ESPN 2K5 football

[ryjam282]

OK,OK, I went out on a limb this past week and rented a copy of this game and I think the game is pretty slick in some aspects, but my completion percentage for any quarterback I use, sucks...Is it hard to complete a lot of passes in this game, or not? I mean, it seems like there is a lot of dropped passes.

I like that you can loft it up to your receiver or put some zip on the ball. What I hate the most is half the time when I put some heat on it the dude whips it way too fast, 20 feet away from the guy out of bounds.

Another annoying thing is that you can't see the whole field when passing.
If you got a receiver on either side that busts his route on a out, you have to guess whether or not he's open, or if there's 3 defenders there.

Also, aren't they capable of having actual gameplay highlights of plays during Sportscenter? I mean they show you replays of friggin 5 yard runs, why is the conversion to the Sportscenter broadcast so focking difficult. It totally makes that whole aspect of the game worthless on PS2.

And I'm happy that they have added faces to people you draft...nice touch...It's especially nice when you see that guy with his helmet off and he's a black guy with an Art Monk moustache, when your pic is a white guy with a devilish smile...

I've got some dude that's a 57 Rating...He's a DT that has 15 sacks so far this year. That makes sense right? Ok, didn't think so.

The presentation of the game is great, but the gameplay still needs work. It doesn't seem that much different from last year's game. Some of the screens they use are the same as well...


And I have played more than one game. I've played about 30, so I've taken my time to make sure that the crap that annoyed me still did after repeated playing...

In the end, I will stick with Madden, hit me with your shots now Tatonka, I am waiting.......:2guns: :D

[Bulldog]

Considering Target has it on sale for $15.87, how can you go wrong? For what you paid to rent the game($5), you could have owned it for another $11. I too think the game has some flaws, but for the money I spent, it is well worth it. There are also some things on Madden that are equally annoying.

[ryjam282]

I know, I just really enjoy busting Tatonka's chops on this one. I actually enjoy the game a lot. I like them showing my highlights on Sportscenter and Chris Berman and stuff. I actually enjoy parts of both Madden and ESPN and maybe in the future they could join and we could get the best of both worlds....Bye the way, $15.87 at Target? Really? I think I will actually pick it up then, thanks.

[Tatonka]

as far as the completion percentage.. it takes touch.. if you go through the practice modes.. you can really work on that.. if it is a three or five step drop.. let your qb drop back on his own.. wait for him to hit that fifth step..and then he does a little bounce.. you know.. like drew does right before he ducks into a sack.. and throw the ball.. it is all about the timing..

as far as seeing your receivers.. press and hold the R1 or L1 buttons before the snap.. it pulls back so you can see the whole field on the snap.

when your receiver goes to catch the ball.. use the triangle button.. he will go up and get it.. it will help catch the ball.

i agree with your point about the end of the game highlights.. the still shots are nice and all.. but it seems like they could have done actual highlight replays..

i like the fact that you can actually put moves on from the DLine.. and get pressure or sacks..


i LOVE the 25 year anniversary games.. i still have not been able to come back as the bills yet against houston.. but i did win the superbowl against the giants.. i have completed about 15 of the 25. for those of you that dont know what i am talking about.. the game has 25 of the best games in nfl history.. and it drops you in right in the crucial seconds of the game.. to finish up and either keep the history alive or change history.. for example.. with the bills, giants superbowl... they give you the ball with jim kelly and the old offense w/ 2 minutes and change left.. and you have to drive down the field and win the game.. in the houston game.. you get the ball down 35-3 in the 3rd.. you have to come back and win..

they have the eagles/green bay game.. you get the ball on a 4th and 26.... lol.. that one took a while to hit.

i love the game.. if you dont ry.. it is because your gay and are not a real bills fan.

:D

[Tatonka]

ps.. for under 20$.. zip it!!

:biggrin:

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by Bulldog
T, did you think it was kind of hard to move the ball on offense? I usually play Madden, so maybe I just need to get used to it. The graphics are awsome. I just need to get used to what all the different buttons can do as far as audublies on both offense and defense.


i think running is almost perfect.. if you follow your blocker and hit the hole right.. you pick up about 4 yards.. which is right.. and every once in a while.. if you get the combo of the power shoulder and stiff arm down.. you will break one.. i think it is fun banging the crap out of the X button trying to keep the speed burst going.. i just think it makes it more real.. because if you get tired.. you get caught.. like in real life..

on offense.. what you really need to do is start with some bread and butter stuff.. utilize your RB and FB in the flats for short quick completions... then work your way out from there as you get more comfortable.. TE stuff.. the Play action seems to work good.. and another thing that i have had alot of success with is the pump fake.. if you double tap the button for the receiver your throwing to, it will pump fake it.. then press it a third time and your completions will be alot higher percentage..

