Taken as a FOOTBALL game it's great. If you're looking for a complete package it's lacking. Not for everyone.
I was a little leery about a game with made up teams, retired football stars and skimpy features when I first decided to try this game out. However, when taken at the most basic level (just playing a game of football) this game is outstanding. While APF 2k8 lacks a franchise and trades during the season, it really is a good fun game of football.
Perhaps the most solid aspect of this game is the gameplay. The AI is fairly solid, although sometimes questionable against the deep pass. The focus of APF is on the game itself. No bells, no whistles, just a solid football experience. Players carry momentum, which means none of that instant 180 degree turns at a dead sprint stuff that makes it so easy to school defenses in other football games. Players move with much more realism and the ball physics are pretty much spot on. Graphics-wise, APF is pretty decent in HD. Play it on a SD TV and you may very well wonder if you are playing a next-gen game. Players animations are extremely smooth and fluid as well. The stadiums are very sharp and nicely detailed (albeit some of them are a little over the top in their team related themes).
While the single player game is pretty much restricted to creating your own team and playing a single season, it really is much more fun than it sounds. Designing your team's uniforms, helmets and logos is a blast and it really provides the ability to put your own touch into your team's creation. After creating your team, you select a partial roster of former NFL greats (two gold star level players, three silver level and six bronze level). It's up to you if your team will be a jaw busting, lockdown defense or a high flying, high powered offense or a balance of both. It sounds pretty sketchy, but I found it to be an excellent dose of innovation and it really is something different, which is refreshing.
Online play is solid as well. As usual, 2k Sports boasts excellent online leagues and nearly flawless online play. The game, for the most part, plays just as smooth as the single player when online. Players get to take their created teams online to play against other created teams, which really makes you focus on strengths and weaknesses each game.
For sheer fun, this game is a 9/10. But it really does lack the depth that a game of this caliber should have. Regardless of whether or not the league is ficticious, it needs to have the ability to trade/release/sign players during a season and a franchise mode is a giant omission. But if you are looking for a game of football that is just flat out FUN to play, APF really is a solid game. While it won't be everyone's cup of tea, it offes a solid game experience. If you're looking for a game full of gameplay features and officially licensed teams/players, go with Madden. Or do what I did and pick up both and enjoy each them for their own strengths.