FYI - ESPN 2K5 releasing early

[NavyDave]

I'll let my nephew by the ESPN game while I " baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" follow the rest of the sheep and wait til August for madden

[laurent]

Originally posted by SlinginSammy HOF '63

Here's a BIG F-U to Madden!!!! After getting screwed year in and year out on it's poor replay challenges and amazing ability to kill you with the two minute offense I'm going to at least try 2K5!

Tell me about, it's so damn frustrating to try and put a game away when the AI run team ALWAYS manages to recover the damn onside kick.

[matty dread]

for $20 and the early release date I just might give it a try to tide me over until Madden drops

[panel]

Man, I only want to buy one football game per year, and I don't want to be screwed if ESPN sucks.

There are some things that worry me...

Will I need to get used to the new controls for a while before I get Good? Can I custimiz them to be like Madden?

Will my opponents get burn for going for it on every 4th down? And Can my knowleage of football be enough to win, or do I need a knowleage of ESPN football?

Now that there is going to be a lot of people playing ESPN, will there be new un-found glitches that crappies will be able to explote to beat me like they do in Madden?

[[[ghost]]]

man, this is huge. i can't wait to get my copy, man, i was so mad at havng to wait till august, and then november (halo 2).

while were here, for those of u who have played both games recetly, are teh controls similiar? will someone like me, who has played madden so long, acctually be able to cope with the new controls?

[Hurst]

I dont understand why people rag on madden by calling it unrealistic and that a 10 year old can beat an adult who has full knowledge of football. It's a video game; most 10 year old will tail whip you in most video games. Being a college student, I have an astute knowledge of video games and a pretty deep knowledge of football through playing it and watching it. Therefore, Madden, the better product, gets my nod.

Albeit, good marketing strategy by ESPN, who seems to be trying to dip into the market share of Madden, who spent a lot this year with its Special Anniversary Edition (PS2 only).

p.s. Sega still runs the 2k series of games (most of the ESPN video game series). They stoped making systems and focus on sub-contracting games to other consoles.

[manichispanic]

Originally posted by [[ghost]]

man, this is huge. i can't wait to get my copy, man, i was so mad at havng to wait till august, and then november (halo 2).

while were here, for those of u who have played both games recetly, are teh controls similiar? will someone like me, who has played madden so long, acctually be able to cope with the new controls?

switch players and turbo are switched. It takes me about a couple downs for me to get used to it again. I bouht both madden and espn last season and the season before that and I love them both.

ESPN has harder passing and better animations, Madden has a more realistic running game, and better player models.

All in all though, if NCAA Football 2005 had playmaker, then that would destroy madden and espn

[The Sir]

Originally posted by Hurst

I dont understand why people rag on madden by calling it unrealistic and that a 10 year old can beat an adult who has full knowledge of football. It's a video game; most 10 year old will tail whip you in most video games. Being a college student, I have an astute knowledge of video games and a pretty deep knowledge of football through playing it and watching it. Therefore, Madden, the better product, gets my nod.

Albeit, good marketing strategy by ESPN, who seems to be trying to dip into the market share of Madden, who spent a lot this year with its Special Anniversary Edition (PS2 only).

p.s. Sega still runs the 2k series of games (most of the ESPN video game series). They stoped making systems and focus on sub-contracting games to other consoles.

Sorry, I'm just not going to settle for an unrealistic football game. I guess I kind of see your point, but when there's a more realistic football game available, I see no reason to settle.

[swissarmy47]

Originally posted by BDBuddy23

I'm not married to Madden, but I've bought that recently over ESPN. I think they're going after people like me...people who usually buy madden who have only played ESPN briefly in a store or @ a friends house. They believe that if they make the game cheap enough and sent it out early, people will flock to it...And they are ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. I probably wouldn't have ever tried ESPN, but for 20 bucks, I'll look for it the day it comes out!

It will probably have to blow my mind to take me away from Madden, though.

