1. ESPN NFL 2K5 is the best looking football game ever released up to this point.

2. ESPN NFL 2K5 is the best $20 game ever made, and would be worth paying $49.99 for anyway.

3. ESPN NFL 2K5, despite all its greatness and unmatched presentation, has flaws that should have been addressed before shipping.

ESPN NFL 2K5 is simply a great game of football. I know, I know- I called several issues about the game a "Fumble" in a previous article. I stand by that- despite liking the game overall. Remember, in football, "fumbles" aren't always game-killers, but you better make up for it with better play later in the game, and for the most part, this title does. But, more on that later.


Graphics/Animation:

The first thing you'll notice is the ESPN presentation style and the to-die-for graphics. This game is a graphical showcase on XBOX, and it is also the best looking football game ever to grace the PS2 console as well. The XBOX version has more dazzle with the player uniforms, lens flares, etc, but overall- both games are at the top of the class with no graphical peer. Fields and stadiums are also incredible, as well as the ambient lighting. The player models, uniforms, and fields all have a high degree of polish and sharpness often not seen in console games. The animations are good overall, but some defensive running animations look a bit odd -almost like the defender is stepping a bit too high when running in pursuit. But this is hardly worth mentioning. Everything else is spot-on. The great thing about the animations is that you can often play 20 games or more and still find a new catch animation, intercept animation, tackling animation- you name it. Great stuff here.

The PS2 version's graphics are marginally better than last year. The frame rate is not as consistent as that of the XBOX game, but no worse than last year's PS2 offering. As stated before- its still the best looking football game released on PS2.

As for the XBOX- all I can say is "WOW". The patented "triple pass rendering" yields a shine and sparkle to player muscles, dazzle knit parts of NFL uniforms, helmets - you name it. Plus the player faces on both systems are the best ever seen on any console game as yet. However, I would have hoped that Chris Berman would have looked a bit more like Chris Berman. The same goes for Suzie Kolber. They don't look "bad" - but its just something I can't put my finger on. Not that big of a deal though.

Sounds:

On both PS2 and XBOX, ESPN NFL 2K5 sounds as good as it looks. The player grunts and groans during tackles seem taken right out of those old NFL Films videos we all watch on ESPN CLASSIC. Dolby Surround is also utilized heavily for those who can take advantage of this with the right home stereo systems. As always, the Peter and Dan give a great broadcast with each game, and it seldom seems repetitive or canned. (Uh...other game company- please take note of that! Hint ..hint...hint...) Berman's NFL Prime Time broadcasts SOUND great and natural, as well as the Suzie Kolber segments. Unfortunately, their lip movements don't match what is being said, but overall the effect isn't that bad. My only sound gripe is the canned post-game player interviews where Suzie K. gets to talk to the star of the game. Sadly, the player voices are nothing like real thing. Rich Gannon often gets interviewed in my games, and he is often assigned a voice that makes him sound like P. Diddy. I think this should have been implemented better. As it stands now, the postgame interviews and the voices used are often comical. However, I'm quite sure that "comical" was not their intent.

Gameplay (Overall):

ESPN 2K5 really shines in terms of gameplay. The controls are basically the same as last year. Over the last 3 years, this series has done the best job of any football video game in terms of making the player a key part of what happens on the field. You feel like YOU make the catches, and YOU make the reads -without help from the AI. The advanced running controls really simulate the battle for yardage like no other game. Likewise, Maximum Passing is the best passing mode I have ever seen implemented in a football video game thus far. You have more control of your passes in ESPN 2K5 than you may be used to in other games, and this is a good thing. The action is fast and furious all around. The gang-tackles, collisions, bad calls by the ref, big plays, short yardage slamfests- you name it- its all done well here, and quite smooth. (NOTE: the default PRO level is far too easy, just like the default PRO level is too easy in the Madden series. Be advised. All Pro is where most people play.)

