NFL Head Coach 09 Create-A-Coach
August 5, 2008 by pastapadre · 14 Comments
The full Q&A on NFL Head Coach 09 is coming soon (likely tomorrow) along with screenshots from online play. To get out in front of that though he has sent over a handful of screens showing the Create-A-Coach feature which had been a specific request made through the comments.
While you have the choice of taking over an existing coach some of the Xbox 360 achievements are tied into using a created one. You’ll be able to shape the appearance, skills, and personality of the created coach. Click on the images below to view.
Questions About NFL Head Coach 09?
July 29, 2008 by pastapadre · 38 Comments
Do you have any questions about NFL Head Coach 09? Producer Josh Looman has offered to take the time to respond to topics the community would be like to know more about. I’ll be compiling a list of questions to send off within the next day or two so make sure to leave your suggestions in the comments.
It’s hard to believe that not only is Madden 09 two weeks away but so is Head Coach (if purchasing the 20th Anniversary Edition). It’s going to be difficult budgeting time with all the sports titles releasing over the next two plus months.
Another NFL Head Coach 09 Full Game Video
July 19, 2008 by pastapadre · 20 Comments
With everything around the release of NCAA Football 09 and the anticipation towards Madden, it seems as though NFL Head Coach 09 has taken a back seat. But the release of Head Coach along with Madden in the 20th Anniversary Edition is barely three weeks away. At the community event it was a difficult environment to really take in this game, which has far more to it than can be experienced in a single day. I found myself to be more interested in the off-the-field activities such as the draft, but much of that was probably due to not yet being comfortable with all the options during a game to take advantage of them.
The first video showing a full game of Head Coach featured the Dolphins and Patriots which didn’t make for much of a contest. This time around it is the Cowboys-Giants rivalry that is on display. Continue on to view the full game as broken down by quarter.
Full game of NFL Head Coach 09
June 21, 2008 by pastapadre · 33 Comments
NFL Head Coach 09 was a difficult game to jump into at a community event. The almost overwhelming number of options and the overall depth of the title was too much to experience in that short period of time and in that environment. My personal feeling was I would probably be SuperSimming most of the games but really get into the offseason and draft process. What’s great about Head Coach is there are several different ways you can play it. Whether it be in that manner or delegating to others in the organization and just managing the games if you wanted to, you can dictate the experience you want to have.
One thing that didn’t get shown out of the event was the process of actually coaching a game and seeing how it all comes together. Head Coach 09 designer Donny Moore has posted a video (broken into four parts) of a full game. You can watch the Patriots vs Dolphins from start to finish by continuing on and be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments.
More Football Community Event Videos
June 1, 2008 by pastapadre · 97 Comments
I went through and pulled out some of the better clips that I had taken over the two days with Madden 09, NFL Head Coach 09, and NCAA Football 09. With Madden there is a lengthy superstar mode one which displays from the perspective of a RB, QB, CB, and DE, along with a few gameplay sequences. Head Coach has a short gameplay clip, a lengthy one displaying the play creator (which you can actually put together plays much faster than I show in that), and one that flips through all of the NFL’s coaches. Finally with NCAA there are a couple highlight videos which I liked a lot.
Previous videos can be found in the hands-on reports over the past few days. Continue on to view the videos.
NFL Head Coach 09 hands-on report
May 29, 2008 by pastapadre · 27 Comments
As mentioned in the live blog, NFL Head Coach is a difficult game to assess after a handful of hours. This game is packed full of options to an almost overwhelming degree. The session began with a producer presentation which stretched on for about 45 minutes as they discussed different areas and answered some questions. Even after all that time there was many aspects of the game that hadn’t been touched on. That really is a testament to how much thought went into the making of the game.
Live Blog: NFL Head Coach 09
May 29, 2008 by pastapadre · 83 Comments
428: It is tough to go over everything about Head Coach or experience it in a short amount of time so I’ll do my best recapping it late tonight. We had a producer presentation and have since been playing. This one is more difficult because it is only single player and we only have 360 builds so there isn’t as much chance to do some digging. Any specific questions on it feel free to drop in the comments. I have some videos for play creating and one of me running through a draft. There is so much though packed into this game its crazy.
