Buy:raven56706
07-20-04, 11:42 AM
July 16, 2004 - There has never been a better $20 game than ESPN NFL 2K5. End of story. For the price of a two-week rental, you can buy a game that is every bit as deep, feature-packed and addictively playable as Madden. For the price of a night at the movies, you can own a game with great graphics, realistic football action, compelling and revolutionary sports gaming concepts, and an extensive online head-to-head experience. Such value is difficult to come by in the expensive world of console video games, but value is just one of the things that make this year's installment so special.
Game-wide, major stress has been placed on presentation, improving on the excellent integration of the ESPN license that began with last year's game. What results is a full football experience. Although you're in total control of the kinetic on-field action, the game also makes you feel like you're watching a real ESPN telecast, through a combination of faithful matching of styles and logos, excellent voice integration of real network talent (Boomer, anyone?), and a commitment to realistic graphics. It doesn't just take place on the field, either. Between games, you have the opportunity to watch SportsCenter and get filled in on all of the week's action, including key highlights from select games (even ones you didn't play).
In addition to the normal modes (Practice, Tournament, Quick Game, Situation, and Franchise), the game still has First Person Football, for those who were fans of last year's experiment. This mode remains largely the same as it was last year, apart from the fact that the transitions between play and replay have been smoothed thanks to the wholesale presentation tweaks.
A new ESPN25th Anniversary mode has also been included, which is similar to the College Classics idea forwarded by last year's NCAA 2004. In it, gamers get the opportunity to recreate 25 classic NFL scenarios, from the Ice Bowl to the Heidi Bowl, to the Eagles' completion of 4th and 26 in last year's playoff win over the Packers. Although it's a glorified Situation mode, it capitalizes on ESPN's 25th anniversary, and lends a fun historical footnote to an already packed game.
Probably the coolest innovation ESPN NFL 2K5 has to offer is the VIP system. Here's how it works. As you play with a given profile, the computer keeps track of the exact way you play: how often and where you run, what defender you select before the snap, where you tend to move your players to, the packages you use, and so on. Once the CPU has profiled you, your VIP can be used by others to practice playing against you. It's an ingenious system, and it really works. After playing against Hilary in the office, I played his ghosty in VIP, and it was uncanny how similarly the two approached the game. What's cool about it is that often it's more difficult to beat your buddies than it is to trash the computer AI. In this way, VIP actually makes the game's AI more complex and diverse, something no other game on the market can boast.
Several excellent additions have been made to the Franchise mode as well, including the ability to train for each upcoming game. This lends a sort of RPG element to the experience, allowing you to prepare your troops in specific ways, and improve individual stats, before heading into battle.
Player contract negotiations, free agency and some offseason operations have also been made much more intuitive and easier to manage. The contract negotiation situation has been especially hashed out, allowing gamers to tailor all aspects of a contract -- from the way the money is divvyed across several years, to how much of a percentage a signing bonus will be. All of the tweaks you make to an offer are changed real-time and presented over a matter of years, in an easy-to-read window that displays total cap room, all salary details and how the contract will impact your team. This makes the process more vital and hands-on than ever.
The only things that haven't gotten much of a facelift are the Combine and Draft processes. They remain about the same as when they debuted, with only minor presentation adjustments. It's not that there was too much wrong with it, but in the ever-improving land of Franchise modes, it's odd that little innovation has occurred. In addition, since the game is being released so early in the year, the rosters will not be as up-to-date as other games. Downloadable rosters will help, but the default rosters will definitely be out of date by the time the NFL season begins.
Online play figures to be a big part of the action, as always. This year marks the debut of league play on Xbox Live, which should be a welcome addition to an already thriving community. While online league play folded last year on the PS2, the active Live community, coupled with the low price point will hopefully keep things vital into the future. As with last year's PS2 offering, leagues can be tracked away from Xbox Live, on a regular Internet browser. Extensive stats and records are displayed for each league in a format that apes ESPN's online presentation. In addition, online play features all the head-to-head action, competitive leader boards and other goodness gamers have come to expect.
