Does anyone have or plan to buy this game? I have NCCA 2004 so held off on Madden because, I didn't want to just drop $50 for the pro version of the same game. So in comes ESPN FOOTBALL 2k4 I've played the 2k series since the Dreamcast days. I'm not a fanboy or anything, but I've always thought SEGA/VC's sports games were always better than EA's. EA's marketing muscle makes up for their mediocre games. Anyways, here are some of the interesting things in ESPN football, 1. First person mode 2. Online - users can create their own online league 3. Crisp graphics - (if you thought nfl 2k3 looked good, just wait) 4. Contest ref calls 5. Unlock your crib 6. New Gameplay interface... If anyone has played this yet, post your thoughts here...
Anybody remember when you used to play FOOTBALL in a football video game? We need another Tecmo Super Bowl thread.
I used to be like you. Why buy NCAA if you have NFL. But I have found great enjoyment from both games. College and Pro. You'll like 2k4 a lot. And the two games will allow you to import your draft class. Which will make the NFL game even better. In my experience: I've played the following 2004 NCAA - EA SPORTS - Awesome 2003 NCAA 2K3 - Weaker than above listed game 2003 NFL 2K3 - Awesome I will probably try to stick with one series. No way I'm buying 4 games.
Here's an in-depth preview from Gamespot.com: http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/sports/nfl2k4/preview_6073068.html The history of Visual Concepts' NFL franchise is an intriguing one, filled with many twists and turns, both good and bad. Since the series' inception with NFL 2K on the Dreamcast in 2000, the line has faced a multitude of challenges and changes, including several jumps back and forth between different consoles, a long-standing and seemingly perpetually uphill battle against EA's Madden NFL series, and an eventual licensing deal forged with ESPN. For this year's iteration, gone is the well-known NFL 2K brand name, replaced with a more obvious nod to the aforementioned ESPN license, ESPN NFL Football. What hasn't changed, however, is the time-tested and critically acclaimed style of gameplay that has made the Sega Sports brand of football one of the best in the business, and with a number of new features, ESPN NFL Football has the potential to be a fantastic addition to an already impressive line of games. We recently had an opportunity to spend a great deal of time playing near-complete builds of the PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game, and while there are still a couple of kinks here and there, the overall product seems to be coming together wonderfully. The Visual Concepts brand of football gameplay is widely regarded as one of the most realistic and enjoyable ever created, and ESPN NFL Football will likely live up to that esteem. The gameplay feels like it was left largely untouched for this year's game, but with some definitive improvements to the overall flow and style. The biggest difference we noticed was in the running game. One of the least realistic--though sometimes the most fun--aspects of the series' running game was the fact that you could often turn on a dime and have your jukes and other dodge moves take effect immediately. This aspect has been altered slightly for a more realistic feel, though not so much as to take away from any of the fun. Also, to counterbalance this, these moves feel a little more effective now, and breaking tackles seems a little bit easier, so you won't just get dive-tackled the second you try to perform a juke. Much of the passing game this year has been left untouched, though you may notice fewer randomly dropped balls. Each time we saw a receiver drop a ball, it was for a pretty obvious reason, unlike in last year's game. The defensive game hasn't been changed drastically either, but some important upgrades have been implemented. The pass rush is definitely much more realistic, and no longer will you go lengthy stretches of time without a single sack while the CPU sacks you eight times a game. In addition to that, coverage in the backfield has definitely changed for the better, as defensive backs will no longer jump to try for a ball that is nowhere near them. Additionally, defensive backs and linebackers have gotten much better about properly covering their zones and assigned players, and incidental contact no longer appears to result in pass interference calls, which was a bit of a problem in last year's game. That's not to say that the series' coverage aspect is completely perfect, but at this point, it's far and away the best it's ever been. The one defensive aspect that has actually gotten harder is tackling, as defensive players can no longer simply dive at an opposing player and bring him down immediately. Dive-tackling is actually now much less effective, and bigger players like defensive linemen don't seem to jump nearly as far as the defensive backs do. As far as new additions to the gameplay go, a couple of new elements have been added. The biggest and most noteworthy of these changes has to be the new coach challenge system, which allows you to throw the red flag and challenge a call made on the field. Creating something like this is a tricky prospect, as in order to make it work, you are effectively asking the game to make purposeful mistakes. Thankfully, it appears that Visual Concepts has struck a balance that keeps the game from making any boneheaded mistakes, and instead allows for only some very minor incorrect calls here and there. In the instances we had to challenge a play, we found that the CPU would appropriately overturn calls or let them stand based on replays, rarely ever leaving us frustrated. Another upgrade to the gameplay this year is the new charge system, which is effectively a new version of the game's turbo meter. Charging your player up works just like the turbo, as you'll hit the charge button and a meter underneath your player will