431: It was funny when I first pulled up the player ratings, I thought people were going to freak out. Apparently it is a bug in the front end where I was viewing them. Tony Romo has a 78, Peyton Manning an 88, Tom Brady 86, ect. All the player ratings were really low. Don’t go crazy though I was told those weren’t correct and would be fixed. I warned them though that Cowboys fans would riot if those were real. Ratings ultimately will also be somewhat dependent on the system that each is playing in and how well they fit into it.
What to expect over the coming days
May 27, 2008 by pastapadre · 58 Comments
As I prepare to depart tomorrow for the EA Football Community Event I thought I would leave a few details as to what can be expected each day.
Wednesday: Travel day. Considering the cross country flight and time change it’ll eat up practically my entire day. I’ll check in when I’m settled and update the site with anything that may have been missed during that time.
Thursday: NCAA Football 09 and NFL Head Coach 09 are featured. For myself I’m expecting to sit with NCAA for about three hours so I can report back on how things have changed since playing it last month. I’ll probably be on Head Coach for closer to six or seven hours. Once back into the hotel I’ll write up initial reports on the two games. I may have a chance to do a live blog at some point while in the studio but I can’t commit to that yet.
Friday: I’m looking at about 10 hours of Madden time. Once back to the hotel I’ll work on an initial report. I suspect there will be some features we are asked to hold back on discussing but other than that I don’t believe there will be any restrictions. I may have a chance to do a live blog at some point while in the studio but I can’t commit to that yet.
Saturday: Traveling back and likely posting up more event related content. I may hold a live blog to try and answer questions and give impressions on requested areas.
Continue leaving your suggestions or requests in the previous posting or you can leave them here. I’ll take them into consideration when playing but I can’t guarantee I will be able to address each one directly.
Upcoming football community event
May 19, 2008 by pastapadre · 75 Comments
As mentioned yesterday there are a couple of community events taking place in the near future. The first one covers the three football games as NCAA Football 09, NFL Head Coach 09, and Madden 09 will all be available for significant hands-on time. There will also be some presentations and producer interaction taking place. This will be held next Thursday and Friday (5/29-30) with travel days buffering.
When it comes to the subject of embargoes this is how it will likely shape up. NCAA will be wide open for discussion for obvious reasons. Head Coach should be wide open as well given that essentially everything there is to be known about the game has been revealed. When it comes to Madden though I suspect that we will be held back on a few of the features that have not been made public. Still though there should be a ton to talk about right away including general impressions of the game and majority of the features. There is even the potential of holding a live blog at some point during my time out there.
While I will be concentrating mostly on Head Coach and Madden, there is a good opportunity to spend at least some time with NCAA to compare the most recent build to what was played late last month. I should be able to communicate any adjustments or changes that have been made which really can only be done through the feel of it. Both myself and Chris Jacobs from NCAA Strategies should be able to give that perspective on the game and how it has progressed.
This will be another chance to give input and hopefully see that reflected in the release versions as Madden and Head Coach are still early enough that feedback could be considered and acted on.
As always feel free to leave comments on what you would like to hear back on. I can’t guarantee that everything will be gotten to but I do take the suggestions and requests into consideration.
New NFL Head Coach 09 interview and poll
May 16, 2008 by pastapadre · 11 Comments
Gametap has a new interview with NFL Head Coach 09 lead producer Josh Looman. The discussion goes over aspects of the game that are already known if you’ve been piecing together the information over the past few months, but it is worth a read to get the overall sense of the direction the game has taken. The play editor, free agency negotiations, and NFL Draft among other areas are detailed. You can check out the full interview here.
But the coolest thing we have this year has to be the in-game play editor that enables you to edit any play in the game. That’s the thing people are the most excited about. It’s like when you’re a kid drawing plays in the sand. It makes you feel like a coach. If there’s a play you like but wish the receiver would run a streak instead of a curl, now you don’t have to hot route, you can edit the play right there, save it to your playbook, and then export your entire playbook into Madden.
Vote in the poll below on whether you plan to start Head Coach at the beginning of the 2008 season with the up-to-date rosters or rewind back to the beginning of the offseason and let the events play out in the game.