The Crib has been refined as well, relying on a points-based system this year, rather than the confusing double-unlockables that existed in last year's game. Now, the Crib Credits you earn by fulfilling milestones in the game can be used directly to buy various goodies, including stuff to outfit your digs, videos to watch and games to play. In addition, the revamped Crib affords you the opportunity to play games versus celebrities via the Celebrity Phone. When you accept a challenge, you'll go head-to-head with a celebrity in a game, playing against their VIP. This idea is more gimmicky than fun, and the assembled celebrities aren't all that enticing. Want proof? Steve-O, Jamie Kennedy and Carmen Electra are some of the names associated with this element of the game. Now playing against Dick Butkus' or Bo Jackson's VIP? That might be something.
Of course, none of the bells and whistles amount to squat if the gameplay isn't great. Luckily, it is. ESPN (and the 2K series it sprouted from) has always been extremely fun, action-oriented, and very visceral. When you bust through the line, juke a linebacker out of his signing bonus, and blaze down the sideline for six, it feels great. When you complete a pass over the middle as a safety's hand narrowly misses swatting it away, it feels like it should -- awesome. In short, the game does a great job of capturing the drama and action of an actual NFL game, which is absolutely essential for a sports simulation.
While play remains largely the same, some of the more annoying gameplay gaffes from last year's offering have been addressed, making this an excellent football simulation, and (again) a serious challenger to Madden's crown. First off, the broken tackles that plagued last year's release have been toned down in the higher difficulty settings. Last year's game allowed too many yards on the ground, and was too easily exploited by marquee running backs. You can still skirt the line, shake a defender and spin out of danger, but it's not as easy as in years past. For the most part, players cannot rack up more than two broken tackles in a row, and this is partially due to more aggressive, swarming defensive AI. Again, this is on higher difficulty settings.
However, the default difficulty remains almost ridiculously easy, especially in the area of running. In one game against the Lions (true, it was the Lions), the Packers easily put up 87 points, and Ahman Green had a banner day on the ground, racking up 377 yards. This was on the Pro difficulty setting. Last time I checked, pros have never posted 87 points in a game. The All-Pro setting fixes many of the problems, and you can also set difficulty sliders using the Custom difficulty setting.
The passing game is a little easier to manage, which should result in a slightly higher completion percentage for those who were frustrated with last year's offering. As with the running game, though, passing can be a bit too simple on the default setting. Seasoned gamers will want to set things to All-Pro and never look back.
http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/530/530939/espn-nfl-2k5-20040716112604096-000.jpg
One more addition that makes this game richer is the advent of Right Thumbstick moves. In the pocket, your quarterback can duck out of danger with a single well-timed flick of the right analog. In the running game, you can string together impressive combos of moves just by manipulating the stick. Pressing down will make your back stutter-step, pushing up will lower the back's head and burrow forward, and pressing left and right will juke and evade. Handling these controls on the sticks feels natural and allows for some spectacular runs. The one drawback is that it tends to make even average backs look and feel a little too much like Barry Sanders.
http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/530/530939/espn-nfl-2k5-20040716112605892-000.jpg
On defense, batted balls and deflections seem to be a big deal this year, but luckily the interceptions aren't as rampant as they have been in the past. It's possible to pick off balls manually, and you often will if you're in prime position, but the game keeps itself realistic by making many of the batted balls fall just out of reach, or bounce off of fingertips.
Defensive line play has improved as well, as there is a nice give and take between the lines. It's possible to get in and disrupt a QB, but it doesn't happen every down (again, switch to All Pro if it's too easy). Also improved is the secondary, which overplay a lot less balls than in last year's edition. There is still the odd missed assignment, but that is often a function of calling the wrong defense, rather than a corner misplaying the ball. Luckily, the game offers plenty of at-the-line changes (including line and linebacker shifts, and DB adjustments) and audibles, so even if you get stuck in a bad place when you come to the line, it's relatively simple to tweak your troops to effectively cover what's in front of you. In general, there are a lot less chinks in the secondary's armor, and that's a welcome change.
One thing that can be problematic is that sometimes defenders (when controlled by the CPU) take a weird angle to approach and tackle. This can result in big plays where there shouldn't be. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen occasionally enough to bear mention. The kicking game also needs some help. Can we completely do away with the drifting arrow please? Go ahead and rip off the competition's kick meter and be done with it. Still, in the face of the tremendous amount of things this game does right, these gripes are drops in the proverbial bucket.