begin to fill up. Once your charge meter is full, your speed and momentum will increase, allowing you to break away from defensive players or tackle offensive players more effectively. ESPN NFL Football contains a number of feature-level improvements on last year's game, including two brand-new game features: first-person football and the crib. First-person football, upon initial inspection, seems like just an additional camera perspective, placing you inside the helmet of a player and letting you experience firsthand what it's like to be on the field. However, there's significantly more to it than just a camera angle. To begin with, first-person football isn't just a selectable camera view--rather, it is its own separate mode, selectable from the main game menu, and it's fairly easy to see why. The game itself is very, very different when you're in first-person mode, as your field of view is far more limited. To counteract this, during the game, each player has a threat meter that detects the direction and urgency of an opposing player's threat. While it's not perfect, the threat meter definitely gives you a good idea of which direction not to head in. In first-person football, you can still take control of any player you can in the normal game, but with a couple of key differences. When playing on offense, you'll automatically be placed in the role of the quarterback or the running back before the snap, depending on whether you've selected a passing or running play. As the running back, you're basically stuck as the running back until the play is over, but as the quarterback, you'll be able to remain the quarterback once the pass has left your hand or have the game transfer you into the helmet of the targeted receiver so you can try to run the ball down the field yourself. On defense, you'll be able to switch between all the defensive players on the field at will, though too much changing can be very disorienting when trying to locate the player with the ball. The right analog stick also plays a big role in first-person football, as moving it from side to side will let your player look around the field, and pressing in the stick will activate a bullet-time function that slows down all the action on the field for a few seconds so you can get your bearings. We spent a great deal of time playing first-person football, and though we definitely see a lot of potential in the mode, there were a few notable issues, such as some rather prevalent clipping problems and a pretty steep learning curve. First-person football is easily the most eagerly anticipated and most hyped aspect of this year's installment, and though it certainly isn't perfect, it's still a very unique and entertaining experience. ESPN NFL Football's other big addition is the crib, a collection mode that lets you view the items you've unlocked by completing various in-game challenges and reaching certain landmarks. The crib itself is modeled after a luxury home, and it is designed to be a representation of an NFL player's house. In it, you can mold the decor after the fashion of whatever your favorite NFL team is, as well as store trophies, jerseys, posters, and other paraphernalia. You'll also have lots of other neat little things to play around with, such as a jukebox that contains a number of ESPN tracks and plenty of classic Sega music from games like Jet Grind Radio and an entertainment center that contains various video clips for you to watch. There's even an air hockey table that you can play on against the CPU or a friend. Besides the basic collection items, you can also access unlockable items that can be used outside of the crib, such as classic players and teams, created team logos and player gear, and the like. In order to unlock items in the crib, you'll have to achieve certain goals in the game. The goals are all over the map, ranging from the highly simplistic, such as merely entering the franchise mode or racking up a certain number of tackles in a game, to the seemingly impossible, like having to keep an opposing team from generating any offense during a game. Once you have unlocked something, a small overlay will appear on the screen, letting you know which mark you've hit and that you've unlocked something new. In order to save your unlocked items, you will need to visit the crib and save your user profile before quitting the game. Over the years, one of the biggest complaints about the NFL 2K series has been that it simply doesn't reward the player for getting good at the game, and it appears that Visual Concepts has definitely heard these complaints, as the crib is a surprisingly rewarding mode, and the staggering number of unlockable items--somewhere around 1,500--is hard to argue with. Aside from this year's two newcomers to the series, some of the older, more familiar modes in ESPN NFL Football have been overhauled as well, including the franchise mode. While the mode itself is largely the same, a couple of noteworthy additions have been made. The first and most obvious addition is the e-mail function, which is basically an in-game messaging system that notifies you of everything going on with your franchise. The e-mails you receive vary from simple notes from ESPN.com about power rankings, trades, and notable injuries from around the league to notes from the team owner and trainers. Trainers basically e-mail only when a player has been injured, letting you know what happened and how long the player is going to be out. The team owner, on the other hand, evaluates your performance, letting you know if you're achieving the goals necessary to be considered successful. This is important, as in this year's game, you can be fired as head coach. To avoid doing so, you'll obviously need to keep winning, but you'll also have a number of basic goals laid out for you each season, such as ranking in the top half of the league in defense or winning a playoff game. Consistently reaching these