NCAA Football 09 to have platform specific covers

by pastapadre
Posted March 6th, 2008 at 9:02 am

As speculated upon after the news that Darren McFadden would be the Xbox 360 cover athlete for NCAA Football 09 broke, EA has made it official that there will be four platform specific cover athletes this year that will come from different regions of the country. If you count the mascot on the cover of the Wii version that means all five will have their own exclusive covers. The PS3 version will be announced on April 24th with the PS2 and PSP covers being announced in early May.

“These four athletes represent the best and brightest of college football, but our selections aren’t just about Heisman candidates and All Americans,” says Sr. director of marketing Tom Goedde. “They represent the spirit and passion of the sport in the same way EA SPORTS video games do.”

Thinking in regional terms (assuming McFadden is repping the south) I would look at players like Matt Ryan or Chris Long from the east, Mike Hart or Rashard Mendenhall from the north, and Dennis Dixon or DeSean Jackson coming out of the west as good possibilities. Who do you think will make the final three covers?

Also the first mention of what will be focused on in the actual game this year was made and I like the sound of opening up the gameplay in general. Over the past few years that has been something I’ve wanted more of from the football games.

NCAA Football 09 will unveil the all-new Break Away Animation Engine which allows gamers to break in and out of moves giving the user more direct control as well as instant influence and responsiveness on the field. At its core, NCAA Football 09 will focus on wide-open collegiate style gameplay featuring unique animations that you will only find on college football Saturdays. This style of gameplay will allow agile backs like McFadden to show off their break out speed and maneuverability in-game.

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jake-the-snake

Interesting what theyre doing with the covers. If there is a east and west and McFadden is thought of as the south rep then who comes from the north? No one comes to my mind right now.
jake-the-snake

Interesting what theyre doing with the covers. If there is a east and west and McFadden is thought of as the south rep then who comes from the north? No one comes to my mind right now.
DA Yankees Win

[quote comment="14993"]Interesting what theyre doing with the covers. If there is a east and west and McFadden is thought of as the south rep then who comes from the north? No one comes to my mind right now.[/quote]

Matt Ryan
DA Yankees Win

[quote comment="14993"]Interesting what theyre doing with the covers. If there is a east and west and McFadden is thought of as the south rep then who comes from the north? No one comes to my mind right now.[/quote]

Matt Ryan
Mr James

It SOUNDS like they are focusing on game play. I’m probably wrong though. Most likely, they just mean that they are adding a new gimmick.
Mr James

It SOUNDS like they are focusing on game play. I’m probably wrong though. Most likely, they just mean that they are adding a new gimmick.
ncthompson11

love the sound of the new feature. pasta do you think its probably the same thing as nba live did with quick strike ball handling? instead of having certain animations you basically could do a bunch of small moves?
ncthompson11

love the sound of the new feature. pasta do you think its probably the same thing as nba live did with quick strike ball handling? instead of having certain animations you basically could do a bunch of small moves?
Callmetaternuts

Isnt the breaking animations (or branching animations) what they touted last year? Seems a bit repetitive, but i guess we will all wait and see
Callmetaternuts

Isnt the breaking animations (or branching animations) what they touted last year? Seems a bit repetitive, but i guess we will all wait and see
Bumble14

Ummm..so I guess we can count out D1AA teams, and alternate jerseys, and presentation, and bowl patches, and cleaar visors, and bowl pageantry, and lively atmospheres…etc etc etc…because after EA adds the new breakaway feature they won’t have any more memory to put those things in. Not to mention they could only fit in 70 teams on the Wii version of the game (aka Bill Walsh College Football for Genesis).
Bumble14

Ummm..so I guess we can count out D1AA teams, and alternate jerseys, and presentation, and bowl patches, and cleaar visors, and bowl pageantry, and lively atmospheres…etc etc etc…because after EA adds the new breakaway feature they won’t have any more memory to put those things in. Not to mention they could only fit in 70 teams on the Wii version of the game (aka Bill Walsh College Football for Genesis).
http://www.pastapadre.com/ pastapadre

[quote comment="15002"]love the sound of the new feature. pasta do you think its probably the same thing as nba live did with quick strike ball handling? instead of having certain animations you basically could do a bunch of small moves?[/quote]

It sounds like that in a way. Like you can interrupt an animation at any point. I think they’re wanting to take the idea from NFL Tour (obviously not using a button to break a tackle) but in the sense that you should have full control at all times which should result in potentially more explosive plays. That doesn’t mean craziness all the time, but I think its good because right now you pretty much only see big plays on the deep ball over the top. I’ve always wanted it to feel more loose, like you get into the open field with a McFadden and you can feel that space and speed.
http://www.pastapadre.com pastapadre