Over the past couple of seasons, ESPN NFL has emerged as the most handsome game on the market. Last year's game flowed all of the individually impressive animations into chains of pure, realistically-captured beauty and ESPN NFL 2K5 continues this trend, making player movements seamless and lifelike. The running game is especially impressive in this regard, on both sides of the ball. As the back performs stutter-steps and jukes, stringing them together into an impressive array of athleticism, you might swear you're watching the real thing.
But when tacklers come in, it gets even more interesting. As your runner gets crunched, there are tons of different ways he can go down. He might move the pile forward, wiggle out of the tackle for an added yard, or get stood up and turned back by multiple defenders. The game isn't quite at the gang-tackling level that one sees in the NFL, but it's getting there.
The character models have been refined, too, edging ever closer to photo realism. A lot of care has been taken to make the faces look less flat and more true to the players they represent. Beyond that, there is a stunning level of detail to player musculature, uniforms, and extremities. The textures are unbelievable, especially where jerseys are concerned. What's more, they've upgraded the cheerleader models from anorexic ghouls to bona fide digital hotties.
The ESPN-related graphics also do a lot to enhance the experience (especially the cool, animated passing and running charts), incorporating stats, reports and replays fluidly into the action. This has the effect of loyally reproducing an actual ESPN broadcast. The coolest part of all is that the replays don't necessarily end when you skip them, they simply shrink and fit into the play-calling screen, so that you can check out the last play's action while picking the new one.
The lighting has gotten better as well. Players cast shadows on themselves and the ground, and the sun's position in the sky is definitely a factor. It's an entirely different feeling to play on a hot, sunny day than one at sunset, or one completely smeared with fog and rain.
Only a couple minor stumbles can be noted. There are frame rate stutters in some places, but that generally only happens when the overlay graphics are zipping to and fro, and it's only a minor annoyance. In addition, you'll see some examples of clipping in big pile-up situations. But overall, the game is graphically stunning.
As with graphics, the sound keeps improving steadily. The on-field sounds remain generally the same as in versions past, but that isn't a bad thing. All of the appropriate sounds of clash and crunch are presented, along with layers of grunting, trash-talking and cheering. It's a great aural experience, but that's just the beginning.
Tied heavily into the presentation upgrades, the commentary is better than ever. Sure, the announcers' voices can get a little grating (these guys don't have the velvety throat of Al Michaels), but their comments are accurate and timely, and the between-play banter is spot-on, and for the most part, contextually relevant.
What are more impressive are the between-play and between-half segments, where members of the ESPN broadcast team get their chance to shine. Chris Berman previews each contest from his desk in the studio, and returns at halftime to run down the first half action. Boomer's segments go a long way to making this feel like a real ESPN broadcast. His comments follow the replayed action, and his signature style is intact, providing a halftime experience that is much more than straight stats.
http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/530/530939/espn-nfl-2k5-20040716112605018-000.jpg
On the Xbox, you're able to further tailor your aural experience. Not only does the jukebox in the Crib allow you to give your game a homemade soundtrack (primarily on menus), but now you can trim your favorite clips of music and have them play back through the stadium speakers. Grab a sample of your favorite song, set the situation you'd like it to play (after a sack, following a touchdown), then sit back and enjoy!
Closing Comments
Are you kidding me? This game rivals Madden in every way and surpasses it in feature set... and it's only twenty dollars. Plus, it's out three weeks ahead of Madden. Fans of the series will love the improvements and continue to sing its praises. Those who haven’t tried it yet should give it a look at the low price point… it's easily worth fifty bucks, but you don't have to spend that!
-- Chris Carle
Another Take
I have to second Chris' statement. This is one of the finest sports experiences I've had the pleasure of enjoying. ESPN NFL 2K5 is a steal at $20. Even if you are a die-hard Madden fan, I highly recommend picking NFL 2K5 up and playing it for three weeks. Yes, go ahead and get Madden when it's out. Two great football games for just $70? That shouldn't be passed up by any gridiron fan. The custom soundtrack clips are about the coolest thing I've ever heard in a football game. I love having 'pac kick it whenever the LaDanian scores a TD. Great game, great price -- go out and get it.