Offense (Human Controlled)

You'll first notice that running is hard to get a handle on. Following blocks is KEY- (As it should be). You'll get the hang of it. At first, I thought running was a bit too hard, but then I got used to it and started posting good numbers. The key is the occasional audible play-flip, and timing your moves/shoulders/stiff arms correctly. Thankfully, the days of SUPER BACK from ESPN 2K4 are gone. Running is FAR more realistic this year than last year. We can all rejoice at this!

Passing is right on, and the release speeds are about where they should be. Frankly, I think it is more realistic. Most Pro QB's can get the ball away very fast- and all seem to be able to do it faster than the virtual QB's in EA's game. ESPN seems to strike a good balance here. Conversely, you'll also notice that for long-bombs, your QB will take a bit longer to draw his arm back than the normal "flick" of his gun for a 5 to 12 yard toss. I like this. This hinders you from unrealistically running around the pocket like a madman with defenders in pursuit- waiting for the deep route to open up. Because you'll really have to wind up that cannon and draw back for the pass- and you'll usually end up eating turf from a sack. So, in short, the short to medium strikes are quick releases, but the 35+ yard heaves take an extra second to uncork. Pretty realistic in that respect.

You'll also notice that if your QB throws hard bullets all the time, his completion percentage will drop. You'll quickly learn that feathering your touch on the analog buttons is important in certain situations. Still, you'll have to zip it in there at times. I've seen people complain about drops in this game, but I think they are firing-off passes with all their might. I'm completing about 60% regularly, and throwing for about 200 yards per game with Gannon. (This all on All Pro.) So I cannot complain about drops too much after learning to not always fire bullets.

Wide receiver play is relatively "grounded." By that I mean that the wideouts don't have much in the way of "Hops" or vertical leap for the ball. I know...I know, jetpacking was annoying last year in EA's game, but ESPN's wideouts seem to be the opposite extreme. When they do jump, it seems like a random event, and user control seems to lead to a great deal of "short-arming."- But this is also true of defensive back play. (More on that later). Yes, sometimes both WR's and DBs will jump, but like i said, it seems like you have no control over it... and its rare when it happens.

Unfortunately, I've found a disturbing number of very high-percentage pass routes that work even on the toughest difficulty. I won't call them "Gimme Routes" at this point, but I will say they are a bit too reliable for my liking. I won't share what they are, you folks can find them yourselves, but I will say that Sega really needs to address such issues next year.

Offense (AI Controlled)

The AI Offense on ALL PRO is a competent opponent overall, but it does make the occasional bonehead read, and has a tendency to throw a few more Ints than one would hope for. I fixed this with sliders (my sliders can be found in our forums). Also, the ALL-Pro AI running game is a little light. I've fixed this with sliders as well. One thing I really like about this game is how the AI teams make use of their best receiver (or receivers- as the case may be). Example, the Chiefs throw a good number of passes to Gonzalez, the Ravens throw to Heap, and the Eagles toss it to Owens alot, etc. Plus, the AI makes an effort to call plays to get these marquee players open.

My big beef with the Offensive AI relates to the QB position and scrambling/running. In short, the AI QB's do not roll out and run. In the game, rarely- if ever- will Michael Vick roll out on a pass play, and see the gaping hole down the sideline and take off on foot. 99.9% of the time, he'll pass it... even if an easy 15 yard scamper is open to him. However, the QB AI will often pull the ball down and run between linemen and take off up the middle if you give them that opening (usually from calling too many cover 2s with man under!). That said, there's not too much more to fear when going against an AI controlled Michael Vick than there is with any other pocket-passer. He may run up the middle on you as a surprise, but outside contain isn't an issue, since the QBs in ESPN 2K5 rarely run to the outside after scrambling. This is kind of a big thing- considering that it doesn't really simulate the dangers of going against a mobile QB.

