Alright Boyz, Here We Go!!! NCAA Football 2009 impressions thread

[Kodos]

Formerly the NCAA 2009 Hype Machine Kicks In thread... The demo comes out tomorrow. Figured we might as well keep everything in one thread for NCAA 2009.

Let the broken promises and hype begin.

hxxp://www.gametap.com/home/read/article/4584

NCAA Football 09 Interview

First gameplay details revealed on EA's college blockbuster.

By: Jon Robinson | JRobandSteal
Mar 7, 2008

"Kendall Boyd, Product Manager, NCAA Football 09 "This is our year." Those are the words of NCAA Football's product manager Kendall Boyd as he sits down to talk about the 09 version of his game. We're rolling through the streets of Hollywood as members of Darren McFadden's entourage while Boyd talks about how Madden stepped up in 08 and it's NCAA's turn to finally rise back to prominence when it hits stores July 15.

Boyd explains how the team is much farther along in development than they were last year at this time, and when I ask him about the PS3 version's inferior frame rate, he has the words that Sony gamers have been dying to hear. "The PS3 version will run at 60 frames per second."

"You sure about that?" I ask.

"I guarantee it."

Here's what else Boyd had to say about the new gameplay enhancements in store for 09, what to expect from the Wii, and how this year's game is the one that will finally bring the series back to its PS2 glory days.

GameTap: What's been your reaction to the negative response the NCAA Football series has gotten the last couple of years on the new systems? How do you plan on bringing the series up to the level fans of the series expect on the PS3 and 360?

Kendall Boyd: I think one of the things for us is really focusing on making the transition over to the PS3 and 360. We're in our third year now, and we're finally at a point where we understand the software, the developers know the ins and outs of it, and for this year we're really putting an emphasis on what makes college football unique compared to the pro game. To do that, it comes down to one thing: the gameplay. Gameplay is the basis of any great game, so for us, that's how we're going to bring the charge back.

GameTap: Do you listen to what the NCAA community has to say in terms of making those gameplay improvements?

Kendall Boyd: We do. We actually did a ton of focus group testing and we had two different community days, one in Tiburon and one down in Los Angeles. We're listening to their feedback, and we try to do that with our gaming press as well. The fans are the most important thing, and listening to them and trying to understand what they want in the game is what we're trying to do in terms of delivering that authenticity we've always stood for at EA Sports. Over the years, our research has showed that while we do have crossover between Madden and NCAA gamers, our hardcore guys are always going to come back just to see what we're doing in dynasty [mode]. Two-thirds of our audience plays dynasty; they have grown up with that feature of the game and want us to incorporate more of that authenticity into it. That goes back to what's new at your school, what have they fixed from your stadium, what has changed about the uniform. That's what separates the college fan from the Madden fan.

GameTap: What's the hook for NCAA Football 09? How has the gameplay changed?

Kendall Boyd: The big focus this year is about wide-open gameplay and the college atmosphere. If you went to the National Championship last season, it was all about electricity. We want you to be able to feel the electricity as best you can when you go in and play the game. You do that by making it a more wide-open experience in terms of giving guys more ankle-breaking jukes. At the same time, when you hit the hole immediately at the line of scrimmage, you'll find your opening. But if you're playing against a lesser team, that hole will open, and after running five or 10 yards, it might come down to a footrace. Blocking is one of the big keys to that and [it's] the area the dev team is really concentrating on right now.

This is my game!

From an atmosphere side, if you look at what we brought last year, we had beautiful stadiums. Our stadiums have always been beautiful, but how do you make the experience more vibrant, how do you make it stand out? We want to show the contrast between the home and away teams. The sidelines are now populated and you'll see cheerleaders doing stunts. When you looked at it on PS2, the cheerleaders were part of a cutscene. Now, you'll be driving down the field and you'll see them on the sideline doing stunts and cheers in unison, and it's really cool. That's the kind of stuff we want the fans to appreciate. The subtle things.

GameTap: I hear there's a new physics engine in the game for breaking tackles. How is that going to work?

