EA's NFL Head Coach

It's like Baseball Mogul or Championship Manager, only for football. So it engages your brain, not just your thumbs.

 

If a lot of things aren't fixed/revamped/integrated for 2007 (penalties, blocking on returns, old stadiums, etc.), I won't be buying Madden anymore either.

I enjoyed the coaching-type games a lot as a kid, but they're never going to be the kinds of video games -- in a friend's words -- that you go to sleep thinking about and wake up thinking about.

 

I bought this game the other day.

It's very involved, probably more so than I thought it would be.

Anyone else played it?

 

I bought it for PC and have just made it to before the first college draft, with the Buffalo Bills. I played it for a couple of hours and still am two weeks from digging into the draft. Great fun.

 

So is it worth the buy?

 

I would wait and buy the new madden but after hearing all of the reviews, it's a definite winner.

 

I haven't played Madden since the 2004 version came out. The series lost me when 2K came out with their version, but we all know how that ended. :'(

 

I hear ya :'(

 

I bought it when it first came out. Pretty cool so far, but things that struck me lately:

-- EA's college game had this problem a few years ago, but rosters are limited to 55 players year-round. No collegiate free agents, no practice squad, nothing. Though I'm far from the season yet, that seems like it will be very limiting when the season comes around: If one guy gets hurt, you're just short-handed at that position. No dressing someone from the PS to stand on the sideline just in case, no game-day inactives. Furthermore, each draft will require cuts from the previous season; this seems to make the RFA route much more attractive, since you gain a proven player with a track record and can sacrifice a lesser player at that position - something I'd be much less comfortable with if it happened with a draft pick, which you lose as compensation.

-- For some reason, I was hoping there would be some sort of play-building engine, even though I'd not seen anything of the sort on the features list. They do have a system to a degree, but it only allows you to modify current plays (tell the slot receiver to run a fly, not an out, etc.).

-- I had a list of areas I was supposed to address through the draft with the Eagles: RB, DT and OLB. Except I took care of part of it during the restricted free agent season (deftly signing Robert Mathis). Suddenly, a week before the draft, the owner wants me to take a MLB - a position I had done zero scouting on, since the Eagles are set there. (By then, the scouting guy had moved on to scouting free agents.)

-- I started training camp earlier tonight, and I was frustrated by the motivation options - basically you could berate someone or be more passive with your criticism. There was no encouragement option - if a dude made a nice throw, move, catch or block, I'd like to be able to tell them that.

It's a cool game and all, and one I am enjoying. But I can't honestly say it's lived up to my expectations; then again, I had very high (and probably unrealistic) expectations for it. I'm about to hop off of here and go play some more, FWIW.

 

But the commercials are hillarious

 

I just made it to the first college draft after getting the game on Thursday and not playing much on Friday.

Anyway, I'll agree with Hustle. The rosters are a bit limited with just 55 players. When I reached my full roster, I couldn't negotiate with anyone else unless I cut someone.

I'm the Lions coach and I wasn't going to re-sign Kevin Johnson, because he wanted too much. But as I got to the end where I had to re-sign my own FAs, it said that he was signed. I didn't offer him a contract, so the AI must have done it for me.


I'm only halfway through the draft (you can speed it along to get to your picks, but I've been following along.. They allow 40 seconds for the other teams picks and you get 4 minutes.

Somehow tho, I ended up with Reggie Bush at No. 9. He was the top-rated player in the draft, yet AJ Hawk went No. 1, forget who went second and Leinart third.

 

Bought it Sunday, played for about 3 hours...got job offer, went through intiial stuff, scouted for draft, draft day came, I got bored. Went back to Civilization (the game, not my life). Will probably play about 20 minutes a day until football season comes. It seems oay so far, but just not what I was expecting...then again, I don't know exactly what I was expecting, and I haven't gone too far in the game yet either. Bought the PC version at Best Buy for $40.