[I'M A BELIEVER]

Great pointer on the timing of the pass.....pretty realistic that you get better results throwing when you are set up than off your back foot, etc.... The rushing attack is a bit too easy, and it is a bit too easy to pick off passes (especially with Troy Vincent).
At least the game does not have the unrealistic glitch as with Madden where you can release a player and resign him as a free agent for a fraction of his current salary....
overall I like the game and the early release was just what the Dr. ordered for a football addict in mid June.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Madden is the only way to go!

[I'M A BELIEVER]

THURM.......just wondering.....have you actually tried ESPN 2K5?

If you have, fine, you are entitled to your opinion.

If not.....don't be ignorant.

[ryjam282]

Originally posted by Tatonka
i love the game.. if you dont ry.. it is because your gay and are not a real bills fan.

:D

I thought we would keep that quiet :pow: :D




Originally posted by Tatonka
ps.. for under 20$.. zip it!!

:biggrin: Maybe they are trying to compensate for something?:D Maybe an inferior game? ;)

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by I'M A BELIEVER
THURM.......just wondering.....have you actually tried ESPN 2K5?

If you have, fine, you are entitled to your opinion.

If not.....don't be ignorant.

No I am just being ignorant. :)

Why can't I just stick with Madden and be happy?

[ryjam282]

I can't wait for Madden to actually come out so we can get the true HEAD to HEAD matchup between them.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by ryjam282
I can't wait for Madden to actually come out so we can get the true HEAD to HEAD matchup between them.

NCAA 2005 is out an that is usually a pretty good indication on what Madden will look like and it is money.

PS
I am talking XBOX here(which has far superior graphics to PS2)

[ryjam282]

Right as far as gameplay that is true, but they have a lot of different additives that they put in, like the playmaker thing and other stuff. madden is usually a lot better overall then NCAA though but we will see.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by ryjam282
Right as far as gameplay that is true, but they have a lot of different additives that they put in, like the playmaker thing and other stuff. madden is usually a lot better overall then NCAA though but we will see.

Right so if NCAA is good Madden will only be better!

[I'M A BELIEVER]

Ok to love Madden, I do too, and think it has that certain something that makes it special.

But the ESPN game is good too and Sega deserves credit for trying and offering a unique experience.

So go ahead and love Madden....just don't hate ESPN because it isn't Madden.......it is not supposed to be the same game.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I don't hate it I just don't care about it!

[THATHURMANATOR]

The graphics do look good in the commercials though.

[I'M A BELIEVER]

I was surprised that the Graphics (on my PS2 at least) were not anything to write home about. I am a bit jaded, I guess.

[lordofgun]

Originally posted by I'M A BELIEVER
I am a bit jaded, I guess.

I'd keep that hush-hush if I were you.

[Tatonka]

if you dont like espn football, then your not a bills a fan.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by Tatonka
if you dont like espn football, then your not a bills a fan.

Bills fan? I hate the bills!

[Tatonka]

:snicker:

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by THATHURMANATOR
Bills fan? I hate the bills!

i can tell by your lack of participation on this board. :mad:

[Gunzlingr]

I plan on getting an Xbox in the near future, and am looking for a good football game to go with it. I am old school, and play Tecmo Superbowl daily on my SNES (you should see my records, I hope they come true for Losman:D ). I want a good mix of Arcade and Simulation. Any suggestions?

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by Tatonka
i can tell by your lack of participation on this board. :mad:

There has been nothing going on in this forum for months. When the who is the best #1 of all time started I knew I had to wait until training camp. William's retirement has given us something to talk about!

[ShadowHawk7]

Originally posted by ryjam282
Another annoying thing is that you can't see the whole field when passing.
If you got a receiver on either side that busts his route on a out, you have to guess whether or not he's open, or if there's 3 defenders there.


If u go to Options, then Camera something, and turn those 3 sliders from off to on, the camera will zoom out a bit when you drop back to pass, allowing you to see the whole field.

[TypicalBill]

i just bought it a couple of hours ago :D

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by TypicalBill
i just bought it a couple of hours ago :D

You can get video games in Kuwait? :confused2

[TypicalBill]

Originally posted by THATHURMANATOR
You can get video games in Kuwait? :confused2

:tongue: :chuckle:

[ryjam282]

Well, what do you think about it Typical????