-- Hilary Goldstein
Game-wide, major stress has been placed on presentation, improving on the excellent integration of the ESPN license that began with last year's game. What results is a full football experience. Although you're in total control of the kinetic on-field action, the game also makes you feel like you're watching a real ESPN telecast, through a combination of faithful matching of styles and logos, excellent voice integration of real network talent (Boomer, anyone?), and a commitment to realistic graphics. It doesn't just take place on the field, either. Between games, you have the opportunity to watch SportsCenter and get filled in on all of the week's action, including key highlights from select games (even ones you didn't play).
In addition to the normal modes (Practice, Tournament, Quick Game, Situation, and Franchise), the game still has First Person Football, for those who were fans of last year's experiment. This mode remains largely the same as it was last year, apart from the fact that the transitions between play and replay have been smoothed thanks to the wholesale presentation tweaks.
A new ESPN25th Anniversary mode has also been included, which is similar to the College Classics idea forwarded by last year's NCAA 2004. In it, gamers get the opportunity to recreate 25 classic NFL scenarios, from the Ice Bowl to the Heidi Bowl, to the Eagles' completion of 4th and 26 in last year's playoff win over the Packers. Although it's a glorified Situation mode, it capitalizes on ESPN's 25th anniversary, and lends a fun historical footnote to an already packed game.
Probably the coolest innovation ESPN NFL 2K5 has to offer is the VIP system. Here's how it works. As you play with a given profile, the computer keeps track of the exact way you play: how often and where you run, what defender you select before the snap, where you tend to move your players to, the packages you use, and so on. Once the CPU has profiled you, your VIP can be used by others to practice playing against you. It's an ingenious system, and it really works. After playing against Hilary in the office, I played his ghosty in VIP, and it was uncanny how similarly the two approached the game. What's cool about it is that often it's more difficult to beat your buddies than it is to trash the computer AI. In this way, VIP actually makes the game's AI more complex and diverse, something no other game on the market can boast.
Several excellent additions have been made to the Franchise mode as well, including the ability to train for each upcoming game. This lends a sort of RPG element to the experience, allowing you to prepare your troops in specific ways, and improve individual stats, before heading into battle.
Player contract negotiations, free agency and some offseason operations have also been made much more intuitive and easier to manage. The contract negotiation situation has been especially hashed out, allowing gamers to tailor all aspects of a contract -- from the way the money is divvyed across several years, to how much of a percentage a signing bonus will be. All of the tweaks you make to an offer are changed real-time and presented over a matter of years, in an easy-to-read window that displays total cap room, all salary details and how the contract will impact your team. This makes the process more vital and hands-on than ever.
The only things that haven't gotten much of a facelift are the Combine and Draft processes. They remain about the same as when they debuted, with only minor presentation adjustments. It's not that there was too much wrong with it, but in the ever-improving land of Franchise modes, it's odd that little innovation has occurred. In addition, since the game is being released so early in the year, the rosters will not be as up-to-date as other games. Downloadable rosters will help, but the default rosters will definitely be out of date by the time the NFL season begins.
Online play figures to be a big part of the action, as always. This year marks the debut of league play on Xbox Live, which should be a welcome addition to an already thriving community. While online league play folded last year on the PS2, the active Live community, coupled with the low price point will hopefully keep things vital into the future. As with last year's PS2 offering, leagues can be tracked away from Xbox Live, on a regular Internet browser. Extensive stats and records are displayed for each league in a format that apes ESPN's online presentation. In addition, online play features all the head-to-head action, competitive leader boards and other goodness gamers have come to expect.
The Crib has been refined as well, relying on a points-based system this year, rather than the confusing double-unlockables that existed in last year's game. Now, the Crib Credits you earn by fulfilling milestones in the game can be used directly to buy various goodies, including stuff to outfit your digs, videos to watch and games to play. In addition, the revamped Crib affords you the opportunity to play games versus celebrities via the Celebrity Phone. When you accept a challenge, you'll go head-to-head with a celebrity in a game, playing against their VIP. This idea is more gimmicky than fun, and the assembled celebrities aren't all that enticing. Want proof? Steve-O, Jamie Kennedy and Carmen Electra are some of the names associated with this element of the game. Now playing against Dick Butkus' or Bo Jackson's VIP? That might be something.
