NCAA Football 09 Patch #2 Out Now
August 21, 2008 by pastapadre · 22 Comments
The second (and final) patch for NCAA Football 09 has gone live for the Xbox 360 and should be following for the PS3 in the near future. This patch addresses some gameplay improvements, fixes to different areas of the game such as the sliders, and the addition of being able to view online dynasties on EA Sports World.
Continue on to view the full list of what is included in the patch. Be sure to leave your thoughts on how the patch affects the game in the comments.
NCAA Football 09 Sales Numbers
August 16, 2008 by pastapadre · 21 Comments
Official NPD sales numbers for July have been released and offer the first opportunity to compare year over year how NCAA Football 09 is faring.
Sales on the 360 were nearly identical to last year. Despite gaining significant user base EA was unable to increase sales at all there. 397,000 this year just as it was with 08. Over with the PS3 however there was a pickup of 86,000 units going from 156,000 to 242,000. With the PS3 playing catch up to the 360 we’ve seen sales increasing there at a higher rate than the user base gained by the 360 in the same time. Meanwhile it is no surprise to see that the Wii version didn’t make it into the top 10 in software sales for the month.
In the previous generation NCAA 06 saw the highest number with 611,000 on the PS2 and 332,000 on the Xbox. Combining the 360 & PS3 with 09 we now have a total that outreaches that of 639,000. That still leaves a difference of 304,000. Last year the PS2 version sold 236,000 in the month, that number is probably about half that this year. Counting in the PS2 and Wii the total number of sales would look to fall short of 06, but it is important to note that even though there may have been less sales the 360 and PS3 versions are bringing in $10 more per copy.
The hardcore crowd seems to be almost fully realized in this generation, with the Wii having the most potential to see a surge. If sub-par releases like NCAA 09 continue on the Wii though that isn’t going to happen. The 360 and PS3 would seem to have marginal room for improvement, with the PS3 likely to close the gap some in coming years.
Madden 09 sales have reportedly been comparable to last year, this after hearing that pre-orders had been down. Analysts are attributing that to the quality of the game as it has been the best received in years.
Pastapadre Online Dynasty Update Weeks 3-6
August 6, 2008 by pastapadre · 12 Comments
The Pastapadre Online Dynasty has now advanced through week six, thankfully without experiencing any more major catastrophes. Arizona State was able to pull off a nail-biter of an upset over top ranked Georgia, but Clemson remains the highest ranking team at #4. In the first head-to-head game of the year it was Illinois coming out on top over Penn State to take control of the Big 10. The upcoming game for Illinois against still undefeated Indiana looms large for that conference.
As teams have continued to show dominance over the CPU the upcoming patch that will fix sliders will likely lead to adjustments next season. But for the rest of this year we’ll be rolling on as is. Continue to view the latest standings, Heisman Watch, recruiting update, and the big games ahead for the next three weeks.
NCAA Football 09 Patch Details
August 1, 2008 by pastapadre · 63 Comments
The complete list of what is being fixed in the second patch is now available thanks to producer Adam Thompson. This patch is expected to be submitted to MS/Sony today which means it could potentially arrive before September if things go smoothly. The first patch, which fixes the player editing issues, may be out as early as next week.
Expanding on what was already known the patch will include the ability to view your Online Dynasty headquarters through EA Sports World along with some bug fixes. Continue on to view the full list of items included in the patch.
Pastapadre Online Dynasty Update Weeks 1-3
July 28, 2008 by pastapadre · 15 Comments
Once the Pastapadre Online Dynasty was resurrected it was back to concentrating on playing. The non-functioning screenshot uploading feature (which seems to be an isolated problem just occurring with the OD ones) had delayed this first recap in the hopes that it would be fixed. But as it has not I wanted to update on the first three weeks anyway and bring everyone up to speed on where things are at.
The top rated team currently is Clemson at #8 and four other teams are in the top 25. Only two teams have losses on their record but as the schedule progresses and the vastly over-matched FCS teams become no longer a factor the potential to see more teams taking a hit will be there. Week four is already open and you can follow along throughout the dynasty in the forum.
Padre vs Fred Challenge Through Four Games
July 27, 2008 by pastapadre · 7 Comments
As Fred took a 3-0 lead with a rout of Georgia by Florida it was absolutely necessary that I come up with a victory in game four to avoid the sweep. We have a history of going on streaks against each other so even though it would be a long shot I wasn’t ready to admit defeat in the series. With Clemson at home against Auburn it took a conservative and efficient effort and one big play to finally break through with the win. Continue on for a short recap, highlight videos, and poll to determine the game five match-up.
