ESPN vs. Madden, no holds barred

Years from now, gamers will remember 2004 as one of the greatest years of videogame football ever. Not only were two stellar NFL titles---ESPN NFL 2K5 and Madden 2005--released before the regular season kicked off, but ESPN's move to undercut the competition by lowering the price of its title to a mere $20 touched off a mini-price war that gamers are still benefiting from well into the Fall.

The two games each have their strengths and weaknesses, as you might expect. ESPN's 2K series has come to be known for its realistic running game, fantastic TV-style presentation and stellar graphics. The Madden series, not content to rest on it's billions-selling laurels, significantly upped the ante this year with some huge improvements in the defensive game, notably the innovative and intuitive hit stick. So which one was better? It's a question that has nagged gamers throughout the late summer and into autumn, as never before have both titles been so close in terms of quality.

GameSpot took this question and posed it to two of our resident pigskin nuts, Alex Navarro and Rich Gallup, who mixed it up PTI-style to entertaining effect. The results of their video debate may surprise you.