benchmarks keeps your job safe; failing to do so simply means game over. This year's franchise mode also includes a multiplayer component. At the beginning of a new franchise, you can now choose to control as many teams as you like among the 32 available, and you and however many friends you like can operate the different teams. ESPN NFL Football is online on both the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, and both versions are looking very good. Clearly, the biggest issue with last year's online functionality was cheating, more specifically the issue of "pausers," players who would simply pause the game when they were losing, forcing the winning player to quit and take a drop. This has been rectified via a timer that counts down from five minutes when you pause the game. If the pausing player hasn't returned to the game after five minutes, he or she will take the drop. The rankings system does not appear to have changed too significantly, as it tracks wins, losses, quits, and drops. However, the leader boards are designed a bit differently, as they will actually reward you for playing tougher opponents, so you won't be able to advance as easily by merely playing bad players over and over again. This year's game will also feature an online league system, where one player signs up on the game's Web site and assumes the role of an administrator. Administrators determine how many players can enter an individual league and what style of league it will be. Both versions of the game also support voice chat this year. Visually, ESPN NFL Football has the potential to be the standout game this year. NFL 2K3 boasted some of the best player models and animations in the genre when it was released last year, and this year's game has managed to make a marked improvement on its predecessor. The basic character models haven't changed significantly, but the facial maps have. Each player face is extremely detailed and amazingly accurate. This is made even more obvious by the addition of numerous new cutscenes, many of which show the players without their helmets. Of course, the cutscenes are not relegated to simply showing off players, and lots of new cutscenes appear for crowd, cheerleader, and coach sequences. The crowd and cheerleader models are no longer drab, low-polygon models--they're now fully featured, with greatly improved animations. In fact, animation is much better this year across the board, especially in the area of tackles. You'll see things like receivers dragging cornerbacks down the field, trying to get those extra few yards before being brought down, and multiple defensive linemen coming together to drop a running back before he crosses the line of scrimmage. Hands down, ESPN NFL Football features some of the best animation we've ever seen in a football game. The in-game graphics aren't the only aspect of the visual presentation to get a boost this year, as all the game's menus and overlays have been redesigned to accommodate the full ESPN experience. The main game menu itself is modeled after the ESPN news desk, and every stat menu, in-game overlay, and profile screen captures the ESPN atmosphere very well. Audio is another category that this franchise is known for excelling in, and ESPN NFL Football is sounding great. Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe are once again on hand, and their commentary is as spot-on and amusing as ever. Chris Berman, the host of shows like Sunday NFL Countdown and NFL Primetime, provides pregame and halftime show commentary. At the beginning of the game, he simply runs down the stats of each team and singles out a player to watch during the game. At the half, he recounts key drives and plays and names the hot-at-the-half player. Though not all of Berman's entertaining personality has translated over to the game, he's still Chris Berman, and he still provides numerous entertaining bits of commentary. All the ESPN NFL music is featured throughout the game, as are the tracks you can unlock in the crib. The in-game sound effects and player dialogue don't appear to have changed too much, but they're still very solid. ESPN NFL Football seems to have a whole lot going for it, both in its presentation and in its gameplay. Much of what there was to complain about in last year's game has been dealt with, and the result is simply one of the most enjoyable and accurate football games we've ever come across. Fans of the series should have plenty to be excited about when the game finally hits shelves this September. We'll have a full review of the game in the coming weeks.
I prefer 2k to Madden, the graphics are sharper, there are more animations, the player models are more realistic (Madden guys have like, 20 inch waists and big giant bodybuilder shouulders and massive biceps, looks cartoonish), and the gameplay is a little more realistic IMO (much harder to pass, timing is everything). But I probably prefer NCAA to both. More variety. OH yeah, and EA is evil. They put out bug ridden games (like the bad batch of xbox NCAA games they sent out this year, and the xbox Madden that they had to patch b/c it wouldn't import draft classes) and they continually make minimal improvements to games year after year and expect you to fork over 50$ like a sheep because they are so good at marketing. Their versions of NBA Live from about 1999-2002 were humiliatingly bad, talk about phoning it in. Sega meanwhile is the loveable loser of the vg software industry, they just make good game after good game, and have been doing so for years, and continually find ways to lose money and not sell any. You can't root against them.
Madden has easily been the best NFL game of the past 2 years. I don't consider a game where Randy Moss will catch any pass even if quadruple-teamed to be realistic. Madden 04 has a supreme rating system, and the new owner mode added to Franchise mode gives you full control over every aspect of your franchise.
