The most noticeable thing right off the bat is the graphics. I recently moved in with a friend who has a 42" HDTV, and it might be my favorite object on earth. The opening shot when entering a game is stunning. The detail on the stadiums and the field are an achievement, and it really gets you pumped to start the game. The representation of the atmosphere of a big time stadium in a rivalry game is the best it's ever been. Player models are done very well, and the crwd comes complete with customized chants and, in some cases, customized movements (gator chomp, tomahawk chop). But while the game looks pretty, the ultimate decision on a game's success is always the gameplay.

The Good

EA boasts about wide open gameplay, and for the most part, they delivered. It is now possible to break out of a juke directly into another one. While this occasionally yields unrealistic results, like beginning a spin move in one direction and then spinning the opposite way in the middle of it, it is a nice touch. Now the truly shifty players have the ability to make three or four defenders miss with a well-timed push of the right analog stick. There are also more catches off of tips, and players react more realistically to loose balls and tipped balls.The playbooks are still very deep, with even the most unique offenses being well-represented. My favorite thing about this is that the numerous spread offenses that have popped up around college football are finally done right. Michigan, Florida, Missouri, and West Virginia all run a vast majority of their plays out of the shotgun, to varying degrees of success. It's going to be a rough year for Michigan fans if the game is any representation, because they do not have the personnel to run a West Virginia style offense yet. But Pat White and Tim Tebow will tear you apart unless you have a phenomenal defensive game.

One of the first things I do with NCAA games is look at the rosters. The amount of time it takes to put together the entire rosters of over 110 teams has to be astronomical, and all people want to do is pick them apart afterwards. Despite certain disagreements I have (Donald Washington is the #7 overall cornerback in the nation), EA still did a great job. There are two 99s in the game, Heisman winner Tim Tebow and Ohio State middle linebacker James Laurinaitis. No player boasts 99 speed this year, though Trindon Holliday and Percy Harvin top out at 98. Overall, the speeds for players are down, which is good because many players are often overrated in this area. The true burners should have a bit of separation from guys who are just pretty fast.

I haven't played through a season yet, but I am hoping that recruits with 99 speed are no longer a regularity. Ohio State boasts the top running back, cornerback, middle linebacker, and outside linebacker in the game. This team is stacked. Florida has more speed than any other team, and it makes them very difficult to defend. Daquan Bowers of Clemson is the top freshman with an 86 overall rating. The most intriguing newcomer is Terrelle Pryor, who is rated in the mid 80s and has speed second only to Pat White at the quarterback position.Arguably the most revolutionary new feature in NCAA 09 is the ability to do online dynasties with friends across the country. Now you and your friends can play through a dynasty, each controlling a different team, from anywhere around the world. The most interesting part of this feature has got to be competing for recruits with your best friends. Maybe I'm behind the curve on this, but this whole concept is mind blowing to me. Too bad all my friends play XBOX 360.Celebrations have been improved and expanded, as players now have the ability to celebrate with mascots. Some schools, like Florida and Florida State, have a custom team animation available when scoring a touchdown. This is one of those little things that adds to the fun of the game. For so-called purists, just hit X when you score and bypass the celebrations altogether.

THE BAD

The defense in this game can be maddening. In years past, I played as the middle linebacker, supporting the run D and taking care of short crossing routes over the middle. But after failing miserably defensively with this tactic, I had to try something new. The problem was that the CPU offensive lines are basically supermen. Getting off blocks is nearly impossible, and half your defensive line will be pancaked a second after the snap. More on that in The Ugly secton. I've found that controlling one of the safeties is the best way to slow down the opposing offense. If you're skilled at pass coverage, you can really shut down one half of the field and keep deep passes to a minimum. Still, the pass rush is integral to the game (see Georgia and Florida destroying Colt Brennan and Troy Smith's draft statuses), and EA completely blew this. Also, the defenders that you aren't controlling border on mentally challenged. The man coverage in this game is OK, but when a pass comes, the computer doesn't react at all. Knock the damn thing down!Which brings me to the computer passing game. Every quarterback in this game is Tom Brady squared. They make almost every correct read, are impervious to pressure, and are like snipers with the football. Man, zone, blitzing or not, the computer pass game will eat you alive. You may be thinking, "that's what sliders are for", but that's where a glaring flaw is exposed. More on that in The Ugly section as well. Overall, computer controlled players need an upgrade in intelligence. I can only control one guy at a time, so I have to have some faith in the 10 computer players around me, but that faith is waning.

THE UGLY

There are a few gigantic problems with this game that make me wonder, didn't EA have testers? The first one is a roster problem. I spent hours upon hours putting names into last year's game. This year, I decided to get smart and download rosters online. While EA will never tell you this, there are people working hard inputting every single name and putting them into a downloadable file so that the rest of us can have names for free. Check freencaa09rosters.com for more. While XBOX rosters are now available, PS3 Rosters are not. There is a reason for this. Apparently, inputting names on the PS3 version has a bit of a bug. IT DELETES ENTIRE TEAMS FROM THE GAME. That's right, put in some names and teams like Troy and Western Kentucky go MIA.

EA is working on a patch that should be released within days, but it is incomprehensible to me that such a flaw was not exposed in testing. Games should not be released to be tested by fans. They should be perfected behind the scenes.There is a second patch that is being worked on to improve the pass rush, but this is also an obvious and glaring weakness in the game. Yet it was ignored by the makers of the game. Pass rush is more important than it's ever been, yet it is the weakest spot in gameplay. Back to the sliders problem I mentioned earlier. It appears that the sliders do not correspond to what they say they do. Mess with the CPU QB accuracy slider, and it may improve their blocking while not affecting passing accuracy at all. Again, how the hell does this get by the testers? This will also be fixed via patch, but the idea that a patch is needed for such an obvious and stupid mistake is ridiculous. Get it together EA.

THE VERDICT

This was supposed to be a transcendent game. This was supposed to be the first polished NCAA game for the PS3 after last year's version ran at 30 fps instead of 60. And while the game is well done, it is disappointing to those of us who expected a 10 and got an 8. The roster glitch and defensive problems really take away from what is a very solid game overall. But solid is not what the people expected. When arguably the two greatest next gen games of all time have been released in the last few months (GTA 4, Metal Gear Solid 4), one assumes that the bar has been raised across the gaming world. There is a lot to love about this game, but it falls short of expectations. I definitely recommend buying the game once the patches come out, because the good does outweigh the bad. But it is far from perfect, and I'm hoping for a better showing from the Madden series.FINAL GRADE: 4 stars out of 5

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IO said:

	I cant play D in this effing game! should i turn the pass blocking sliders down or something?
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July 23, 2008
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onearmedbandit said:

Brilliantly, the sliders are broken. Until the gameplay patch comes out, which should be in the next week or two, they don't necessarily correspond to what they should. This increases the frustration. The best way to get pressure is to overload blitz. It's still not extremely effective, but I've been able to amass some sacks that way. Zone blitzes are more effective than man blitzes, though opposing quarterbacks will still pick you apart far too easily. Your best bet is to zone blitz from various angles and control one of your linebackers or safeties to at least attempt to knock a few balls away over the middle.

report abuse vote down vote up

July 23, 2008
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dave curtis said:

	how do u celebrate after a touchdown?
	report abuse vote down vote up

July 31, 2008
Votes: +0

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