[quote comment="15002"]love the sound of the new feature. pasta do you think its probably the same thing as nba live did with quick strike ball handling? instead of having certain animations you basically could do a bunch of small moves?[/quote]

It sounds like that in a way. Like you can interrupt an animation at any point. I think they’re wanting to take the idea from NFL Tour (obviously not using a button to break a tackle) but in the sense that you should have full control at all times which should result in potentially more explosive plays. That doesn’t mean craziness all the time, but I think its good because right now you pretty much only see big plays on the deep ball over the top. I’ve always wanted it to feel more loose, like you get into the open field with a McFadden and you can feel that space and speed.
http://www.pastapadre.com/ pastapadre

[quote comment="14994"][quote comment="14993"]Interesting what theyre doing with the covers. If there is a east and west and McFadden is thought of as the south rep then who comes from the north? No one comes to my mind right now.[/quote]

Matt Ryan[/quote]

I would think Matt Ryan would be considered as coming from the east. Looking back at my preview of possible candidates the only guy who fits the north that I had mentioned was Mike Hart. I’m not really sure he’d be the guy though. Maybe Rashard Mendenhall has catapulted himself to the level for cover consideration. Thats a tougher region to peg it seems.
http://www.pastapadre.com pastapadre

[quote comment="14994"][quote comment="14993"]Interesting what theyre doing with the covers. If there is a east and west and McFadden is thought of as the south rep then who comes from the north? No one comes to my mind right now.[/quote]

Matt Ryan[/quote]

I would think Matt Ryan would be considered as coming from the east. Looking back at my preview of possible candidates the only guy who fits the north that I had mentioned was Mike Hart. I’m not really sure he’d be the guy though. Maybe Rashard Mendenhall has catapulted himself to the level for cover consideration. Thats a tougher region to peg it seems.
Phil

I’m with Bumble here a little bit, I’ve been really hoping for FCS teams in 09 since I always used them in the PS2 versions. I guess I was holding out hope for an App State cover the way they did with Boise State last year.

Doesn’t kill that hope, but I could see EA throw App State on the PS2 cover just because FCS teams (with outdated rosters) are already included. That would be a big bummer.
Phil

I’m with Bumble here a little bit, I’ve been really hoping for FCS teams in 09 since I always used them in the PS2 versions. I guess I was holding out hope for an App State cover the way they did with Boise State last year.

Doesn’t kill that hope, but I could see EA throw App State on the PS2 cover just because FCS teams (with outdated rosters) are already included. That would be a big bummer.
Capital1BowlChamps08

i wish it wasnt just for platform.i have a 360 and mcfadden is a stud but if some1 from michigan was on 1 then i would get that
Capital1BowlChamps08

i wish it wasnt just for platform.i have a 360 and mcfadden is a stud but if some1 from michigan was on 1 then i would get that
ncthompson11

Chris Johnson from ECU should be on the easts
ncthompson11

Chris Johnson from ECU should be on the easts
Kmart2180

It sounds like they took the Back Breaker scheme with being able to switch from agile to power in order to control which move set you want.

Like if you want to go into agile mode u hold down a button like (LT) and then if you need to plow someone over quick you switch (Rt) into power back mode. And maybe there is 4 different moves on the r-stick for each mode (agile,power,speedyect…)

Im thinking thats how that will work.
Kmart2180

It sounds like they took the Back Breaker scheme with being able to switch from agile to power in order to control which move set you want.

Like if you want to go into agile mode u hold down a button like (LT) and then if you need to plow someone over quick you switch (Rt) into power back mode. And maybe there is 4 different moves on the r-stick for each mode (agile,power,speedyect…)

Im thinking thats how that will work.
Fred Jackson

I hope they add autothrow for the quarterback like they have in the original XBox and PS2 versions of the game. The computer will throw the ball for the quarterback if one chooses to just call the play. I REALLY miss that in the 360 version! (And if they don’t include it, I won’t buy it!)
Fred
Fred Jackson

I hope they add autothrow for the quarterback like they have in the original XBox and PS2 versions of the game. The computer will throw the ball for the quarterback if one chooses to just call the play. I REALLY miss that in the 360 version! (And if they don’t include it, I won’t buy it!)
Fred
Russell Giles

[quote comment="15020"]It sounds like they took the Back Breaker scheme with being able to switch from agile to power in order to control which move set you want.