Kendall Boyd: One of the things we're focusing on this year is our breakaway animation engine. What that means is that for the first time, you really have control of all of the moves that you're doing. The moves are on both sticks, and you still have the ability to do moves off the button controls. But now, much like when you play Fight Night, you can rotate the analog stick to go into a spin move, and instead of just letting that animation play out, you can now go from animation to animation and juke to juke by your control. It's all about the fluidity. I can now run at a guy at a three-o'clock angle, where in the past I was always running at twelve-o'clock, and I can now run toward him, hit my juke, hit it again if he reacted to it, and cut back out. In the past, you were always forced to look ahead, but now you can do these moves at different angles.

Defense is also going to be influenced as it's all about the trajectory [at which] you hit someone. In the past, again, you just went into the tackle animation, but now it's about where you are as you head into the play. If your guy isn't good enough and you take a bad angle, you're going to completely miss and maybe swat at him with your arm. Shoestring tackles, arm tackles, those are all things you'll find in the college game, and that's something our game is focusing on.

GameTap: What can we expect from the playbooks in 09?

Kendall Boyd: We've got two guys who are basically--if there are such things as playbook aficionados, these are the guys. We have a guy who played quarterback for Florida on the National Championship team under Spurrier, and all he does for us is break down film. We have another guy who just sits there and reads gameplay tape. You see Urban Meyer's offense, we translate it into the game. The influence you're going to see this year is more about the strategic side of the playbook. Our depth is always going to be there. I don't think any team in sports gaming does a better job of research than the Tiburon guys, and this year it's about the strategic element. How you bluff your guy. How you do checks at the line. Basically, how you run a spread option offense and go in and no-huddle your way through. Those are just some of the things you can expect to see this year.

GameTap: This is the first year we're going to see NCAA on the Wii. What's going to differentiate the Wii version?

Kendall Boyd: The Wii's been really exciting. Not to go too much into marketing, but we're doing a mascot promotion that's basically been the most successful Web promotion we've ever done at EA Sports. We've had about a half-million unique visitors to the site and we wanted to give the fan the opportunity to vote for which mascot they would like to see on the cover. It's totally fan driven. If you go to Facebook, Michigan State put up a dedicated Wii mascot page for this and they have like 3,000 members. Every day they're hitting it and voting. You go to message boards for Nebraska and you see people asking for fans to vote. That's always been the key to us, to go in and celebrate what's great about college football. To engage the consumers and the fans--and that's what this promotion is all about.

In terms of the actual game, we want to address the Wii audience. It's going to be a much more accessible experience. Family play will be in there--the first time NCAA has had family play. If you're a hardcore player, you're still going to be able to play a great game of NCAA Football, but if you're playing against your son or your parents and you want to be able to have a good experience, you can go in and set the different difficulty levels. The other thing is, we want it to be a quicker and more accessible experience. We've eliminated a lot of the slowdown of getting in and out of the instant replays and such. It's very quick and very fun and has that Nintendo feel to it but still true to the sport.

GameTap: Getting back to the 360 and PS3, I know you guys did a lot of motion-capture work for the 09 game. What kinds of new animations can we expect to see?

Kendall Boyd: A lot of the multiple tackle hits that you'll see are all the results of our new mo-cap. Also, when we were talking about the wide-open controls, now on the left stick, a place where we've never had any moves, now you can go left-to-right on the left stick and you will do a Barry Sanders-esque shimmy. It's really sweet and that's something that came from the motion-capture. Foot-pinning is another big focus, so you can actually see the cuts. When a runner hits and plants, you'll actually be able to see the leverage of the weight. We've also added all-new player models. When you look at an NFL player, they're much more chiseled. Look at a college lineman: They still have muscle tone, but they also have some girth about them. We just want to get those differences between the two to help make the game, not only feel more authentic, but look it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

[Dr. Sak]

He doesn't even know how to download a jar of peanut butter!

[Anthony]

yawn.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by Kodos

GameTap: This is the first year we're going to see NCAA on the Wii. What's going to differentiate the Wii version?