Of course, none of the bells and whistles amount to squat if the gameplay isn't great. Luckily, it is. ESPN (and the 2K series it sprouted from) has always been extremely fun, action-oriented, and very visceral. When you bust through the line, juke a linebacker out of his signing bonus, and blaze down the sideline for six, it feels great. When you complete a pass over the middle as a safety's hand narrowly misses swatting it away, it feels like it should -- awesome. In short, the game does a great job of capturing the drama and action of an actual NFL game, which is absolutely essential for a sports simulation.
While play remains largely the same, some of the more annoying gameplay gaffes from last year's offering have been addressed, making this an excellent football simulation, and (again) a serious challenger to Madden's crown. First off, the broken tackles that plagued last year's release have been toned down in the higher difficulty settings. Last year's game allowed too many yards on the ground, and was too easily exploited by marquee running backs. You can still skirt the line, shake a defender and spin out of danger, but it's not as easy as in years past. For the most part, players cannot rack up more than two broken tackles in a row, and this is partially due to more aggressive, swarming defensive AI. Again, this is on higher difficulty settings.
However, the default difficulty remains almost ridiculously easy, especially in the area of running. In one game against the Lions (true, it was the Lions), the Packers easily put up 87 points, and Ahman Green had a banner day on the ground, racking up 377 yards. This was on the Pro difficulty setting. Last time I checked, pros have never posted 87 points in a game. The All-Pro setting fixes many of the problems, and you can also set difficulty sliders using the Custom difficulty setting.
The passing game is a little easier to manage, which should result in a slightly higher completion percentage for those who were frustrated with last year's offering. As with the running game, though, passing can be a bit too simple on the default setting. Seasoned gamers will want to set things to All-Pro and never look back.
http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/530/530939/espn-nfl-2k5-20040716112604096-000.jpg
One more addition that makes this game richer is the advent of Right Thumbstick moves. In the pocket, your quarterback can duck out of danger with a single well-timed flick of the right analog. In the running game, you can string together impressive combos of moves just by manipulating the stick. Pressing down will make your back stutter-step, pushing up will lower the back's head and burrow forward, and pressing left and right will juke and evade. Handling these controls on the sticks feels natural and allows for some spectacular runs. The one drawback is that it tends to make even average backs look and feel a little too much like Barry Sanders.
http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/530/530939/espn-nfl-2k5-20040716112605892-000.jpg
On defense, batted balls and deflections seem to be a big deal this year, but luckily the interceptions aren't as rampant as they have been in the past. It's possible to pick off balls manually, and you often will if you're in prime position, but the game keeps itself realistic by making many of the batted balls fall just out of reach, or bounce off of fingertips.
Defensive line play has improved as well, as there is a nice give and take between the lines. It's possible to get in and disrupt a QB, but it doesn't happen every down (again, switch to All Pro if it's too easy). Also improved is the secondary, which overplay a lot less balls than in last year's edition. There is still the odd missed assignment, but that is often a function of calling the wrong defense, rather than a corner misplaying the ball. Luckily, the game offers plenty of at-the-line changes (including line and linebacker shifts, and DB adjustments) and audibles, so even if you get stuck in a bad place when you come to the line, it's relatively simple to tweak your troops to effectively cover what's in front of you. In general, there are a lot less chinks in the secondary's armor, and that's a welcome change.
One thing that can be problematic is that sometimes defenders (when controlled by the CPU) take a weird angle to approach and tackle. This can result in big plays where there shouldn't be. It doesn't happen all the time, but it does happen occasionally enough to bear mention. The kicking game also needs some help. Can we completely do away with the drifting arrow please? Go ahead and rip off the competition's kick meter and be done with it. Still, in the face of the tremendous amount of things this game does right, these gripes are drops in the proverbial bucket.
