CGRundertow NFL HEAD COACH 09 for PlayStation 3 Video Game Review

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!