Kendall Boyd: The Wii's been really exciting. Not to go too much into marketing, but we're doing a mascot promotion that's basically been the most successful Web promotion we've ever done at EA Sports. We've had about a half-million unique visitors to the site and we wanted to give the fan the opportunity to vote for which mascot they would like to see on the cover. It's totally fan driven. If you go to Facebook, Michigan State put up a dedicated Wii mascot page for this and they have like 3,000 members. Every day they're hitting it and voting. You go to message boards for Nebraska and you see people asking for fans to vote. That's always been the key to us, to go in and celebrate what's great about college football. To engage the consumers and the fans--and that's what this promotion is all about.

So I'm thinking that this might be a "wait and see" for the Wii.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Amusing blog from Bill Abner about the EA hype machine................

http://nutweasel.blogspot.com/2008/0...i-heart-u.html

Peter Moore of EA has posted a new blog entry that talks about...EA stuff. Namely NFL Head Coach 09. Read the blog if you will but my favorite line was this beaut, "Last week, we had a group at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis showing a select group of media an early look at the game, and as our friends at GameSpot noted: “NFL Head Coach 09 is a sequel in name only”.

GameSpot Fever -- CATCH IT!

As someone who has been part of several of these "select media events" I can say without hesitation that GameSpot saw maybe some interface stuff and a few of the basic ideas that help differentiate it from the old game, but doesn't this come off sounding like an advertisement? Or at the very least a slight endorsement? Like when you see a pull quote for a really bad movie in a TV ad? "Rambo is back!" -- John Doe, Small Paper You Have Never Heard Of

And I'm happy Peter Moore considers the folks at GameSpot his buds. We're all one big happy fam in this biz.

The gaming media needs to STOP DOING THAT. So EA lets you into the Combine to see a sequel to a terribly shitty game. You are not obliged to provide tag lines to EA PR because of it. Good lord, people.

Oh, Pete also says this about the PC:

PC Games – While we’re committed to the PC as a sports game platform, it’s certainly not a platform without its business challenges due in large part because so many of you have migrated to the console as your primary platform. I think on-line will give us some innovative new ways to re-vitalize the PC sports business again, and we’ ll keep pushing from our end to make that happen. But in the meantime, understand that while we have a limited lineup of EA SPORTS games coming this summer and fall to the PC, we do continue to weigh our options on PC.

Translation: We at EA Sports consider the PC one helluva way to check email, send pictures of ugly relatives, and watch NBC reruns in your underwear. Now, go buy our $60 console games.

[Raiders Army]

I'm an idiot and I'll buy it when it comes out. I'm not that much of an idiot to buy Madden this year...

[markprior22]

I think (hope) this will be the year that I can hold off on the whole day of release buy for NCAA.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by markprior22

I think (hope) this will be the year that I can hold off on the whole day of release buy for NCAA.

Ditto. And the same for Madden. Until I hear glowing praise from members of this board, I will try to avoid caving and buying it.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Ditto. And the same for Madden. Until I hear glowing praise from members of this board, I will try to avoid caving and buying it.

i want a dime for everytime you've posted this.


i'll expect a check for $52 shortly. thank you.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Raiders Army

I'm an idiot and I'll buy it when it comes out. I'm not that much of an idiot to buy Madden this year...

I have been every single year for the last 5-10 years as well.

Originally Posted by markprior22

I think (hope) this will be the year that I can hold off on the whole day of release buy for NCAA.

I also believe this will finally be the year were I won't cave. I'm refusing to believe the hype. I saw this article about a week ago. I'm not posting any hype, and I won't buy it until I see glowing reviews on here and/or OS. I might go for the rental route this year even if I see glowing reviews on OS, which I haven't done in a long time with a sports game.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

yawn.

double yawn...

I will NOT purchase NCAA 09 nor Madden 09 on release day this year! If some of my trusted folks here like it, then I'll get it.

I'm hoping APF 2k9 comes out with some sort of "career" mode or something.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i want a dime for everytime you've posted this.


i'll expect a check for $52 shortly. thank you.

I'd owe you at least 60 cents. I've caved the last few years, but I'm determined to remain strong this year. I think it will be relatively easy with so many other good games to keep me busy.

[MizzouRah]

I will say this though about EA, they are #1 when it comes to hyping Madden and NCAA.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i want a dime for everytime you've posted this.


i'll expect a check for $52 shortly. thank you.

