Better than any PS3 or 360 NFL game... Still!
The gameplay is as good or better as any Madden game. I like the button-mashing run acceleration better than holding down a 'sprint' button because it makes you feel more like you're really outrunning a tackle.
The graphics were unbelievable for a PS2 game. It looked better than the first couple of Madden's on next-gen consoles... go figure.
The Crib feature sounds corny but is genuinely satisfying. I decked out my apartment with all Rams gear! :)
The online play was solid from what I hear, but I can't say that I played it online.
The Franchise mode (whatever they called it) was great. I really, really enjoyed leading my team through 5 seasons of football.
Best of all, it integrated ESPN Sportscenter. MILLIONS of people watch Sportscenter every day, because it's so dang interesting to see highlights and hear color commentary on the world of sports. In the franchise mode for this game, at the end of every week I'd watch the ESPN recap and see highlights of who else is doing well, which team upset which favorite, and which big-time QB fell victim to a bad ankle sprain and will miss the playoffs.
Madden utterly fails to do this, and I can't figure out why. If Tom Brady went out for the season in Madden, you might not figure it out for a few weeks, until you see that he's the 18th-ranked QB in the NFL, then sift through injury reports to find out that the Pats' season was bombed a month ago (and you never even heard about it). ESPN even highlights trades and contract negotiations. If you're playing franchise mode, you want to know this stuff!
In Madden, I play the Buffalo Bills and blammo!--Brett Favre is their QB. When did that happen? Why didn't I hear about it? That really ruins the enjoyment of franchise mode, and destroys any sense of immersion you were hoping for... but ESPN 2K5 NAILS it with their mock sports-show. Plus, it's very satisfying for the game to keep track of your season records... for example, Boomer will comment that we're only 10 games in to the season but my RB is close to breaking a record, and so on. That makes the game, well... fun!!
Lastly, after a little getting used to it, I REALLY enjoy the players emotive attitudes on the sidelines. They are not perfect, but here's a challenge: Play this game for a few hours, then switch to Madden. Your Madden players will feel like dull, apersonal robots... no fun.
Buy this game! You can find it used for cheap and in my book, I'd rather play a perfect game with a five year old roster, than an expensive new game with robotic players, a heartless unexciting season/franchise mode, and basically the same play mechanics.
Madden buying exclusive rights to NFL games destroyed the competitive spirit that was driving these games forward. Madden has long sttruggled to advance its games, but just as ESPN/2K was truly moving things forward (with this game as their greatest achievement), the movement was killed, and now we are stuck with boring robots for players and seasons that are more about numbers than epic conquests for Bowls and records. So sad. Long live 2K5!!