Also, I've always felt the ESPN NFL playbooks are a bit too thin on both sides of the ball. I'd like to see many more plays per formation than what is offered. As it stands, I have seen nothing to indicate the playbook isn't basically the same plays from last year.

Defense (Human Control)

Human controlled defense is a tale of two dynamics. The first- stopping the run, is simple enough, and logical. Much of it depends on the defense you called and the skills of those making the tackle. No complaints here. It all simply "makes sense" and "feels right."

However, its in pass defense where human control falters. The DBs in the game tend to not "jump to swat" very often- even when controlled by a human. They often short-arm a swat from not extending, or go for an INT where they go into an INT animation without really extending for the ball. This slows them down, and often leads to losing steps on a completed pass and sure RAC yardage for the receiver. However, like I said above, wideouts have this same problem in terms of "short-arming", so it is kind of even as far as jumping. (In that they usually DON'T jump.)

As for D-back positioning, its REALLY a mixed bag, ESPN 2K5's corners get "turned around" more than real pros do, in my opinion. And this only adds fuel to the fire in terms of very suspect coverage. Now, granted, much of this can be fixed with sliders, but that doesn't effect player versus player online pass coverage. Luckily you can cheat the secondary in, out, up, and press in increments, which is a nice help when defending the "slant-happy" or the "out-happy" players, as well as bump their wideouts. However, take note- the "bump n' run" in ESPN 2K5 is effective for some corners and not so effective for the lower to mid-tier corners. I like that!

But here is where we come to what I think is the biggest problem with gameplay. QB Spy DOES NOT WORK. There's some disagreement in the ESPN community about this, but let me say it with a qualifier- IT DOES NOT WORK LIKE SPY SHOULD WORK- IF IT WORKS AT ALL. Here's why.

According to ESPN's own designers, you can only call a "hot spy" with a player who is assigned to a zone defense.

This is a curious design decision- to say the least. In my experience and from my football knowledge, most teams "Spy" out of a man defense. The player assigned to spy the QB actually shadows the QB about 6 to 8 yards deep, and follows him horizontally in case of rollouts, etc. In effect, he's playing a "Moving Zone" that stays a few yards deep, but will mimic the QB's lateral movements across the field. This does two things- First, it protects against a QB rollout/scramble for big yards. Secondly, it frees up the man defenders so they can turn their back to the QB and run with their man assignments (so they don't have to be overly aware of the QB who may take off on them- because they have a guy assigned to watch him.) So- right there, ESPN NFL 2K5's designers have handicapped 1/2 of that concept by making it so that "SPY" only works in a zone. But that TRULY wouldn't be so bad, if even in a zone the assigned "Hot Spy" would actually roll with the QB. Unfortunately, he doesn't! He goes into his zone he was assigned to be in anyway!

Now here's where me and the fanboys of this game disagree. They claim that assigning spy to the zone defender may not cause him to roll with the QB, but instead make him more "Aware" of the QB once he breaks the pocket and rambles upfield for positive yards. But, crapload of good that does if you assign SPY to a LOLB assigned to cover one side of the field in his zone, and a QB such as Vick decides to take off down the other side! I don't care if that LB is "more aware" or not- he's out of position and useless on the play! Besides, all "Zone" defenders are supposed to be aware of the QB since they are in position to face him much more than they would if they were in man defense. So what is the point of "Spy!"

Answer: There IS no point to calling spy audibles. (But you can kid yourself and call it all you want.)

And this is the biggest problem in the game, especially when it comes to head to head or online play. A QB with even the slightest mobility (even Gannon) can pull the ball down and quickly roll out against a man defense and just take off down the sideline relatively unmolested. DE's aren't much help in this game when it comes to containing the QB. Plus, there's no play that assigns any "Spy" on the QB, so we are relegated to having to use the hot-Spy audible, which - as I said- does not work. This leads to MUCH potential for cheese online, and it will be abused. This is a VERY unfortunate oversight in the game. What's worse- this is the second year in a row for Sega to release a game with a broken defensive mechanic. (Last year, it was the assigned player specific coverage double-teams that didn't really work.) This is very disappointing considering the cheese it allows. Of course you can try to "Spy" with a user controlled player, but where's the advantage in even having the audible for it if that is truly the case!?!? This qualifies as a major gripe.