Actually, I did skip Madden 2007 entirely. Why don't you go mate with a sandwich, or go attempt to get into IHOF again?

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

double yawn...

I will NOT purchase NCAA 09 nor Madden 09 on release day this year! If some of my trusted folks here like it, then I'll get it.

I'm hoping APF 2k9 comes out with some sort of "career" mode or something.

You'd better concentrate just on having it come out at all.

[MJ4H]

Fuck EA Sports. Not a chance in hell I buy these games.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Actually, I did skip Madden 2007 entirely. Why don't you go mate with a sandwich, or go attempt to get into IHOF again?

nah, i'll skip IHOF. too many sensitive pussies like you who are still hurt by some things i posted many years ago.

but trust me - you've said you were skipping NCAA/Madden oodles of times. oodles.

[Ksyrup]

Since I have a PS2, I'll probably just stick with '07. I have a Wii, but I didn't enjoy Madden much at all and certainly would not give a 1st gen game a chance unless it was universally praised by people other than reviewers.

[Anthony]

i want a game to play online with my friends. i don't care about franchise problems. i don't want 8 INTs and 10 fumbles per game. that's all. bells are whistles are nice. i have FOF for career play.

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i don't want 8 INTs and 10 fumbles per game. that's all.

From what I understand about your skills as a player, you likely aren't going to find a game that you can enjoy.

[Pumpy Tudors]

daaaaamn

[Anthony]

i've busted up Pumpy in NBA2k8, sho' nuff.

i got NCAA 2k8, astoria23. you want it - come and get it. it's right here.

[Kodos]

360 version? I have some technical difficulties -- first, I let my Live membership expire. And second, I don't have the wireless hookup for the 360. I'd have to find a long enough cord to hook it up...

KodosForPrez (or possibly Kodos4Prez)

[Anthony]

c'mon ssssson, you know it.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Hell Atlantic

i've busted up Pumpy in NBA2k8, sho' nuff.

Yeah, I don't like to talk about that, thanks.

[Noop]

I haven't brought Madden in years. Every copy I have had was either someone letting me borrow it or buying it for me. I refuse to spend money on EA and the only game I will buy no matter what is NCAA Football. The rest of that junk they put out I will continue to happily ignore.

[Anthony]

Pumpy knows how i roll in NCAA 2008

that was a good game, even though Pumpy won.

[Logan]

I figured out why the gameplay sucks:

Originally Posted by Kodos

GameTap: Do you listen to what the NCAA community has to say in terms of making those gameplay improvements?

Kendall Boyd: We do. We actually did a ton of focus group testing and we had two different community days, one in Tiburon and one down in Los Angeles. We're listening to their feedback, and we try to do that with our gaming press as well. The fans are the most important thing, and listening to them and trying to understand what they want in the game is what we're trying to do in terms of delivering that authenticity we've always stood for at EA Sports. Over the years, our research has showed that while we do have crossover between Madden and NCAA gamers, our hardcore guys are always going to come back just to see what we're doing in dynasty [mode]. Two-thirds of our audience plays dynasty; they have grown up with that feature of the game and want us to incorporate more of that authenticity into it. That goes back to what's new at your school, what have they fixed from your stadium, what has changed about the uniform. That's what separates the college fan from the Madden fan.

Yeah, you nailed it.

[Kodos]

I thought the live cheerleaders working as you play was very important to the gameplay experience...

[BigDPW]

I must be the only person that enjoyed NCAA 08. I have bough NCAA at release for years now but this was my first year on the 360 and I enjoyed it. It has certainly not caught up with the old-gen versions yet but I had a good time playing it and will probably go back to playing it sometime in the next month or two.

Madden on the other hand I have skipped for 2 years running and I was tired of the madden experience even on the old-gen systems for the past 4 years.

I will probably get NCAA on release day this year as I always do. If the game doesn't get any worse then I will enjoy running a dynasty with my NC State Wolfpack as I always do. NCAA Football every year is a part of my lead up to college football season so part of my enjoyment is simply related to my anticipation of college football every year.