I'm a Madden guy who has played most of the 2K games as well, and as of 2003 I still like Madden better. The way I see it as far as the features go... 1. Could be cool, but I doubt I'd ever use it. 2. Madden has it, plus I don't care anyway. 3. I still like Madden's player models better, always have. 4. Madden has it. 5. Don't care in the least. 6. I'm very comfortable with Madden's existing interface. Of course I'll have to sit down and play the game to come to a remotely fair judgement, but I'm not seeing anything so far which would impress me enough to fork up the $50 for 2K4 over Madden.
I usually get all of the football games on XBox, but here's what I do, choose ONE game when it first came out, last year and even this year im getting Fever, and get the other 2 in late Dec/early Jan, when the price goes down to $20. There is no point in buying 2 of pretty much the same game for $50.
I totally agree. The only sports games I buy are 2K/ESPN ones. Fever's got nothin on 2K4 or whatever it's called. The best sports game ever though is World Series Baseball 2K3.
here is a review by operationsports.com http://operationsports.com/Reviews.asp?game=nfl2k4xbox OVERVIEW The NFL 2K series has undergone more than a name change. Under the new name of ESPN NFL Football, Visual Concepts looks to take the game to a new level. With the addition of First Person Football and the ESPN license the game looks to try and take over as the best football game on the market. Everyone had their complaints with the NFL 2K series over the years, does ESPN NFL Football fix those problems and make a better game of football, or do we have to wait another year?? Read on to find out. GRAPHICS The graphics are jaw-dropping, especially when you run it on a High Def TV set. I wish every game on the Xbox ran at 720. I hooked it up to my regular TV set and noticed a HUGE difference in quality. If you have been itching to buy a nice High Def TV set and you are into your sports games, I suggest you hurry up and grab one NOW!! A lot of player faces are dead on accurate. Stadiums are very well done and you can tell when you are playing in the morning, afternoon or at night. The lighting is perfectly done for each setting. If you are a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, like myself, you will notice in day games, there are shadows from the rafters, from the hole on top of the stadium. After every quarter, you will notice the shadows move, not during gameplay, but after the quarter. So by the time the 4th quarter hits in an afternoon game, you will be playing in a half shaded half sunny bright field. VERY VERY cool!! The animations are SICK in this game. You will see "Gang Tackles", double teaming defensive lineman, stiff-arms, spin moves, juke moves, hurdles, swatting balls, diving/bending over for fumbles, one handed stabs (not as often as last year, THANK GOD), tip toe sidelines and back of the endzone catches and many more. Almost every game I played I saw a new animation somewhere. All of them come through looking superb, no herky jerky stuff, it's all fluid. You can now chain some animations together as well and they don't drop a frame and look very realistic. If you don't like the way a player looks, go into player editor and change his accessories. Ricky Williams doesn't look right with a clear visor?? Slap in that tinted one. Joey Galloway needs more tape on his fingers?? Add some. There are so many things you can do to the players this year. This game has it all, including cheerleaders doing somersaults and "Bouncing" all over the place. Coaches, yes real coaches on the sidelines getting animated. You can tell the difference between Bill Cowher and the "Slim" edition of Bill Parcells. Some of the coaches are downright perfect. The instant replays are just as impressive. ESPN is written all over this game w/ all sorts of stat overlays and instant replay shots. While in franchise mode, the ESPN ticker comes into play and shows off some scores and key stats. There are quite a few camera options available, but my favorite is the Custom cam. I can adjust it just right so I can see if my receivers are getting jammed at the line or if they are going to be open for that 5 yard in/out. In first person mode, you will notice some clipping and some in instant replays on the regular mode as well. It's nothing outrageous and every football game has it. I just thought I'd mention it. GAMEPLAY Let me first say that if you are familiar with the 2K series, you might want to bump up the difficulty from Pro to All-Pro as soon as you boot up. The game is far too easy on the Pro level. It might be fun to practice on, but that is about it. I was completing 16 out of 17 passes with Quincy Carter!! Offensively you have so many options. Pick your play, read the defense pre-snap and decide whether you want to audible out of the play or hot route a receiver. Reading the defense is so nice this year. Like last year, you'll have fake blitzes that drop into coverage. Last year, for the most part, you could tell when and where the blitz was coming from. It's done a lot better this year, since it's so varied. It makes it that much harder to read the defense, since you really don't know if they are coming or not until after the snap. Anyone get frustrated over the dropped passes last year?? Here comes Galloway streaking on a post pattern WIDE OPEN, I fire in the perfect pass and he DROPS IT!! How frustrating was that last year?? Even when a defender came