$20 doesn’t go as far as it used to. At the dawn of the videogame age, somewhere around 1982, $20 would buy you 2 LP records with change to spare (might I recommend “Physical” or “Eye of the Tiger”). You could see a movie with 2 friends and have enough left over for a box of candy (E.T. or Tootsie?). You couldn’t, however, afford the home version of Pac Man for your Atari 2600; that would run you $50 (MSRP, 1982). As gamers, we’re fortunate that inflation didn’t impact our hobby as it did other entertainment mediums. Fifty clams is still the MSRP for most new releases, and in most cases, it is a fair price. Recently, “budget” pricing has gained popularity as a way of helping otherwise ‘niche’ products like IndyCar Racing Series 2005 reach a wider audience.
When I choose a ‘budget’ airline, I typically accept a ‘budget’ experience: you’re fortunate to actually get a seat in the midst of a certain airline’s boarding cattle call. A “run for the boarder” might come at a low price, but has the nutritional value of water and a similar watery impact on your gastrointestinal system. A motel might “leave the light on for you”, but given the suspicious stains on the bedding, I might prefer the dark. ESPN Football 2K5 rings in this year at a light $20, does it provide an equally light experience? No. Absolutely, unequivocally and without debate, it’s a full-fledged experience besting most games at ‘full’ price, regardless of what EA’s Marketing Department might want you to believe.
I wanted to get that out of the way early, as it seems nearly every review/preview of this game focused more on the budget price than the quality of the title (there was even an article on this very site dedicated to the topic by some fool!). The pricing of the game was a marketing/business decision by Take Two Interactive, not a concession by Visual Concepts that they felt like taking the year off from improving the series. To the contrary, VC put a layer of polish and shine on the 2K5 revision that arguably exceeds the generational improvements of years past. It’s not yet perfect, and the improvement of some game-play elements comes at the expense of others, but ESPN NFL Football 2K5 is a landmark release in the history of videogame football: It has the gameplay, features, appearance, presentation, and style to compete with the mighty Madden, and win. Madden 2005 isn’t yet on store shelves, so I’ll reserve comment on whether ESPN actually takes the trophy until a fair comparison is made, but win, lose, or draw, ESPN Football is one fighter that showed up in shape for the bout.
The first thing you’ll notice is that the visual presentation is stunning. Accurately rippling muscles (like my own), realistic fabric, and amazing lighting adorn every player on the field. A preliminary comparison revealed that the Xbox version outshines the PS2 by a good margin, with the PS2 looking more like last year’s Xbox game. The little touches are still there, but the Xbox has a sharper, more vibrant appearance. No doubt this is a result of VC’s new decision to use the Xbox as the “lead platform” for development. Player models are more accurately scaled, and more ‘human’ than previous iterations, and the faces are in many cases hauntingly close to reality. Little things like articulating fingers (especially during cut-scenes) are still missing, and serve as reminders that these guys are still built of bits & bytes, but the overall appearance of the game is as good as any sports game I’ve ever seen.
The animations push the package to the next level. This is the most complete and convincing assortment of movements ever assembled. In one game, my RB was trying to break the shoe-string tackle of a fallen defender, and took incredibly realistic half-steps over and on top of the defender’s body while maintaining balance until another opponent finished him off. In another game, Tom Brady dropped back to throw the bomb, and suffered a sack because of the hops he needed to take to heave the throw far downfield. QB’s fall to the ground in what seems like 100 different ways, RB’s elude defenders with a seamless string of jukes, cuts, and jumps, and defenders grab, hit, and clutch WR’s with vicious variety. There are more details in the animations than could possibly be mentioned in this review, but rest assured that you’ll still be saying “wow” by mid-season.
The gameplay is instantly familiar to 2Kx veterans, despite the increased level of player momentum. With Maximum Passing turned on, you’re able to fire away with deadly accuracy or suffer from your own foolish mistakes. There is noticeably more zip to your passes this year, and careful touch is required for accurate results. The word “control” applies more accurately to this game than virtually any other, as you almost never feel at the mercy of ‘scripted’ events. The running game places a heavy burden on the talent of the gamer, as the iron horses of last year have been replaced by easier-to-take-down mortals. Careful use of speed bursts, shoulder charges, and jukes will earn you yardage, but not with any guarantee. Defensive controls also place a greater burden on the gamer, as manually making the hit (X) or the tip (Y) drastically increases your chances of preventing your opponent from successfully airing out the ball. It’s clear that there is more refinement than revolution in ESPN Football 2K5, so if your response to the game will in part be based upon your feelings toward past iterations.
The biggest flaws or concerns in the gameplay come from the apparent (at this early stage) emphasis on the “BIG” plays. A disproportionate number of touchdowns were scored in 50+ yard receptions or breakaway runs, both in offline games (All Pro) and online games. While there may be tuning to be done with the extensive sliders, and/or new skills to be learned to shut down breakaway opportunities, there is some concern that the corners are too slow in comparison to a decent WR. Another area of concern is the increased number (from years past) of receptions pulled down from within a crowd (2 or more) of defenders. As already noted, this can be remedied by manual control of the defenders laying a quick hit and/or careful timing of an interception or tip (Y), but it will surprise many ESPN veterans and force them to adjust their play. Careful review of the replays shows that the catches are reasonable, but there doesn’t seem to be enough taken into account for the ‘footsteps’ of a defender ready to deliver a big hit.
