User Rating: 9.7 | ESPN NFL Football XBOX
ESPN NFL 2K5 took me by surprise since I was a long time Madden footballer. Truth be told, I date back to when the game to play was Front Page Sports Football, so I’ve been playing them all over the years. Like many others, the $19.99 price is what initially caught my eye and since it was released so early, I gave it a go and rented it. I was totally impressed. There is a lot of ESPN vs. Madden being posted and that’s a good healthy debate, but if you judge the game on its own merits I believe you will find that ESPN 2K5 holds up very well. The game play is solid and I felt engaged throughout each game. I tend towards a strong run to set up the pass and I found the game realistically depicted what a typical NFL game would be like – that is lots of 2, 3 & 4 yard runs, a few losses and the occasional big gainer for +7 yards or more. What really stunned me was how good it all looked. The graphics continually amazed me and that’s one big improvement over the Madden series. Additionally, the amount of detail the game saves is impressive. During one game, my son had to take a phone call, so as I waited for him, I browsed the half time stats. That was when I discovered that the game provided a play by play text breakdown of each half and if I highlighted a play it would run a replay of the play. Very cool. But the best thing about the game is the VIP feature. That’s where you create a profile and the game amasses every conceivable stat about how you play. Then, if you aren’t around to play someone in your league, they can load your profile up and the CPU will play the game exactly the way you would, for good or ill. Even better, you can load your profile into an opposing team and play yourself and scout your own strengths and weaknesses. A narcissistic dream. Franchise mode has incredible depth, including the option to set your team’s preparations for the week. You can do as much or as little as you choose. What’s not to like? Well, the Crib feature is just totally dumb but beyond that, I can’t say that I have any real complaints. I have not played this year’s Madden and I’m torn as to whether I should rent it or not. I probably will, though. At a regular price, this game would be outstanding. For the price, it’s a must have.