in a little late to knock the ball loose, it happened a little too often last year. Well, that has been fixed this year. I have seen some drops but it's no where near as bad as it was last year. I've had a few drops, don't get me wrong, but they were believable. The running game is oh so nice. You can tell the difference when using a bruiser like Bettis and a scat back like Faulk or Dunn. You can run over some DB's with Bettis and the momentum reacts accordingly. If you are in mid juke and get hit flush w/ a heavy hitting safety or linebacker, Faulk will go backwards. The stop and go running animation works well, but I didn't really use it much. I used my sprint, spin and juke moves to get around. I managed to average 4.1 yds per carry with Hambrick in my season and averaged 5.1 with Ahman Green when I played a few games with the Packers. The CPU can run wild on you sometimes, breaking tackle after tackle. It doesn't happen with all the backs and it does NOT happen every game either, but it's something you have to watch out for. I mean I'm all for breaking tackles, but sometimes there are just too many. Maximum passing is back this year and it's definitely more sensitive. The more pressure you put in the direction you want to lead to the further it leads. You will notice QB's like Gannon passing with precision, while seeing QB's like Quincy Carter throwing a little less accurately. One of the greatest things you see is when you put pressure on QB's like David Carr, he seems to rush his passes and throw more interceptions, then other QB's like Vick or McNabb you will see them run away from trouble and throw on the run or just run for the first down. It's very dangerous playing against the mobile quarterback and very fun to have the realism there. Very rarely will you see a non mobile QB take off running. Just like in the NFL, it happens, but it's not very often. Faster players will run away from a defense so you can add up the YAC. You will no longer see that slow safety catching up to your speedy receiver. If you break away, go ahead and high step your way in. While it's hard to get that perfect play, the reward is there when you accomplish it. Defensively you can send a "Hot Blitz" with any of your players. Wanna send to or three?? Go for it. It's all under your control. I like to play as a safety or linebacker usually, but it is still just as fun playing as a DB matching up one on one with a great receiver like T.O or Moss. Getting burned or making the play on the ball never felt so good. Strafing around getting into position is played out perfectly. I haven't seen the phantom leap this year, which happened a little to often last year. If you are not controlling the DB, most of the time they will play the ball but sometimes get in too quickly and cause a pass interference penalty. Usually you see 1 or 2 a game in real life and I have seen about the same here. Very nicely done. You can also position your DB's to defend against the inside or outside pass, line up for bump and run or play loose. Sacks were hard to come by last year using your defensive lineman. This year I can usually get 1 or 2 if I played exclusively with a defensive lineman. I know a lot of you guys are loving that. Stats are everywhere and they even have 1/2 sacks and assists!! Oh yes, VC finally listened to the diehard gamers. They are recorded right as well. They also fixed the stats being messed up on "Challenge" calls, where stats were not recorded properly. More often than not, when the CPU throws out the red flag, the play will be overturned. The one that happens the most frequently is the "Ball Spotted Wrong" red flag. So far, every single one of those red flag challenges has burned me, some even look like the CPU was wrong, when in fact the official will overturn it anyways. Kind of annoying, but it's all good. I've had a few calls go my way as well, very few I might add. One thing I've noticed is that I fumble more often than the CPU. It might have something to do with me being the Cowboys though. I have seen the CPU fumble, but it just doesn't happen all that often. I fumble at least once a game. I'll be lucky to see 1 fumble in 3 games from the CPU. Special teams is so nice. I've noticed on kickoff returns that the kicker will stay back as the safety man to attempt to bring you down as a last resort. I feel embarrassed to mention it, but the kicker has tackled me a few times. DOH!! It's so nice to see that though. On most games, the kicker is one of the first ones down the field. I've been getting a steady 10 to 12 yards on punt returns and on kickoff returns you can definitely see holes open up quickly, if you are quick enough you can turn a short return into a long one, but watch out for that damn kicker. FRANCHISE With ESPN you get ESPN Power Rankings. I think it's easily the coolest thing going. It's such a good feeling to see your team shoot up the Power Rankings after a huge upset win, then you get the huge letdown feeling when you just lost to the worst team in the NFL at home. The email system is nicely done and is a great feature. It shows injuries around the league, your injuries, your owner emailing you complaints or compliments. You even get emails talking about your next opponent and how you can be ready for the game. In that email you can see wear your team ranks in total offense and defense. In some of the NFL Primetime shows you can see key stats and on a few occasions to see if a certain QB is 1st or 2nd in