[TypicalBill]

Originally posted by ryjam282
Well, what do you think about it Typical????

well Ryjam ive always been an EA sports Madden fan so this is the first time that ive ever played ESPN. I think the actual playing (player movement, throws etc...) are perhaps a tad better than Madden, the way the qb sets up and throws and the way the replays work are better i think although the cuts while running from madden seem more flexible, kinda more fluid. The actual playing seems more fun in this one but Madden's playbook is way better IMO. i started with rookie mode and it was too easy (80-0 , 90-7 etc...) then i moved on to pro and its still easy so im gonna try a more difficult option the next time. I still havent tried the franchise mode, looking forward to it..

[ryjam282]

Yeah, I am in the same boat as you, never played anything but Madden but this one is a nice change of pace and there is some thing I like better as well. :up:

Ryan

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by ShadowHawk7
If u go to Options, then Camera something, and turn those 3 sliders from off to on, the camera will zoom out a bit when you drop back to pass, allowing you to see the whole field.

let him learn on his own.. :tongue:


Originally posted by ryjam282
Yeah, I am in the same boat as you, never played anything but Madden but this one is a nice change of pace and there is some thing I like better as well. :up:

Ryan

the whole world will be saying that soon!

madden is going down.

[I'M A BELIEVER]

Tat, do you hold lots of Sega stock or something? You seem overly passionate about this subject.

[ryjam282]

Yes, he is one of the last believers that SEGA is best....Don't worry he know he will be eating his words on August 10th.....A mere 2 weeks away....MADDEN is upon you T, can you feel it? You will, oh, you will.........:snicker:

[lordofgun]

You guys are a bunch of pathetic losers!

Well, I'm off to play tennis now....

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by I'M A BELIEVER
Tat, do you hold lots of Sega stock or something? You seem overly passionate about this subject.

no.. i just am so sick of madden.. and all the uneducated fools talking about how sweet it is.

look.. i am just trying to find the truth.. i just want to be free. :D

[The Spaz]

Originally posted by ryjam282
Yes, he is one of the last believers that SEGA is best....Don't worry he know he will be eating his words on August 10th.....A mere 2 weeks away....MADDEN is upon you T, can you feel it? You will, oh, you will.........:snicker:

Madden Rules and btw I'm educated!:up:

[ryjam282]

Originally posted by Tatonka
look.. i am just trying to find the truth.. i just want to be free. :D

Now that is some good wholesome comedy.....Very nice.

[Tatonka]

:smoke:

[Nighthawk]

Tatonka...I actually agree with you, for once! ESPN is an extremely good football game that actually takes some talent in playing. You have to know where you're going with the ball and how to read coverages. You also have to learn how to use the multiple hot routes feature...it's a must! This game is extremely well done. However, I do look forward to Madden and some of the new things that they have added this year. I have XBOX, so I'm a little spoiled by the outstanding graphics that it has...I'm not sure how the PS2 version is?

[BillsSabresB.C.T. Fan]

http://games.channel.aol.com/previews.adp?articleID=246743&gameID=14368

http://games.channel.aol.com/review.adp?gameID=14739

[Turf]

Originally posted by lordofgun
You guys are a bunch of pathetic losers!

Well, I'm off to play tennis now....

You just like the "POOF" noise when you open a new can of balls. You don't care about Tennis......

[BillsFever]

My friend bought the game on Friday and hated it so I purchased it off him for only $10.

I've always played Madden and this was the first time I was introduced to the ESPN 2K games. Not a bad game but still doesn't beat out Madden IMO.

The interactive part of the game is awesome with the weekly recaps with Chris Berman and the post game stat rundowns. That's one feature that I'd love to see on Madden.

The gameplay isn't to bad but still not as realistic as the Madden games. The offensive playbooks suck and the creativity in them are nowhere close to Madden. I like the defensive playbooks though where you pick which base set you want and then can choose the coverage you want after that.

As far as the franchise mode goes I could care less about them. I've been an online junkie since I got the hookup for it and won't play against the computer offline. After I got the adapter for it the Madden offline franchise vanished with me. The only time I went offline was to practice plays in my playbook. I have to be playing against somebody else or it takes the fun out of it for me. I will mess with this franchise mode with this game every now and then though just for the Sportscenter feature and just simulate the games and the rest of the stuff.

Another thing that scores an A+ with me is the capability of joining leagues right from the online network. From what I've heard you can join a league from there and it keeps track of everything for you. You play your game and it saves your stats and everything else and there's no need to spend 15+ minutes after the game writing your stats down and then even more time entering them into a stat site online. That scores very good with my experience.

