Chapter 6 - Mini-Games and Xbox 360 Achievements

NCAA Football 09 returns mini-games from previous seasons, including Tug-of-War, Bowling, and Option Dash. There are no longer Xbox 360 achievements associated with these returning mini-games but there are brand new achievements associated with NCAA Football 09's new mini-games H.O.R.S.E. and Special Team Challenge. This section provides some tips on conquering the returning and new mini-games. Following this section is a complete list of Xbox 360 achievements and some tips and tricks on unlocking them.

Mini-Games

NCAA Football 09 features three mini-games from past seasons as well as a couple new challenges. The rules and strategies for returning mini-games are the same—although in NCAA 09 on the Xbox 360, there are no achievements associated with the three returning mini-games. If you simply seek victories then focus on team selection; while you select one of the best NCAA teams, you give your opponent one of the worst.

In Bowling, your team starts at the opponent's 10-yard line. Gain a touchdown on the first play and you score a strike; score in two plays and it's a spare. It scores just like real bowling; strikes carry over points from the next two plays and spares carry over points from the next play. Yards gained count as points; loss of yardage, incompletes, and turnovers count as gutter balls—zero points.

You can firmly place the bowling odds in your favor through team selection. Many different strategies will work and can depend on your skills at particular plays. If you're skilled at rushing the ball, consider choosing Ohio State or Georgia and use one of the best running backs in the game to plow through and spin around tacklers. If you're skilled at passing plays, consider one of the top passing teams, like Florida, Missouri, or West Virginia and their top quarterbacks. And if you're skilled at option plays, consider West Virginia—for its extremely fast quarterback. Don't forget your computer opponent. Choose a team with a poor defense, such as the Army Black Knights or Colorado State Rams. Basically any team with a defensive rating in the 60s will do.

NCAA Football 09's returning mini-game Option Dash is all about the option play. You score points with every yard gained and every touchdown scored. However, the real points arrive through the multiplier (for instance, a 5x multiplier scores 5x the points for each yard gained or touchdown scored). Increase the multiplier through special moves, such as a pitch, fake pitch, juke, spin move, hurdle, stiff arm, or break tackle. As with the other mini-games, gain advantage through team selection. Pick a team like West Virginia with a quarterback with over 90 speed for dominance in the option game.

Therefore it's important to perform as many special moves as possible, especially during long runs. Start with a fake pitch then a real pitch when your quarterback is almost tackled. When you're in the open field, do a fake pitch, a juke, hurdle, and a spin move. Perform a second fake pitch and another juke. Continue to string moves together as much as possible. If you're close to the sideline, run out of bounds before you're tackled. This stops the clock, which is more important than the extra few yards you would have gained.

Because touchdowns score so many points, capitalize on long yardage and big multipliers by scoring a touchdown at the end of the run. You will waste a lot of points if you're tackled at the two-yard line. Don't waste a huge multiplier without reaching the end zone! Your two-yard touchdown on the next play just won't produce the same amount of score.

NCAA Football 09's new mini-game H.O.R.S.E. shares similarities to its basketball counterpart. But instead of shooting a ball into a hoop it's kicking a football through the goal post. Win a game of H.O.R.S.E. on the Xbox 360 and you will unlock the "Win at H _ _ _ _" achievement for 20 gamer points. The rules are simple. Attempt and make a field goal and your opponent must attempt and make the same field goal or they receive a letter in the word "horse". If you complete the word, you lose. You can make several adjustments to the field goal attempt, including yardage, position on the field, wind speed, and wind direction.

A classic game of H.O.R.S.E. but this time with a field goal kicker, a football, and a lot of wind.

If your goal is to just unlock the achievement then base your entire strategy on team selection. Choose an NCAA team with a great kicker for yourself and give your computer opponent a team with a poor kicker. Check the roster stats and sort by kick power (ideally) or kick accuracy for optimum results. At that point it's just about field position. Test the range of your kicker, which should surely out distance your opponent. Ignore wind speed and direction and focus on yardage and left or right position.

In the new mini-game Special Teams Challenge, your goal is to return a kick for a touchdown or kick a field goal—only special teams plays matter! Obviously it's to your advantage to pick a team with a speedy return man (Missouri isn't a bad choice) or a great field goal kicker (such as the impact kicker on Wake Forest). You can try a field goal basically without penalty because you will simply kick off again with a miss (so give that 68 yard one a try!).

Punts that go out of bounds (unless it's a coffin corner) must be a do-over, though with yardage penalty. Also, don't let a punt go over your head; if the defense downs the ball, you must punt from that spot. You'll give the opponent big time field position and likely an easy field goal for the win. Win the Special Teams Challenge and unlock a 20 point achievement on the Xbox 360.