In a similar manner to the burden on the defender to break up a pass, is a new burden on the QB to avoid a sack. Visual Concepts introduced a new “QB Evade” gesture (R Thumbstick), which allows the QB to duck, sidestep, and out-maneuver an oncoming attacker. If you don’t learn to use this, you will get sacked often! It’s overwhelmingly clear that VC didn’t implement new controls/features without an effort to balance and even force their use in the larger context of the game. You only have a few seconds of daylight to unload a pass before the Defensive Backs are on top of you, so your choices are to pass the ball or get good at evading your opponent. This isn’t a negative (though many forum posts will note the frequency of sacks) but it will surprise veteran players and force them to learn new skills.
The ESPN presentation is top-notch, with Berman in full force. There wasn’t any effort made to sync the mouth of the animated announcer with the audio, and the models are relatively low quality as compared to the players on the field, but it adequately conveys the atmosphere and excitement of an ESPN broadcast. ESPN NFL Football 2K5 has excitement written all over it. There is a palpable tension to each game, brought about by the commentary and game pacing, as well as the “suspension of disbelief” induced by the ESPN environment. The game audio is excellent, especially in Dolby 5.1, and includes a nifty little tool for testing your audio setup that will be valuable outside the game (DVD’s etc.). The depiction of fans filing in, tailgating before the game, celebrating a good play, and fawning for the camera all lend an atmosphere of ‘reality’ to the proceedings.
Franchise mode makes its obvious return, and could warrant a 4-page review of its own for its depth and complexity. The daily events can consume time while off the field, but there are options to assign mundane tasks to your coaches if you prefer to focus on the games alone.
Rounding out the features set and game modes are the 25 greatest games in ESPN history, which is a terrific stroll through some of the most compelling “situations” of the last 25 years. Much like what Acclaim has done with ASB, this mode challenges the gamer to recreate the spectacular endings/events of some of the greatest games in the leagues history. Making a return is “The Crib”, but I just can’t take this seriously. The invitations to play B-list celebrity VIP’s while being taunted by their images is not appealing to this gamer, but it may be a nice feature for the MTV crowd.
The most compelling new feature of the game, however, is easily the new VIP system. This builds a profile of your play based upon every imaginable variable: play-calling tendencies, run vs. pass, left vs. right, zone vs. man to man, everything you do is tracked in this little file, which can be downloaded by your competitors for practice. Implementing a VIP is less clear than it could be (start a game, and after selecting teams, select the VIP coach of your opponent and assign one of your downloaded VIP’s). After 5 games against my buddy online, I played a game against his profile offline, and the similarity of the experience was striking, and clearly different than playing the game AI. This feature alone is a revolutionary advancement worthy of copy by all competitors, and will have you second-guessing your own habits. I found myself intentionally ‘randomizing’ some of my playcalling, as I have a definite tendency to fall back to crossing routes on offense and a Nickel, 2-Man coverage on defense. (Nice tip for those of you playing me online!)
It’s too early to comment on the power of the online functions, but the Xbox Live 3.0 features are fully implemented. Live Aware allows friends to send invites/messages even when you’re playing ‘offline’, and invites can be accompanied by what should be required 15-second audio taunts (say whatever you want in 15 seconds, but to me it’s purely to taunt my upcoming opponent!). ESPN includes a superb online Season mode that allows you to join any open league or create one with ease. Stats are tracked, and player trades are possible, thus finally marrying Fantasy Football and videogame football as the gods truly intended! Again, the accuracy and staying power of these modes will be determined over the next few months, but the tools are there to create a compelling virtual season.
Online play was silky smooth, with ZERO noticeable lag or difference in “feel” (see ESPN Baseball for an example of online “feel” gone bad) from the offline experience. Matchmaking is oddly reminiscent of the Dreamcast days of the NFL2k series, with an Excel-like grid of available players and game settings on a white background. The only complaint is that it took a few minutes to figure out how to accept a challenge initiated even from an invitation I sent. You have to hit X to move to the “Challenges” section and select a challenge in order to start a game, unlike the simple Accept/Decline prompt from season’s past.
In summary, ESPN NFL 2k5 is a worthy upgrade to the venerable series, and a serious contender for sports game of the year. It has the complete package and gameplay to challenge Madden, but only time will tell if the gaming public will respond. There are a few gameplay concerns, but most are created from new features or controls that will require practice and learning to overcome. Challenging veterans of the series, and inviting newcomers with its visual appeal and low price, ESPN NFL Football is poised to make a run for gaming glory; stay tuned to Digital Sportspage as the gridiron battle of 2004 continues.
Yes, $20 can today buy something at least as good as “Beat of the Drum” by Rick Springfield. I wish that I had Jessie’s Girl.
Graphics: 94
Audio: 88
Interface: 90
Gameplay: 90
Overall: 92