I never knew it was capable to join leagues online and have them record your stats automatically for you after each game. I wish to death Madden had this. Hopefully in the future they could also add this to their game.

The ratings in this game disapointed me to say the least. To name a few, Randle El is only rated like a 76 on ST's as a KR and PR but then other players who has never seen ST's or never will like Lee Evans is rated higher then he is. There is more I noticed but that's the only one I can recall at the moment.

Other shady ratings is Henry only being an 87, Pat Williams only rated as an 84, Clements only rated an 84, and Josh Reed's speed is higher then Moulds on the game. I understand Moulds isn't Speedy Gonzalez and there are many WR's faster then him but for Reed to have a higher speed rating then him baffles me.

Other ratings that threw me off was teams like the 49ers being rated an 84 when they could possibly be the worst team in the NFL this year.

The Falcons sad excuse of a defense is rated an 85.

Washington's defense is only rated a 76.

Seattle is only rated a 77 on defense.

The Titans defense is only rated a 78. I understand they lost Kearse but still have some good defensive players and should be higher then that.

The Steelers offense is only rated a 78 yet a team like the Ravens with only 2 good weapons in Lewis and Heap are rated an 83.

The Raiders offensive cast of senior citizens is rated an 84 and their defense is an 89.

The Packers defense is only a 74. Not a great D but should be higher then 74.

Moorman is only rated around a 68 or so.

All in all it's a pretty good game but it won't replace Madden for my favorite game. It's a fun game though and well worth the $20. A football video game fan would have to be crazy not to spend the $20 for it. That's an absolute steal.

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by Nighthawk
Tatonka...I actually agree with you, for once! ESPN is an extremely good football game that actually takes some talent in playing. You have to know where you're going with the ball and how to read coverages. You also have to learn how to use the multiple hot routes feature...it's a must! This game is extremely well done. However, I do look forward to Madden and some of the new things that they have added this year. I have XBOX, so I'm a little spoiled by the outstanding graphics that it has...I'm not sure how the PS2 version is?

:up:

i will get madden too.. i just love football.. each game will have its features that are better/worse..

billsfever.. the ratings will be updated once training camp is out. they should be more realistic.

[lordofgun]

Originally posted by Turf
You just like the "POOF" noise when you open a new can of balls. You don't care about Tennis......

I can't afford new tennis balls. :(

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by lordofgun
I can't afford balls. :(


:snicker:

wife has the checkbook i see.

[BillsFever]

I was up all night playing this game last night and after really sitting down for the first time since I purchased it I gotta admit it's a damn good game.

Up till last night I had only played a couple short games against my friend at the house. I zoned out on it last night and played 5 straight games and had a blast.

This game was well worth the $10 I paid for it. My friend bought it on Friday and didn't care for it so I bought it from his for $10.

I still like the gameplay of Madden better then this game but the graphics are much better(although haven't seen the Madden graphics for this years game yet). The camera shots of the crowd, sweet instant replays, the crowd yelling at the players during the game and of course the halftime show makes this a fun game to play.

If Madden would add them features into their game(which I don't see why they couldn't) that game would fly off the charts.

The commentary during the game is MUCH better then Madden. Not even close in that aspect. The camera angles on the replays are sweet and just like watching Sunday Night Football with the Sky Cam and the whole shabang.

One thing that bugs me is how the ball flys about 10ft straight up in the air all the time on a tipped pass or an incomplete pass off the fingertips. That's definitely somthing that should be fixed.

The offensive playbooks greatly disapoint me though to say the least. They are insanely inferior to the playbooks for Madden.

The juking is very shady on this game compared to Madden. It isn't as fluid and very unrealistic.

The constant tapping of the X-Button sucks and is very annoying after a while. On Madden all you do is hold the button down to increase your speed but your player will also slow down on his own at about the same rate as a real player would. The constant tapping of the button is a pain and also causes a very unrealistic experience because they rarely stay at the same speed for an extended period of time like they would in real life.

Maybe it's because I'm a newbie with the 2K games but it's very difficult to run for good yardage on a consistent basis and broken tackles seem to be non-existent for me so far. I could run and pound the ball with the best of them on Madden but can't get my ground game going with this game so far.

The passing game is more realistic then the previous Madden games(hopefully it will change this year). In Madden you can just toss the ball up to one of the elite WR's and they would come down with it at least 70% of the time(especially Moss which was rated a 99 in like every category in 2004). You really have to pick and choose your spots to throw to in this game.

