ESPN NFL 2K5 Exclusive Video Demonstration

Jeff Thomas of Visual Concepts walks you through the features of ESPN NFL 2005. Click the stream option for a larger view.

If you were to develop a major-league football game, you'd need an angle--some real edge--to go up against the two-ton behemoth that is Madden NFL. This year, the folks at Visual Concepts are once again in the unenviable position of taking on EA's juggernaut with their new pigskin game, ESPN NFL 2K5. You may have heard that the company's plan of attack this year is to offer ESPN NFL, by all accounts a real threat to Madden's throne, for the remarkably low price of $19.95. We even spoke to the top brass recently to understand the psychology behind this surprising move.

It's unfortunate that ESPN NFL's built-in edge--which is that it's simply a superb football game--isn't enough to make it a major player in the yearly video football competition. To show you what will make ESPN NFL 2K5 the best offering in its series, we grabbed Visual Concepts' vice president of sports development, Jeff Thomas, and sat him down with controller in hand to walk us--and you--through the major features in this year's game.

ESPN NFL 2K5 is currently slated to ship in early August, which is also when Madden NFL 2005 is scheduled for release. This will no doubt be the most interesting (and perhaps most brutal) matchup yet between the two titles. Check out this video demonstration of the game for now, and stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.