The Conclusion
If you were to ask us point-blank what football game you should buy this year, our answer would be "both." With ESPN being a mere $20 and Madden still offering an excellent game of football, we think this is the year that everybody should try both games to truly see where their loyalties lie. Now then, if your response to this statement is, "Nice try, Richie Rich, but I don't have $70 to spend on two football games. Now quit the crap, and tell me which one I should get!" Our answer would be: ESPN NFL 2K5.
The reasons for this are plentiful. Aside from our contention that there has never been a better-looking football game than this one, ESPN NFL 2K5 also has more than enough depth in both gameplay and features to make it a stellar package. The new ESPN presentational components, the few gameplay additions to the running game and defense, and the übercool online league system simply make ESPN impossible to pass up. This answer doesn't even take into account the fact that this outstanding package can be purchased for the kind of money you'd typically spend on a crappy budget game. How can you go wrong with a deal like this?
With this said, there are a couple of things that Madden does do better. If your sole interest is in having the best franchise mode and you don't particularly care about gameplay or graphics or any of that craziness, then Madden may be the way to go. Additionally, if you really prefer a good, defensive game of football, then Madden has ESPN beaten in that category as well. But, beyond these couple of scant categories, ESPN is really the way to go pretty much across every other conceivable area. While defense may typically win championships, it doesn't win our crown for the best football game of 2004. ESPN NFL 2K5 does that.
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