I am exactly the same way. $20 and I'll buy it w/o even a thought - esp since its coming out early.

[Hooper]

If you're a Maddenite, ESPN does take a little time to get used to. The controls are slightly different and the passing game takes some time to get the hang of. One thing that I love about the controls is the ability to scramble simply by pulling the trigger.

[[[ghost]]]

what trigger, i mean, if the "r" trigger or "l" trigger are being used as scramble commands, then does that leave a pass icon left out??

and also, if madden's run system is better, than does that mean espn's run system blows like a ho on christmas eve? becuase madden's run system is nothing but a pinball effect.

[Hooper]

Personally, I think ESPN's running game is better. Way better, in fact.

It's the R-trigger, which doesn't leave an icon out. Might be different on Ps2.

[kappaluvacee]

Originally posted by Hurst

I dont understand why people rag on madden by calling it unrealistic and that a 10 year old can beat an adult who has full knowledge of football. It's a video game; most 10 year old will tail whip you in most video games.

Sorry Hurst, but a 10 year old is not going to consistently beat me in a game that requires strategy. I'm not ripping Madden either, I’m just pointing out that Madden is not as challenging as ESPN/NFL2K. The first thing most Madden fans notice when playing ESPN is that it is more difficult than Madden. I used to be a die hard Maddenite. If you read enough of my post on this topic you will se exactly how far I date back to playing Madden. I will give you a hint (commodore 64). I'm not a fanboy that's here saying, "Madden sucks because it is Madden." Truth is, Madden is an excellent game. Its track record speaks for itself. I am here testifying to the fact that in my many, many, years of playing Madden not much has changed in 15 years. 70% of the defensive sets are exactly as they were in Madden '92. I didn't care about this; I actually embraced it because it made it easier to play year after year, until I played NFL 2K on the Dreamcast. I was blown away at the graphics, and it offered a different type of gameplay. I knew from that moment forward that I wasn't switching back. While I was still in college most people had Madden, but my room converted many co-eds. I'll still say the best feature ever put into a football game to date was the Dreamcast's play calling system via the Visual Memory Unit (VMU). If you don't know what I'm talking about, you missed the revolution. I digress; Madden has money-plays, period point blank. I don't care how many people speak against this point, I watched my 10-year-old nephew beat some grown men online all day one Saturday using the same three plays. I'm stating this for SEGA - "There's No Way A Person Running The Same Three Plays All Game Will Beat You In ESPN!" The AI is too good. During the second half of the game those plays will not work anymore unless your opponent is a complete moron and calling field goal formations on every play. My friends and I actually conducted an open comparison of both games the past two seasons and ESPN won out. We even set up tournaments on Superbowl Sunday with both games playing. Our guests that were familiar with Madden played Madden; but all game they were saying how they couldn't believe the graphics of ESPN and that the game play was way better than they thought. We let them play ESPN and their complaint was things like shifting linebackers in one direction and DB's in the other, then we showed them it could be done in ESPN and they had no more complaints. The true problem with the ESPN/Madden Debate is that many people are not objective and won't admit it. I don't hold it against a guy that says I'm Madden until I die because I was once he. I also know there is no reason to try to convince that person, they will have to learn on their own. Instead I offer open invitations to the X-box lobby. There I will attempt to teach the game in the trenches.

[RDSKNfaithfull]

ESPN is doing a good job of playing catch up but dont fool yourself that is exactly what they are doing Sega has done a SHytty job to now. Game play is Robotic looks like final fantasy not football:doh: Even when writers of these magazines do interviews ala ESPN they say it is getting better, and looking foward to it and use the term its catching up to Madden (for those ESPN promoters on the board who are quick to make up a name for someone who likes a different game better :doh: that means its still not up to par)

On a brighter note NCAA drops Monday:D

[SlinginSammy HOF '63]

I agree about money plays. 95% of my runs on Madden are counter left and I run about 3 different pass plays and can tear the computer apart like this.