ESPN NFL Football

"In the RED ZONE but leaving with a FG"

Ok, just so you all know I own both ESPN and MADDEN Football games for this year...so this is my honest opinion based on Head to Head competition between the 2 titles. I will break ESPN down with a mini review for each part of the game detailing it's good parts & bad parts. So here we go.

PRESENTATION 10/10
The presentation of ESPN NFL Football is unmatched. The ESPN logos, replays, half time show and player spotlights really make playing a game like watching sunday night football on ESPN...except you control the outcome.The addition of fan animations and players jumping into the stands in Green Bay was really cool as well. It really helps suck you into the game when it is presented in a highly visual and entertaining manner & ESPN hits the sweet spot in this department.

GRAPHICS 6/10
The graphics in ESPN Foootball are really not up to par for a next generation console. The stadiums look bland and lack the flavor and detail they have in MADDEN, they look blurry and out of focus at times. The player models look bad as well, everyone has a tall lanky look to them....and the animations are stiff and robotic, making cuts and jukes look less fluid and unrealistic.

SOUND 8/10
The on field sounds are decent, as well as the team specific chants, and team specific music such as the GO PACK GO ditty they play in Green Bay or the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets in NY.These really add to the football Sunday feel. The commentary was pretty in depth and entertaining at times.

GAMEPLAY 7/10
The gameplay on ESPN is decent, but expect a slower pace especially pass speed over the middle. This game lacks the zip in the passing game, and this is what really keeps it out of MADDEN territory. The Hot routes in ESPN are fantastic, and the control over your Defensive position before the snap is brilliant without the need of ''Play Maker'' control. I also like that during play calling on Defense that you first select you D-Line assignments then the play you want to run, making your play book deeper by adding endless combinations in which the play can be run. This is good as well because the Defensive playbooks on ESPN are not that deep. Just not enough per formation and alot of basic zone or man coverage schemes, searching for that right blitz can be frustrating at times. The Offensive control is nice too with the extra hot route options and the R3 click to assign a block to TEs or RBs, thus giving them more options without having to move them out wide like you have to on MADDEN to call a TE slant route. But what holds this game back in the end is it's slow, klunky feel and unresponsive controls while the play is in motion. Before the snap with all it's strategic control this game is ACES, but after the play is in motion the game shows it's true colors. Work on the game speed, smoother animations and control will propel this game into MADDEN's territory, but until then SEGA leaves the Red Zone with only a field goal on the board. Maybe A new Head Coach can motivate the team for next year over at SEGA.

FIRST PERSON FOOTBALL 6/10
Fun on Defense if you lock on one player as I did on Kendrell Bell of the Steelers. It makes you realize the little things that count in the game of football that are often missed by the camera. But this is not as cool as SEGA wanted it to be. Perhaps in the future it will be perfected, but as of now it's not smooth enough to hold my attention for an entire game. I do agree that it MIGHT be the way future games are played, but the control scheme will have to be tweaked and made more accessible, especially when passing the ball. The R3 SLOWDOWN and THREAT ARROWS just aren't enough to offer a balanced and entertaining experience. But hopefully the 1st Person View will be further explored and innovated by ALL Football Software Developers.

ONLINE 6/10
Lack of buddy lists, laggy gameplay and mics that echo your every word really take away from the online experience for me. Also there is no head to head stat comparisons and all the other goodies you get with MADDEN Online. A decent foray into the Online world by Sega, but not ambitious enough to capture the audience they had hoped for.

EXTRAS 9/10
Im not really a guy that likes frill in his sports games, but I really enjoyed the mini-games and unlockables in ESPN. The CRIB is really cool, mainly for the TRIVIA game and PAPER FOOTBALL mini-games...but I was slightly entertained by the interactive cyber bobble heads as well. The addition of old school UNIs made playing the OILERS vs. STEELERS a trip down AFC CENTRAL memory lane for me. Props on the extras SEGA

OVER ALL THIS GAME GETS A BIG 8

BUY/RENT - I say rent first buy later, this IS a good game of video football, but not the best in my opinion...but opinions are opinions, so form your own. I just hope this helped your overall view of ESPN NFL Football

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 09/22/03