In Madden there are far to many dropped INT's and in this game there are far to many INT's. Both games need to find an inbetween in this area.

In Madden DB's would constantly drop INT's on an easy lob pass with nobody around them which would be picked off 80% of the time in the NFL. Even Antoine Winfield could intercept these passes in real life. In this game it seems like they never drop one though.

The online leagues in this game sure is a brilliant idea and I can only pray that Madden will do this at some point. Have they had this feature in previous games or is this a new addition? This game can keep track of your stats for you from each game and keep track of every stat possible.

A very good game especially for the rock bottom price this year but Madden is still slightly an all around more. I will make my final decision after I play Madden 2005 though.

One question though which Tatonka could probably answer. Can you switch offensive playbooks online like on Madden or do you have to use the playbook for the team you're using that game?

[BillsFever]

OMG, I just chose the Vikes and Winfield is only rated a 79????????

[The Spaz]

Originally posted by BillsFever
OMG, I just chose the Vikes and Winfield is only rated a 79????????

:evil:

[Kolbiss]

MADDEN BABY, ESPN is cheese ..J/K.....no i have never tried it. I have no desire too. Stick with the best, and what i know I'll enjoy. There is a reason it has been number one forever.

[Tatonka]

Originally posted by danny4804
MADDEN BABY, ESPN is cheese ..J/K.....no i have never tried it. I have no desire too. Stick with the best, and what i know I'll enjoy. There is a reason it has been number one forever.


do you say that about food too? "well.. i love buffalo wings.. so why try steak.. "

:shakeno:

they can both be good games..

[Gunzlingr]

I want to get this someday when I upgrade from my SNES. The screen shots look fantastic

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by danny4804
MADDEN BABY, ESPN is cheese ..J/K.....no i have never tried it. I have no desire too. Stick with the best, and what i know I'll enjoy. There is a reason it has been number one forever.

I agree man!

[THATHURMANATOR]

Originally posted by Tatonka
do you say that about food too? "well.. i love buffalo wings.. so why try steak.. "

:shakeno:

they can both be good games..

It is just the way some people are. I like to pick one game and stick with it so I can be dominate(which I am in Madden 2004) I am a forced to be reckoned with.

[fabolouspaul]

Does anybody play this game on XBOX Live?

Also, after the end of the game, they show in motion highlights, not just still photos for the xbox version.

[Kolbiss]

Originally posted by Gunzlingr
I want to get this someday when I upgrade from my SNES. The screen shots look fantastic


super nintendo!!! NICE

[Kolbiss]

Originally posted by Tatonka
do you say that about food too? "well.. i love buffalo wings.. so why try steak.. "

:shakeno:

they can both be good games..

I have tried other games, and they just don't compare. Just by looking at some of the videos, it doesn't look as good. Sorry T just my thoughts. Most the time I do order the same thing.

[Kolbiss]

Oh and by the way, Madden is steak to ESPN's buffalo wings, and I'll never order wings over steak.

[I'M A BELIEVER]

Couple of things....regarding the difficulty running....this game is pretty complex....you will need to a) follow blockers b) read defensive fronts and audible out if they are stacking the LOS C) keeping pounding the run to wear down the other team...sometimes it takes about a full quarter to get in the groove..d)still no success go to a different formation so the D isn't keying on the formation for your play.....

Also....try running without using the turbo key.....you will find yourself breaking runs open more......I think it's the cpu's way of saying thanks for not "cheating".

[Gunzlingr]

Originally posted by danny4804
super nintendo!!! NICE

Tecmo Superbowl!! I will take some pics tonite and show you the Bills domination!

[Kolbiss]

Thurman is the man in that game.

[elltrain22]

Hate to say, cause I really don't want to rub it in, but you get what ya pay for. Cheap price, for a cheap, wattered down version of a wanna be Madden.

No football, or any video game, is comperable to Madden, especially this years version.

[smack541]

Sorry, but i have to say that NFL 2K5 rocks. Its the best football game ive every played and ive been playing them for awhile. You also have to take into consideration im a madden guy. The only reason i played it was cuz my friend bought it and i got to give it a shot. The graphics are the best ive ever seen. I cant get over all the commentary and the designs they use from the real ESPN broadcast. This game is definitly worth more then 15 bucks. I still like Madden, but i have to say im a SEGA guy now. They try to be fresh and dont stick with the same thing everyear. Its time for Madden to step up and actually try to drastically change something in the game play. All this competion just leads to better games. So let the games began!!