Special teams (AI & User controlled)

Sega has kept the same kicking mechanics as before, but added better kick coverage than in the past. Not much to discuss here. Punter legs are a bit too powerful for reality however, but that's a very minor gripe.

Franchise Play:

Here's where many of my gripes are. The good news is this- the AI makes trades this year. YAY! The bad news.... their trades are often so pitifully lopsided that it is laughable. Franchise QB's for mid-tier defensive ends, you name it. I've heard this is a problem related to injuries- and the shallowness of the free agent lists. Basically, with all the injuries in the game, the AI has to scramble to sign replacement players to fill depth chart needs at any cost. Well, the roster minimums override the player rating considerations, and often by the end of pre-season, the entire Free Agent list has already been signed at many key positions. In short- the AI MUST make goofy trades to survive at this point. Whatever the reason, it stinks. In fairness, this can be calmed-down to an extent by lowering the injury slider.

There's also a stat tracking glitch where simmed games are done without consideration to a 3-4 defense. It seems that all "Simming" assumes the AI uses a 43 D. So simming any of the Steelers games keeps ILB2 James Farrior on the bench, usually getting no stats for his computer controlled season. Still, there's alot good about the Franchise play, but the draft has its player tracking issues, as well as the fact that the draft could have been MUCH better. NFL Primetime is way cool, but you'll usually be swearing at it when big, stupid AI trades are announced. In short, I would have liked to see more attention to detail in the franchise mode. A little extra work would have gone a long way here. Still, decent overall, but with its share of glitches that simply shouldn't be there.

Unfortunately, I have to tell you all that the pre-game preparation mode is a tedious, very "not-fun" endeavor. It sounded real good on paper, but in execution, it is text-based, drag-down monotony that takes far too long, and the results often seem illogical. It can take a full 20 minutes to set up your whole teams regimen. Unfortunately, you cannot save the template for later use, so you'll have to assign the position drills for each day, and for each duration, and the intensity of those drills in every week of your season. I simply cannot convey the boring monotony of the time and setup required to do this for all 6 days of a week, and have to assign the same stuff and drag the same options during every week of the season. Thankfully, you can skip the whole process and opt not to use pregame prep at all, thus going with the default ratings.

Online play:

Online play got off to a rocky start, especially for the XBOX version. Sega has fixed a good many of the problems though, and its playing well at this point. Unfortunately, there's much cheese to be found online- and most of it centers around the lack of QB pursuit by the defense, and the fact that the Spy audible doesn't work. QBs are just too fast while scrambling- even the average pocket passers- and can often amble for more yards than you'd like. Of course, this problem persists in the single player game, but people online really exploit this. I can run Gannon all over the place against many players online, should I want to. And worse, using a real speed-demon like Michael Vick, McNabb, and Culpepper often equates to a disconnect of whoever is having to go against them. In short, balance is very questionable online, and a working "Spy" would have helped.

Miscellaneous:

