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NCAA Football 09 Xbox 360
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Metascore
83 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 24 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 26 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: College football has never before felt more wide open than in NCAA Football 09. Gamers can experience the excitement of making big plays on the field, as they have the ability to directly control and influence the game through the all-new break away animation engine. With huge cut-back lanes, new tackling animations and wider blocking holes, NCAA Football 09 offers a host of offensive opportunities. NCAA Football 09 also brings the atmosphere, pageantry and tradition of college football to life. Through the redesigned stadiums, which reflect even more detail of each school’s individual playing field, to the dynamic sidelines filled with school colors, cheerleaders and mascots, players feel the excitement of college gameday. Players can gain Home Field Advantage as the intensity of the home crowd rises and rattles the composure of opposing teams. All 120 Football Bowl Subdivision schools are represented in the game and players can even customize the in-game atmosphere with their own personal music collection. Off the field, NCAA Football 09 features its most robust Dynasty Mode yet, inviting fans to create and manage a perennial powerhouse program from landing blue-chip recruits to winning championships on the field. For the first time ever, Dynasty goes online with up to 12 competitors to recruit head-to-head, customize schedules and play for up to 60 seasons. [Electronic Arts]… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. Worth Playing
    93
    The series' best effort in years.
  2. 1UP
    91
    After years of online fumbles by developer EA Tiburon, our annual war cry for an online dynasty mode has been answered. Not only is NCAA Football 09's most impressive innovation brilliantly seamless, but it's full-featured as well (from recruiting and scheduling to talking sure-fire pros into staying on an extra season).
  3. GameDaily
    70
    It just about looks, sounds and plays as it did before, solidly but without anything "wow"-worthy to justify your $60 purchase.

See all 24 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 4 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. FredGlow
    9
    Comopared to Madden NFL 08, this games is a dream. The AI is great. The stadium layouts and mascot are great. Being able to call extended audibles with the right stick is innovative. I also like the college superstar mode, which is far superior to the NFL game.. Best of all is the ability to pitch with QB option. What a difference to Madden, which is nearly impossible to play.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. VernonDozier
    6
    This is 2008 and we expect more than the same old klunky football with numerous bugs and problems. CPU can't run and never throws long; special teams is busted; roster crashes; no defense at all (last person with the ball wins); no DL pressure (even when blitzing 8); superhuman QB's routinely complete 80-90% of their passes; sliders don't do anything and there is talk that some are reversed; and I could go on and on. Poor effort EA! If you want a good playing game out of the box try APF2K8. It only got average reviews because they don't have the almighty license that EA has.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. JohnB.
    4
    I love the NCAA Football series. I've long preferred it to Madden. I love the atmosphere, the game to game pressure to win, the option offenses, all that. That's why this version of the game is such a monumental disappointment. The game's problem's are pretty much isolated to its gameplay, but what a variety of problems there are. CPU passing is ridiculous; the CPU never, ever passes deep. Instead, the CPU will kill you with non-stop 8-12 yard passes that it completes with remarkable accuracy. I found that even QBs with ratings in the high 70s with the QB accuracy sliders reduced significantly would still easily complete 70-80% of their passes. Generating a pass rush is damn near impossible. Neither the player nor the CPU can seem to generate a half-decent pass rush with the d-line alone, and blitzes almost never work. If you do manage to get a stop and force a punt, there's hope: punt returns are ridiculously easy in this game. While coverage usually runs me down before I score, I was routinely returning punts 30-40 yards without much trouble. For that matter, most kickoff returns result in great field position as well: I think out of all the kickoff returns I've had so far (CPU and me combined) only one has been stopped at the 25 or less. Defensive pursuit routes on goal line plays can be laughable, whether it's the CPU or the player. It's truly aggravating to see cornerbacks backing into coverage when a scrambling QB is 3 yards away from them. Lastly, the CPU running game sucks. While the CPU will occasionally break a long run, for the most part rushes are easily stopped for gains of 1-2 yards. Not that this matters much with the quality of the CPU passing attack. All in all, it's embarrassing that this game shipped with so many obvious gameplay issues. I can only hope that some or most will be patched.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes

See all 8 User Reviews