Like if you want to go into agile mode u hold down a button like (LT) and then if you need to plow someone over quick you switch (Rt) into power back mode. And maybe there is 4 different moves on the r-stick for each mode (agile,power,speedyect…)

Im thinking thats how that will work.[/quote]

I hope it doesn’t work like that. Either way, it’s good to see they are shifting their focus to gameplay and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come for Madden as well.
Russell Giles

[quote comment="15020"]It sounds like they took the Back Breaker scheme with being able to switch from agile to power in order to control which move set you want.

Like if you want to go into agile mode u hold down a button like (LT) and then if you need to plow someone over quick you switch (Rt) into power back mode. And maybe there is 4 different moves on the r-stick for each mode (agile,power,speedyect…)

Im thinking thats how that will work.[/quote]

I hope it doesn’t work like that. Either way, it’s good to see they are shifting their focus to gameplay and hopefully it’s a sign of things to come for Madden as well.
agent k

The new feature break away animations means that players can break in and out of moves like spins and stiff arms. This is exactly what Madden 08 had already but with a name attached. In Madden, they called it branching animations.
agent k

The new feature break away animations means that players can break in and out of moves like spins and stiff arms. This is exactly what Madden 08 had already but with a name attached. In Madden, they called it branching animations.
Eski

Although I am from Michigan, if EA puts Mike Hart on the cover I would rather have a generic case…..He is poop….
Eski

Although I am from Michigan, if EA puts Mike Hart on the cover I would rather have a generic case…..He is poop….
HogFan22

I wish they would actually make the fans look better and make it a better atmosphere I mean seriously they did a lousy job cause the opponits fans cheer when your team scores and i wish they would add D2 teams back but still im very excited about McFadden being on the cover since i gota XBOX 360 this is very awesome!!!!!
HogFan22

I wish they would actually make the fans look better and make it a better atmosphere I mean seriously they did a lousy job cause the opponits fans cheer when your team scores and i wish they would add D2 teams back but still im very excited about McFadden being on the cover since i gota XBOX 360 this is very awesome!!!!!
HogFan22

Oh Yeah i wish they would let you create a school again!!!!!!
HogFan22

Oh Yeah i wish they would let you create a school again!!!!!!
DA Yankees Win

[quote comment="15036"]Although I am from Michigan, if EA puts Mike Hart on the cover I would rather have a generic case…..He is poop….[/quote]

I hope your joking.
DA Yankees Win

[quote comment="15036"]Although I am from Michigan, if EA puts Mike Hart on the cover I would rather have a generic case…..He is poop….[/quote]

I hope your joking.
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o’rly

some how i take this news as “same ol game” snazzy one liner feature=poor presentation lack of refs field goal nets and the same good stuff that this game had on old gen? yep looks the consumer inside of me tells me cha you know what? uh uh.
o’rly

some how i take this news as “same ol game” snazzy one liner feature=poor presentation lack of refs field goal nets and the same good stuff that this game had on old gen? yep looks the consumer inside of me tells me cha you know what? uh uh.
Russell Giles

[quote comment="15033"]The new feature break away animations means that players can break in and out of moves like spins and stiff arms. This is exactly what Madden 08 had already but with a name attached. In Madden, they called it branching animations.[/quote]

That’s news to me. I haven’t seen this in Madden 08 on the 360.
Russell Giles

[quote comment="15033"]The new feature break away animations means that players can break in and out of moves like spins and stiff arms. This is exactly what Madden 08 had already but with a name attached. In Madden, they called it branching animations.[/quote]

That’s news to me. I haven’t seen this in Madden 08 on the 360.
Groundhog

To be completely honest I could care less who is on the cover. They could have a photo of the 3rd string punter from Lakeland College on the cover for all the difference it makes to me.

I’m a little more concerned about what’s on the disc, and I see nothing from EA lately to make me feel too confident about that.
Groundhog

To be completely honest I could care less who is on the cover. They could have a photo of the 3rd string punter from Lakeland College on the cover for all the difference it makes to me.

I’m a little more concerned about what’s on the disc, and I see nothing from EA lately to make me feel too confident about that.
http://pastapadre.com/ mj23

DeSean Jackson.All Day
http://pastapadre.com mj23

DeSean Jackson.All Day
why him?

isnt he goin to be drafted this year? why put him on it when he isnt going to be playing college anymore?
why him?

isnt he goin to be drafted this year? why put him on it when he isnt going to be playing college anymore?
http://www.pastapadre.com/ pastapadre

[quote comment="15073"]isnt he goin to be drafted this year? why put him on it when he isnt going to be playing college anymore?[/quote]

NCAA rules don’t allow for any active players to be on a cover. So it always is a player that has declared themselves for the draft (or graduated).