Worth Selling NFL2K3 and acquiring ESPN Football 2004?

[mattkbishop]

Am I right in that ESPN is the sequal? Didn't they rename the franchise?

Also, when is it out :)

[fujishig]

Considering that NFL 2K3 was selling new for 5 bucks a couple of months ago, I don't know what you'd get for selling it used... Just a head's up.

[dfriedland]

I was thinking about the upgrade also. EB offered me $2 for 2k3... I'd rather give it to somebody than sell it for $2

[mr.snowmizer]

From LBzrule, at football-gaming.com, who may be currently the most respected football gaming voice ANYwhere (I've read that he unofficially helps many of the football development teams, much like a couple at Thunderpuck's forum helped Treyarch with NHL 2k3)...


Where to begin? This game just does a hell of alot of things RIGHT! It is light years ahead of its predecessor NFL2k3 and corrects the gameplay elements that plagued last year's game. The gameplay is the deepest in the business this year.


Let's talk about gameplay. A year ago on offense, while some may disagree, there was more of how can I get around the unpolished-ness of the game and have a good experience with it. The running game was good last year to be sure, but the catching in the passing game was an issue. We all threw out the excuse of well throw it to the open man. While that is common sense reasoning, that isn't the complete picture either. We watch the NFL and NCAA football on weekends and we've seen several catches when someone was not WIDE Open. So let's start with Quarterbacks and Wide Receivers.


Like last year, if you want to be a successful quarterback in this game you gotta do what real NFL Quarterbacks do, namely, you gotta learn how to read coverages. However, the coverages are alot more confusing in the presnap phase this year, so careful attention to alignment will be key, but post snap reads will also be more crucial. Options are similar to last year. You have two passing modes. There is the normal passing mode, then there is one of my favorites, max passing. The stick is much more responsive this year, passes are crisp and depending on your quarterback, some of the passes fly through the air as if shot out of a war canon. In the hands of the A.I. the Quarterbacks that are supposed to scramble WILL scramble. Some of the others will get desperate and TRY to run on you with minimal success because of their lack of footspeed. The throwing animations in general are good, a few of them could use minimal work. But in the end the Quarterbacks are top notch.


What if you had a good Quarterback prospect but didn't have wide receivers to catch the ball? It would be an experience in FRUSTRATION. VC has made damn sure that this will NOT be the case this year. ESPN game players will get more of a MIX this year with respect to passing and catching depending on the level of play. On the lower levels I found myself catching everything that came my way. But when I moved to the upper levels of gameplay the game became more realistic. The wide receivers actually look back for the ball alot like they do in NCAA Football 2004. That is a great animation for receivers this year, to actually look back at the Quarterback and the ball. You will see it predominantly on the slants and deep seam routes. Not only can wide receivers catch this year, but when the catch it in the open field and no one is in front of them, it will be a touchdown, unlike a year ago. Speed is now a factor in the series.


The running backs return stronger this year. From my point of view the running game has been a highlight in the series since 2k2. This year's running game is the best in the series and for me personally, the best running game out of all of the games this year. The running backs in ESPN actually mirror the toughness of real NFL runners. You will not find that when you through a stick arm that it does not work and your 220 + pound running back ends up getting straight WAXED by a 175 pound corner. Neither will you find your running back getting sucked into areas and you are pushing the control stick in another direction. Running in ESPN captures several intrinsic details of NFL running that makes the backfield in this game shine. The moves really work. From the stiff arm, shoulder charge, spin all the way down to the jukes, they all work flawlessly. The running game excels in traffic as well as in the open field. Like the receivers, speed is a big factor for the running backs and when you get into the open field this year with no one in front, you can take it to the house outrunning your opponent. The running backs of each team has strengths and weaknesses. You have to learn which moves are more effective for the type of runner you have, all the realism you want is here.


Now I turn to my favorite portion of the game, namely defense. One thing I love about this game is I am comfortable playing all three levels of defense AND playing good solid defense has a big impact on games. The strafe has changed to an actual strafe and allows you to play the second and third levels of defense without losing control. The defensive line is up first. Who are these guys? I am glad they are here this year. Last year sacking the quarterback in the single player game was down right hard. It could be done but it required some creativity. This year you won't need to use "NANO" type blitzes or alignments because you are desperate to get a sack, neither will you have to run goalline all blitz to overload an offensive formation in attempts of getting a sack. The defensive line has been revamped. One of the big problems from a year ago was the defensive linemen would stand straight up and get reached, they would not shoot their gaps, rather they would sometimes run out in the blue as if they were in pass coverage (when you have NOT called a zone blitz), and just took themselves out of rushing lanes. This year I am happy to report that this behavior has left us. They get off blocks and they now SHOOT their assigned gaps. This will make the gameplay experience more fun for the defensive minded gamer. Linemen are still equipped with all the moves that make defensive linemen successful (club, swim, rip, and spin). The success of each move depends on the Defensive lineman. Just like certain running backs are more successful with some moves so are defensive linemen. The gamer has to discover which moves work best for his lineman. This adds an element to the game that keeps one playing, namely it is an immersion factor.