Here's where the game really starts to show its scars. You WILL find weirdness in this game. I can't call these little glitches "Game Killers"- but I will say that these things SHOULD have been flushed out by release. Instant replay challenges often cause problems, such as the ball being placed on the wrong spot. Also, I've seen where I threw a short 5 yard pass on 3rd and 10. My guy was ruled out of bounds. He wouldn't have gotten the first anyway, but I challenged it to get 5 more yards on what would have been my 4th down punt. I win the challenge, he was in bounds. HOWEVER- I magically get awarded a 1st and 10 for a 5 yard completion on 3rd and 10? Odd. Also, clipping penalties are a little too frequent, and when they happen, the offensive player gets awarded NEGATIVE yards for each yard he ran/received from the play that had the holding! So- if you ran your HB for 30 yards, and get called for a clipping penalty, he gets credited for a -45 yard gain! Come on people, a little more playtesting next year. This is what I meant when I said ESPN NFL 2K5 has its share of fumbles. Also, here's yet another game that is rough to play on many first generation XBOX units with the old "Thompson" DVD drive. It seems like both EA and ESPN are indirectly telling us that we will have to get a NEW XBOX with the Samsung drive in it to play their games in the new DVD format. This is unfortunate for early adopters of the XBOX unit. I know I had to replace mine last year when NFL Fever 2004 had stuttering problems, but the new DVD format that both ESPN and NCAA 2005 are pushing the limits of those systems with the Thompson drive even more, causing frame stutters and sound issues. This is indeed a shame. I would have preferred that both EA and Sega keep the DVD formats the same as last year for the sake of compatibility, but I also blame Microsoft for doing NOTHING to address this problem with their first-gen hardware. I guess its a fact we must live with.

Extras:

Oh, and "The Crib" is still in there, if you care. And its a bit bigger this year. First Person Football is back too. Neither of these things impress me a whole hell of a lot, to be perfectly honest. This would have been great icing, IF the cake beneath had a few more areas of attention to detail and playtesting. I don't mean to keep knocking on ESPN NFL 2K5, but its stunning achievements must also serve as a backdrop for where "just a bit more detail" could have made this game the ultimate football experience- a perfect 10 score. I'm just a bit of a purist who believes you add "fluff" once you get everything else right. That said, I'm sure many people will enjoy the crib distraction, and First Person Football can be fun.

Innovation: what does this game add to football gaming?

One thing this year's title managed to do is to create the most innovative gameplay element I've seen in console football for some time. And that is VIP Profiles. VIP Profiles are essentially ongoing AI authoring and tendencies being taught to the computer. Basically, your VIP profile records all you do, such as what plays you run, what special moves you use, what playbooks you use, what plays you use on certain down and distance situations, how much you bump n' run... and hundreds of more categories. In essence, you are writing an ongoing, ever evolving AI script that is inherently "YOU". What's more, you can set the AI to use your own profile, therefore you are playing against the AI with YOUR tendencies and play style. It was eerie to play myself. It made me realize just how predictable I could be on certain downs. So, I've adapted even more, and so does my VIP profile. Even better is the fact that you can download other people's VIP profiles to play against a "Virtual Them." (Incidentally, anyone who wants to play against me can get my profile online through XBOX Live. My handle is "quietcool72". Let me know how I do against you!)

But the great thing is that the VIP profiles generally play tougher than the stock "Coach Profiles" the game ships with. It makes you wonder how much more can be done with the AI scripting that the CPU actually learns from the profiles. Calling this VIP Profile "Innovative" is indeed an understatement.

Wrap-Up:

ESPN is a great game of football, but not the ultimate standard of football gaming that us fans had hoped. It does many things well, and its fun to play but still has a ton of issues that need addressed, and SHOULD have been addressed before release. I would have much preferred that Sega spend more time with ironing out gameplay glitches instead of messing around with fluff such as Steve O's celebrity team and Carmen Electra's team. In my opinion, things like "THE NEW CRIB" should only be added once gameplay issues are ironed out and well-tested. I'd gladly do away with "THE CRIB" in favor of QB Spy actually working, or having some of the odd glitches fixed- or addressing those lame trades in franchise play. In the grand scheme of things, this is still an excellent game, and a must-own for all football fans. I feel it is a flawed-masterpiece. Its good outweighs its bad, but the bad is very hard to ignore in some key areas. It still leaves Visual Concepts/Sega plenty of room for improvement for next year. Bangpow, our co-founder, will also be posting a second opinion on this game as well, along with his impressions. As for me, it gets a solid 8.9 out of 10.