NCAA Football 09 Wii Impressions
July 26, 2008 by pastapadre · 15 Comments
As the first of the All-Play titles it was pretty obvious that EA Sports didn’t have much confidence in NCAA Football 09 for the Wii. I even noted that a while back when EA was showing off the whole All-Play lineup…except for NCAA. Even feature wise it didn’t match up lacking the online component that the others had.
I took a different approach with this game (and will do the same with all Wii titles) going into it looking for something different. Would it provide a quick paced and fun experience? Few hardcore sports gamers are only going to have a Wii. It’s much more likely that someone would pick up the Wii version as a complimentary title to one they’ve already purchased for the 360 or PS3. So head-to-head would be a focus, areas such as the mini and mascot games would need to provide enjoyment, and how well the controls worked would be critical.
Continue on to read my initial thoughts on the Wii version of NCAA Football 09 along with a gameplay video.
Update on NCAA Football 09 Issues
July 25, 2008 by pastapadre · 98 Comments
The roster editing patch is currently in certification at Microsoft and Sony. There is no specific day the patch will be approved and pushed out but it should not be too long now, possibly by the end of next week.
The second patch, which is intended to improve different gameplay elements, is still in the evaluation period. Right now a reasonable expectation on when this patch will arrive is September. So far it will include fixes to sliders, improvements to kick/punt return coverage, and various tuning to areas such as zone coverages, man vs RBs, and strafe catching. There will be more included in the patch but as of now those are the things that are confirmed.
The issues with Online Dynasty have been identified and some fixes have been implemented that should prevent them from occuring in the future. This didn’t require a patch as it was server related. Anyone who has a dynasty that they are locked out of where it boots you back to the menu screen can leave your gamertags (commish preferred) in the comments and I’ll pass them along as they may be able to recover the dynasty.
No word yet on a fix for the uploading of online dynasty screenshots. It is apparently being looked into.
Online Dynasty Resurrected
July 21, 2008 by pastapadre · 41 Comments
After the utter disappointment of today comes some reason for hope. After investigating issues with the online dynasties throughout the day EA was able to remove a couple rogue files from my dynasty’s locker. Everything now loads up fine and appears to be accurate up to the point where the problems began. The Pastapadre Online Dynasty may attempt to advance to week two late tonight or in the early morning.
While this was just a temporary solution, and there is no guarantee the same problem won’t occur again, it is encouraging. Hopefully they’ll be able to restore all the damaged dynasties while finding a permanent fix very soon.
Online Dynasty Disaster
July 21, 2008 by pastapadre · 106 Comments
Online Dynasty in NCAA Football 09 was shaping up to be to be one of, if not the best new feature in a sports game in years. It had a true next-gen feel to it and into just the first week of the feature it had rejuvenated my interest in playing games against the CPU. The ability to have most of the games against the CPU offered the flexibility to progress a dynasty smoothly (unlike online leagues) while keeping the interactivity of having other users involved made it an exciting proposition.
Unfortunately the biggest feature for the game doesn’t appear to work right, as numerous reports of different things happening to wreck dynasties have been reported. That is the case with the Pastapadre Online Dynasty, which before week one could even be completed has seen an early death. I can no longer load into the dynasty as it just bumps me back to the main menu, and looking at the settings from the outside shows completely inaccurate settings and sliders.
Needless to say this is one of the most frustrating developments I’ve ever experienced when it comes to sports gaming. Previous years have brought terrible online performance though that was corrected with 09. Now the most anticipated and hyped feature doesn’t function correctly. And for those that haven’t had problems yet they’ll have to face anxiety each time they load it up. Not exactly the experience that was promised.
Along with the Online Dynasty problems there are a few other areas of concern, though minor in comparison. The Weather Channel feature hasn’t seemed to function since day one and the uploading of screenshots lately have not been working (though videos remain fine for whatever reason).
At this point even a patch can’t salvage the damage that has been done. I have little interest in restarting a dynasty from scratch. A few days ago I stated how enjoyable the game and new features were and how that would keep me playing through the release of Madden 09. Now it looks as though that won’t be happening.
I’m truely crushed by this development. I’m not sure where to go from here.