The linebackers in this game have always been my favorite. Their instincts are top notch and they make the plays they are supposed to make. When I am playing linebacker and I can get 10 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 Interception, regardless of whether I win or lose, I felt like I have done something. I feel like I am apart of the position again. That's what this game offers. I am not promising that you will get that type of performance overnight, but it took me only 5 games and some practice and I put out that type of performance, although I lost the game. The linebackers have the same moves to get passed blockers that the defensive linemen have. The rip and swim are more effective for them it seems. Making plays is all on you, your reads, your own instincts, your pursuit and tackling.


The secondary returns strong and shows the best technique of any game this year. Watch the defenders actually play what is called Trail man technique. The defender will be in a position directly behind the receiver and he will mirror the breaks made by the receiver. In addition you still have bump and run, play inside, play outside presnap audibles. Because of the strafe button I am actually able to play cornerback in this game with no problems. I am not saying that everyone will do it, but it is possible to do so.


Put the offense and defense together and what you have is a package that blends together and weaves together like a beautiful melody played by the rolling streams in the springtime. The gameplay is polished and more fluid than it has ever been in the series. The game retains on the fly blitzes and hot routes. In addition the game has the DEEPEST offensive audible system hands down. I mean it isn't even a contest in this area. Not only do you have on the fly audibles, but you actually have 3 audibles set per formation. So that means, if you have 27 formations in your playbook you can have 81 different audibles at your disposal (you can set these btw, 3 audibles per formation). Plus you have a no hurry audible system in which you can set more audibles. Now I am hoping they do this for defense next year. Where you can set 5 audibles per formation (5 for 43 or 34, 5 for Nickel, 5 for dime, 5 for Goalline, plus on the fly). The injury progression model took me by surprise and is simply fabulous. Your player gets an injury, depending on the injury status you might get to play him, but his ratings are not the same. You might have a guy drop from a 90 all the way to a 69 or so depending on the injury. You can choose to play him if his status is not OUT, but you will not get the same production out of him. I had to drop my jaws on that one. Not only that, this is the first game to have off setting penalty's, the first in which the A.I will do fake FG's and or punts. One more note with respect to gameplay. VC has done something here that just makes alot of sense. Everything here has MEANING. Here is what I am getting at: Two player tackles were added to ESPN football for this year, but they actually MEAN something as statistically players record tackles, assists, sacks and half sacks. A note to other developers, if you are going to add things to your game, make sure it has MEANING and not just eye candy.


Franchise mode sees some changes this year. While you won't find any of the football mogul stuff that you will find in madden, there is enough here that garnered my interest and keeps me playing. The email system is a very intuitive idea and a great addition to the franchise mode, but the power rankings is really what keeps me going. It almost feels like a college top 25 as you move up or down the ratings. You get mad props if you knock of a top team and you are a team at the bottom. But if you are a top team and get upset, then you fall. Editing rookies before the draft is possible and you can edit everything about him. Just a side note, the editing is no longer a pain like it was last year always popping you back to the quarterbacks. Primetime shows and awards are wonderful. While the franchise mode isn't as deep as madden, it is still enjoyable. I am hoping for more depth in this area next year however.


Cribs is an exciting new element of gameplay that grants you awards for your play on the field. It is also a good strategy to keep people playing the game and being immersed into the game for quite some time. Unlock Trophy's, soundtracks, intro movies and all types of awards to put in your crib.


Online. The game runs fine online. I may stand corrected, but if you want leagues, you gotta go with the PS2 copy. The PS2 copy grants the user the ability to participate in a full online league with other games. The leagues are really slick. Anything you see on ESPN.com website your league keeps up with it. Solo tackles, assists, sacks, half sacks, every stat that's on the real espn.com is here. It doesn't get any more real than that.


First Person Football. This new gameplay mode is better than I initial thought. When it was announced I didn't jump out of my seat, but I didn't get all bent out of shape either. After playing it for some time, I can honestly say this mode is NOT wasted space. Although I do recommend that users begin on rookie and slow speed, but it adds something NEW for the season. You get the hits and the feel of the game. And NO I didn't suffer from blackouts. But you are actually in the helmet of an NFL player. The hits feel right and everything is in your face. The gameplay mode could use a bit more work on the presentation side but overall I was quite impressed with it. Sometimes when we see something we THINK we know what it is going to be like, but when the horizon of our experience fuses or meshes with the object our presuppositions and attitude concerning it MAY change. I suspect that will happen for SOME concerning FPF.


I gotta say before the season kicked off I had another game in mind for being the most improved, but after playing ESPN, I think I might take that back. The game really shines in gameplay, presentation and online. VC has done something this year that some of us scratch our heads on. They made their game more FUN but kept it realistic. ESPN simply destroys its predecessor NFL2k3 in every area, animations, running game, catching, overall defense, online PS2 leagues, deepest audible system, motion, momentum and speed factors, First person football and they still have the best and deepest playbooks of the bunch.


LOL all of that and I didn't even get to classic teams.

[mattkbishop]

Originally posted by fujishig
Considering that NFL 2K3 was selling new for 5 bucks a couple of months ago, I don't know what you'd get for selling it used... Just a head's up.

Ah but I'm in the UK, it'll sell for a fair price here and then I'll import as ESPN won't be released for ages, and importing is actually cheaper than buying games here.

Sold it today actually anyway so I'll import in about a week :D

[Tarantino]

DO IT. I just got this game and it SMOKES Madden.

[Astro44]

yep, it's an awesome game for sure!!! I don't know what you can get for the old game, personally I'd just give it to a friend who doesn't have a football game at all, I don't think you could get much at all for it now.