I will never buy Madden on release day again though. NCAA is pretty much the only game I buy on release day now anyway. I have lost faith in all that is gaming on release day (especially with sports) but NCAA is just different for me so far...

[korme]

No, but it is one of those things bound to happen, make for a fluid experience... I wonder if one day we will see a packed stadium with atleast 1,000ish different looking fans.

It's funny, in MLB 08 you can watch the crowd as all the guys in black hats and red shirts stand up and clap in unison

[Mike1409]

New Feature list. Now lets see if they actually work!

http://www.easports.com/ncaa09/news.jsp


04.01.08

Here's a taste of what you can expect to see in NCAA Football 09.

In the coming weeks we'll take a deeper dive into each of the features below, so check back for more detailed information.
Wide Open and Authentic College Style Gameplay

It's Wide Open

• Bigger holes, cutback lanes, and open receivers, making the game feel more wide open than ever before
• Directional pump fake on the R stick
• New college specific tackling engine

Home of the 12th Man and Home Field Advantage with new mini-game components

• Pre-play confusion and difficulty making adjustments when on the road against tough teams
• All new toughest places to play with dynamic rankings

All-new Mascot Mode with User Controlled Celebrations

• Mascot Games
• Interactive TD celebrations

College Atmosphere

College Atmosphere & Pageantry

• All-new Dynamic Crowd System
• College sidelines are packed with additional players, mascots, cheerleaders, and more
• All-new authentic fields with new textures, lighting, and field degradation
• New college player models, including more than 50 alternate uniforms
• User Customizable Stadium Sounds & Music
• Breakaway crowd reactions

Depth & Innovation

• Online Dynasty is here!!!
• Roster file sharing online
• Improved recruiting system in Dynasty mode highlighting ease and accessibility
• New post game presentation and play by play commentary
• 1-4 player offline co-op
• Return missed field goals
• Bluff your play art to confuse opponents
• Formation audibles
• Smart routes
• Bobble catches
• Better passing control
• Post play continuation
• All-New Mini Games
• Random play selection in practice mode
• Quick replay
• CPU vs. CPU (watch mode)
• Smooth 60 FPS on PS3
• Even teams option in play now

[Groundhog]

VERY happy to see CPU vs CPU is back - even if I object to a feature that has existed since the beginning of time until only very recently re-announced as a "feature".

[Radii]

well interactive TD celebrations certainly turns this into a must buy for me. :P

[Eaglesfan27]

Despite my intentions to ignore the hype, I'm now excited. Online dynasties so I can play with my best friend in NJ will be awesome if they work well and if they fix the gameplay issues with interceptions/turnovers.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Mike1409

New Feature list. Now lets see if they actually work!

http://www.easports.com/ncaa09/news.jsp


04.01.08

Here's a taste of what you can expect to see in NCAA Football 09.

In the coming weeks we'll take a deeper dive into each of the features below, so check back for more detailed information.
Wide Open and Authentic College Style Gameplay

It's Wide Open

• Bigger holes, cutback lanes, and open receivers, making the game feel more wide open than ever before
• Directional pump fake on the R stick
• New college specific tackling engine

Home of the 12th Man and Home Field Advantage with new mini-game components

• Pre-play confusion and difficulty making adjustments when on the road against tough teams
• All new toughest places to play with dynamic rankings

All-new Mascot Mode with User Controlled Celebrations

• Mascot Games
• Interactive TD celebrations

College Atmosphere

College Atmosphere & Pageantry

• All-new Dynamic Crowd System
• College sidelines are packed with additional players, mascots, cheerleaders, and more
• All-new authentic fields with new textures, lighting, and field degradation
• New college player models, including more than 50 alternate uniforms
• User Customizable Stadium Sounds & Music
• Breakaway crowd reactions

Depth & Innovation

• Online Dynasty is here!!!
• Roster file sharing online
• Improved recruiting system in Dynasty mode highlighting ease and accessibility
• New post game presentation and play by play commentary
• 1-4 player offline co-op
• Return missed field goals
• Bluff your play art to confuse opponents
• Formation audibles
• Smart routes
• Bobble catches
• Better passing control
• Post play continuation
• All-New Mini Games
• Random play selection in practice mode
• Quick replay
• CPU vs. CPU (watch mode)
• Smooth 60 FPS on PS3
• Even teams option in play now

Online dynasty?

