ESPN NFL Primetime Preview

In the world of video game sports, there are two groups - the EAs and the EA-nots. With Sega's proliferation of quality Dreamcast sports titles and Konami's own competitive efforts on the PlayStation, the past two years have seen a few companies chip away at the juggernaut that is Electronic Arts. As the PlayStation 2's US release nears, Konami seeks to continue its sprint to stardom with a series of ESPN titles. One of these, ESPN NFL Primetime, looks as though it may have a chance to loosen the EA stranglehold and bring new competition to the realm of video game sports.

The battle plan for ESPN NFL Primetime shapes up on two fronts: features and style. On the features front, Konami plans a variety of valuable inclusions, some of which the upcoming efforts of EA and Sega lack. ESPN NFL Primetime will have all the requisite features gamers expect in a football title: exhibition, season, and playoff modes; complete, full-scale trade capabilities; multiple offensive and defensive play books; and the ability for you and three friends to compete in versus games. While the inclusion of these de facto standards is great, the game's other features may whet your appetite even more. Not only will there be a create-a-player function that lets you design, train, and tweak your own custom players, but there will also be a general manager mode that lets you build a team from the ground up, players and all. In an effort to loosen the restrictive nature of preplanned playbooks, ESPN NFL Primetime will even let you create, test, and execute your own plays.

On the style front, ESPN NFL Primetime doesn't aim to front. Thanks to the ESPN license, the game's logos, scoreboards, and camera angles will all come across in a distinctively televised style. Quick cuts, picture-in-picture, and bone-crushing replays are only a few of the many sugary elements this game will contain. For you number buffs out there, you'll have access to years' worth of ESPN statistical data. There's even a sports ticker to fill you in on scores from around the NFL. If visual detail is your bag, soiled uniforms, blowing dust, and pacing coaches are just a few of the minute graphical touches NFL Primetime has in store.

Regardless of quality, a next-generation sports title can have all the features, gameplay, and looks it wants, but still lack heart. In ESPN NFL Primetime's case, Konami intends to bring this factor across through the play-by-play of two notable ESPN color commentators: Chris Berman and Tom Jackson. Berman will provide his own brand of quirky play-by-play and chutzpah, while Jackson will back him up with battle-hardened insights and wisdom.

Besides the design of the game and a few conceptual images, not much else is known about how ESPN NFL Primetime will play. On the upside, Konami has had a great deal of experience creating ESPN titles before, and if its prior efforts are any indication, ESPN NFL Primetime is going to put up a good fight against EA's Madden 2001. Dust off your cleats, because ESPN NFL Primetime charges its way into stores in mid-November.