passing yardage, RB is leading the league in rushing, WR leading the league in receiving, etc. I thought that was pretty cool. Just like last year you can go through your season and at the end sign your players, release them to free agency, try to talk a player out of retirement, etc. In the draft you will see players from more major colleges, instead of the weaker schools in previous years. You will also notice punters and kickers won't be selected in the earlier rounds, which makes things more realistic. Also, you will see teams like the Texans drafting for need, unlike before when they would draft a QB in the first and second rounds. If the Texans need CB help, they will draft for it. While simming multiple seasons, I noticed 2 teams finished 7-9 and made the playoffs. This only happened once when I simmed multiple seasons, so I don't consider this to be a problem. I also noticed the powerhouse teams made the playoffs and won their divisions for the most part. There were a few surprises and that is to be expected in the NFL. I mean really, did you expect the Rams and Patriots to win Super Bowls a few years ago?? It's all good. Crib Mode is a neat feature that shows off things you've unlocked. You can play a few mini-games in here as well if you unlock them. There are many things to unlock in Crib Mode so it will keep you playing the game for many hours. For the fans of First Person Football, I have mixed feelings about it. It DEFINITELY takes some time to get used to. You need to start on the Rookie or Pro level at the beginning so you can get a feel for it. It is almost impossible on the All-Pro level since things are so fast. You can slow things down, but most of us would rather go for the realism and not slow things down. After quite a bit of time with it, you can master FPF, but it will take quite a bit of it. On passing plays you are designated as being the quarterback, you can scan the field left and right and read the defense pre-snap. Then snap the button, read the defense and find your receiver. After the ball is thrown you are now in the view of the receiver you threw the ball too. It slows down some as you catch the ball and then you can take off. You need to find those passing lanes if you want to see through your offensive lineman, because you can't really look over them. On running plays you are designated the running back and can view the defense pre-snap as well, then after the snap look around and find the hole. It's definitely a different experience and definitely worth the time playing around in, but I'll do most of my playing in the normal mode. Defensively, you pick your player pre-snap and find that ball carrier, stick your man or sit back and play zone, whatever you called for. AUDIO Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe are back and better than ever this year. They seem to be behind on occasion, but for the most part they are spot on. On instant replays and on "Challenges" they do a great job describing the action in front of you. On "Challenges" Peter actually breaks down the rule book for you and shows why or why not a play should or should not be reversed. NFL Primetime checks in after the week is complete while in the season and in the playoffs. The halftime show is very cool. It shows snapshots from within the game you are playing and shows keys stats. Chris Berman even chimes in with his thoughts and gives his "Player at the Half". There isn't anything better than Berman's nicknames for players. They are in the game baby!! The PA announcer does a great job, and during timeouts or sometimes even during huddles you can hear the stadium music in the background. Very well done!! BOTTOM LINE I'd have to say this is one of the finest football games I've ever played. The first person mode doesn't thrill me, but it's fun to go into and play around with. The bread and butter of this game is it's gameplay and presentation. The graphics are bar-none the best out there, when running at 720. If you are looking for football at it's best, look no further than ESPN NFL Football. SCORE: 94/100
I'm getting kind of annoyed with the game play of Madden. This year the scores are a tad too high and I got picked off like six times. Only one of those was legitimate, the others were off crazy plays. I do like the owner mode in Madden though, but I want to actually be able to play the game. That playmaker mode in Madden seems like it only works for people that like to run the ball with Michael Vick all the time. I think I'm going to wait until ESPN comes down to like $20 and give this game a shot to see if I like it. If I do, I'll probably get next year's version ESPN instead of Madden.
This is the old Sega Sports NFL2K series... This is and was by far the best Football video game ever made...I have NFL2K, NFL2K1 & NFL 2K2...All improve every year...
Just picked up the game today. This game seriously gives madden some heat... Amazing depth and attention to detail. Gameplay, graphics, sound, franchise, have all been improved over last year. No more excessive dropped passes, no more cuttting on a dime, no more online pausing... The use of ESPN presentation is awesome. Chris Berman is really good in this game. I simulated a season w/the texans to see how well or bad they'd do, went 7-9 Madden has a worthy competitor...
NFL 2K- series is my favorite since it is the only online football game. BTW, if you get it at Circuit City before Sept 6 then you can get a $10 gift card with purchase.