[wade moore]

Online Dynasties is certainly appealing... Especially with CPU vs. CPU mode or maybe coach mode...

I'm wondering if they will put I-AA back in, I'm guessing no .

[Eaglesfan27]

With the Applachian State win over Michigan, there has been a lot of talk on the various sites that they will add at least some select I-AA teams.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by wade moore

Online Dynasties is certainly appealing... Especially with CPU vs. CPU mode or maybe coach mode...

I'm wondering if they will put I-AA back in, I'm guessing no .

If College Hoops 2k8 had online dynasties, it would be paradise.

[thesloppy]

You ever play recent Madden's 'Superstar' mode (or whatever they call it), and get annoyed at how much pre-play crap you have to go through? Let's take a look at an imaginary NCAA08 play I just generated based on the above feature list.

• My team gets the ball at the 20, in my opponents house, let's get this game STARTED!
• Before I pick a play it's time for the 12th man mini-game! YAY!
• I lose, because my 12th man is still at home.
• Time to pick a play...I'll 'bluff my play art' a couple times, so he doesn't know what I'm picking.
• Cut to a shot of the new dynamic crowd and the field which has started to collect a little snow!
• Because I lost the 12th-man mini game my guy stumble around confused before the play for a bit allowing my competition to adjust a bit before I can get set.
• In response to defensive shifts I call a couple audibles and motion my receivers out wide, hoping to stretch out the defense and widen the field a little bit.
• Meanwhile, my opponent pumps up the crowd via some button mashing, while I wait, and we get another shot of three guys in the crowd with painted faces.
• As the playcock dwindles down my QB hikes the ball and fades back a couple of steps before I fake a pump to the left of the field.
• 15 yards out, over the middle of the field, a receiver breaks free from coverage and I fire a rocket right at his extended arms, but the MLB makes an athletic play, leaps up and grabs the ball for an interception which he returns for the TD, unchallenged.
• My opponent switches to mascot mode, progresses through a few mini-games and does the worm for the next 2-3 minutes as we flash to a slightly familiar shot of those 3 guys in the stands with the painted faces.
• 6 hours later I fumble my third kickoff return, attempting to adjust to this year's subtle changes, and a freak slip on a McDonald's wrapper causes me to reset the game.

[kingnebwsu]

That's a list right there...sad but true. If you had slipped on a Chipotle wrapper, it would be totally acceptable

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

With the Applachian State win over Michigan, there has been a lot of talk on the various sites that they will add at least some select I-AA teams.

Well, it has never been *all* of I-AA anyways. It was about 6 conferences and to use the teams/conferences in Dynasty mode you had to replace existing teams. Then the last couple of PS2 versions they didn't bother making updates and just left the old rosters. Then in PS3 and XBOX360 they took them out altogether.

But luckily W&M is in the top I-AA conference .

[BigDPW]

I will be curious to see what "online dynasty" entails...

I can see this being a great addition if it means multiple people can compete in the same dynasty world online. However I fear it may just mean that there is further implementation of the EASPORTSWORLD vids and pictures that shows your "dynasty" online??? Hopefully I am wrong about that though...

[Izulde]

The features list doesn't excite me and I imagine I'll be hurting for cash when it comes out, so yeah... pass on both Madden and NCAA for me this year.

I didn't even think about getting Madden last year or the year before. I think '06 was the last Madden I bought, maybe even '05.

[CU Tiger]

I cant think of much worse than some rock paper scissors mini game to determine how full your momentum meter goes after a first down run....

[KWhit]

That 'feature' list looks like ass.

[tarcone]

College sidelines are packed with additional players, mascots, cheerleaders, and more

More?

Beer tents?

[Balldog]

Nothing there to make me buy the game this year.

[Groundhog]

The only features I want that were missing last year are:

1) CPU-vs-CPU play - check
2) Stat overlays - TBD
3) Realistic turnovers - TBD

They were the game killers for me. Outside of that I was fairly happy with last year's version. Especially compared with that awful Madden thing I toyed with for a while.