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NFL Head Coach 09 is a unique NFL experience that gives gamers the power to make decisions that define their career and ultimately the fate of their franchise as a head coach in the NFL. The game provides a complete NFL experience, offering a variety of different ways to control an NFL franchise, on and off the field, in-season and off-season. With strategic game planning features, NFL Head Coach 09 places gamers in the coach’s seat by allowing gamers to comprehensively scout the opponent, build playbooks, and develop a team that will adapt to the philosophy and system of an NFL franchise. The sideline is your playing field in NFL Head Coach 09 — gamers can make adjustments to plays and game strategies in an instant. The outcome of every game depends on game-time decisions made on the sideline. Success depends on proper preparation and knowledge of the opposing teams’ strategies, as well as expert and timely play calling.

Genre: Sports Simulation

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: Tiburon

Online Play: 2 Versus

Local Play:

September 8, 2008 –
When Madden 09 released in August it was available in two flavors: 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition and Standard Edition. The standard edition is the typical barebones, no frills offering, while the 20th Anniversary Collector’s Edition came packed with extras. One of which included the full retail release of NFL Head Coach 09. While the game was an attractive add-on to an already stout package, there’s some doubt as to whether the title has the legs to stand on its own.

NFL Head Coach 09 is a game tailored for the gurus of fantasy football. In fact, guru doesn’t even seem accurate. The aficionados among the gurus, the masters of the masters, are the ones that Head Coach is truly made for. It’s a football management simulation where players will need to take painstaking measures to try and guide their team to a title.

This can be done by inhabiting the shell of a coach already in the league or crafting your own via limited customization options and inserting them into your favorite squad. You’ll be tasked with things like staffing your roster of coaches and coordinators as well as establishing skills and specialties for your coach. Customization options in this sense actually do have a good bit of depth. You’ll be able to level up the physical, intangible and learning development abilities of your coach for every position on the field as well as general play calling and strategic skills.

The skill progression is extraordinarily deep and you’ll need to complement your head coach’s weaknesses with strengths from your coordinators. You’ll need to sculpt a philosophy for every position and side of the ball and week-to-week, you’ll to manage strategies and teach your players new plays designed to highlight the weaknesses of the opposition. There’s no question that NFL Head Coach 09 has a lot going on. Now the only question is if it’s any good.

The answer to that really depends on the type of football fan and gamer you are. For me the process of building a staff, keeping players happy and meticulously sculpting every other aspect of team was actually pretty fun, but most likely won’t think so. It’s rare to see a title that is so heavily based on its niche appeal, but NFL Head Coach 09 makes no apologies to fans who might not appreciate the total lack of speed and excitement in the game.

Luckily, Head Coach isn’t completely devoid of real football. On Sundays you’ll be transported onto the field, though you’ll still be relegated to calling plays and won’t get hands-on with the action. Before the play you’ll see what kind of a pre-snap advantage you have over the opposition, if any. There’s no doubt that the action on the field isn’t up to the level of authenticity as what is seen from Madden, but the player models are detailed and move reasonably well for a title that isn’t about football in the traditional sense.

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