Over the past couple of seasons, ESPN NFL has emerged as the most handsome game on the market. Last year's game flowed all of the individually impressive animations into chains of pure, realistically-captured beauty and ESPN NFL 2K5 continues this trend, making player movements seamless and lifelike. The running game is especially impressive in this regard, on both sides of the ball. As the back performs stutter-steps and jukes, stringing them together into an impressive array of athleticism, you might swear you're watching the real thing.
But when tacklers come in, it gets even more interesting. As your runner gets crunched, there are tons of different ways he can go down. He might move the pile forward, wiggle out of the tackle for an added yard, or get stood up and turned back by multiple defenders. The game isn't quite at the gang-tackling level that one sees in the NFL, but it's getting there.
The character models have been refined, too, edging ever closer to photo realism. A lot of care has been taken to make the faces look less flat and more true to the players they represent. Beyond that, there is a stunning level of detail to player musculature, uniforms, and extremities. The textures are unbelievable, especially where jerseys are concerned. What's more, they've upgraded the cheerleader models from anorexic ghouls to bona fide digital hotties.
The ESPN-related graphics also do a lot to enhance the experience (especially the cool, animated passing and running charts), incorporating stats, reports and replays fluidly into the action. This has the effect of loyally reproducing an actual ESPN broadcast. The coolest part of all is that the replays don't necessarily end when you skip them, they simply shrink and fit into the play-calling screen, so that you can check out the last play's action while picking the new one.
The lighting has gotten better as well. Players cast shadows on themselves and the ground, and the sun's position in the sky is definitely a factor. It's an entirely different feeling to play on a hot, sunny day than one at sunset, or one completely smeared with fog and rain.
Only a couple minor stumbles can be noted. There are frame rate stutters in some places, but that generally only happens when the overlay graphics are zipping to and fro, and it's only a minor annoyance. In addition, you'll see some examples of clipping in big pile-up situations. But overall, the game is graphically stunning.
As with graphics, the sound keeps improving steadily. The on-field sounds remain generally the same as in versions past, but that isn't a bad thing. All of the appropriate sounds of clash and crunch are presented, along with layers of grunting, trash-talking and cheering. It's a great aural experience, but that's just the beginning.
Tied heavily into the presentation upgrades, the commentary is better than ever. Sure, the announcers' voices can get a little grating (these guys don't have the velvety throat of Al Michaels), but their comments are accurate and timely, and the between-play banter is spot-on, and for the most part, contextually relevant.
What are more impressive are the between-play and between-half segments, where members of the ESPN broadcast team get their chance to shine. Chris Berman previews each contest from his desk in the studio, and returns at halftime to run down the first half action. Boomer's segments go a long way to making this feel like a real ESPN broadcast. His comments follow the replayed action, and his signature style is intact, providing a halftime experience that is much more than straight stats.
http://xboxmedia.ign.com/xbox/image/article/530/530939/espn-nfl-2k5-20040716112605018-000.jpg
On the Xbox, you're able to further tailor your aural experience. Not only does the jukebox in the Crib allow you to give your game a homemade soundtrack (primarily on menus), but now you can trim your favorite clips of music and have them play back through the stadium speakers. Grab a sample of your favorite song, set the situation you'd like it to play (after a sack, following a touchdown), then sit back and enjoy!
Closing Comments
Are you kidding me? This game rivals Madden in every way and surpasses it in feature set... and it's only twenty dollars. Plus, it's out three weeks ahead of Madden. Fans of the series will love the improvements and continue to sing its praises. Those who haven’t tried it yet should give it a look at the low price point… it's easily worth fifty bucks, but you don't have to spend that!
-- Chris Carle
Another Take
I have to second Chris' statement. This is one of the finest sports experiences I've had the pleasure of enjoying. ESPN NFL 2K5 is a steal at $20. Even if you are a die-hard Madden fan, I highly recommend picking NFL 2K5 up and playing it for three weeks. Yes, go ahead and get Madden when it's out. Two great football games for just $70? That shouldn't be passed up by any gridiron fan. The custom soundtrack clips are about the coolest thing I've ever heard in a football game. I love having 'pac kick it whenever the LaDanian scores a TD. Great game, great price -- go out and get it.
-- Hilary Goldstein