NFL Head Coach

[gran guerrero]

Anyone has or played this game? From watching commercials and shit this is kind of like madden, but you are playing a bigger role as a coach.

I'd like to get it, but im dedicated to the madden line...

[Troll King]

It's not similar enough to Madden that you'd regret getting both. This type of game isn't for everyone though; those who have played other sports games like Championship Manager will know what to expect, but if you want something with more action, don't bother. As the first game in a new series (or at least, as what EA hopes to be a new series) the game has its flaws, but Tiburon, the production company that also makes Madden, has a good track record at making future improvements. The AI for one thing isn't very good and many people found the game a bit too easy. It doesn't help that you can't change the difficulty or fine tune the game with sliders as in Madden. The production values though are top notch, and this game features good use of the ESPN license. This game wouldn't have been possible either if it weren't for the exclusivity deal with the NFL. There were fears that it would stifle creativity and innovation, but this game proved otherwise.

The pacing is a bit slow, even if you know what to expect from a sports sim.The different stages that you have to go through during the week are a bit restrictive too. You have to schedule time for simple tasks like adding a play to your playbook or calling another team to propose a trade, yet you also have steps that you don't have anything you need to do.

I don't know about the Xbox version, but the PS2 version has almost excrutiatingly slow loading times. It's even more annoying when you wait that long for a new scene that is exactly the same as the last scene, with minor cosmetic differences (and when I say minor, I mean like substituting the hole punch on your desk with a binder, neither of which does anything.) I've played the PC version as well as the PS2 version, and the loading times are much shorter on the computer. If you were to choose between those two versions, choose PC. You can even order and download it directly from EA and avoid the middle-man. They've also released a patch for the PC version, and future updates will hopefully address some of the game's other flaws.

[Dameon Angell]

One cool concept for Head Coach on the PS2 (probably on the PC as well, but that is unknown to me, maybe TK would know) is that you can use your USB microphone and bark out plays to your players on gameday. But outside of that, this is a game for players who love to manage a team rather than playing for them.