like, Vince Lombardi, John Madden, or even Tom Landry for god sakes.
Now, don’t think that I’m contradicting myself, I LOVE THIS GAME!
I’ve played 37 seasons of it!
And in case your wondering, the answer is, yes!
After 37 seasons, oddly enough, I still managed to go out and find a girlfriend.
I know, I know…
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m trying to take the RAIIIIDERS!
Back to the playoffs…or as Head Coach Jim Mora once said, “PLAYOFFS?
YOU KIDDING ME?
PLAYOFFS?
DON’T TALK ABOUT PLAYOFFS?
PLAYOFFS?”
Happy Thanksgiving Undertoads!