"List of tasks: Hit Eddie Mcguire, play AFLP2005, hit Sony and IRGurus"

Graphics: 5/10
The most apparent failing here is a real lack of graphical punch. The player models are blocky and have little detail. AFL Premiership 2005 claims to have real player likenesses, but all of the faces on the game look like they were carved out of potatoes. You'll be relying more on the numbers on their backs than looking at their faces to tell players apart in AFL Premiership 2005. A ridiculous amount of players are bald (including Cameron Mooney), some of the bald ones have hair (Barry Hall) and some of the white players are black (Zach Beeck… I know you probably have never heard of him, but he played a game for the Eagles and he's served my boys East Perth well). Although I blame some of the players' baldness on the fact half the Eagles shaved their heads at the start of the season, it's a bit crazy… That being said, the stadiums are absolutely amazing. Although a little annoyed at the lack of Carrara, Manuka and Aurora (That's Queensland, ACT and Tasmania's local stadiums) the beauty of each looks amazing. They look almost exactly like what you'd see on TV or live in the arena. And the camera angles: They are absolutely terrible. The gameplay camera takes ages to adapt to, and marking contests have never been harder, with it almost impossible to time your leap because you can't work out height from above… I personally play on end pan low with a medium zoom, but it is good to experiment to find one you're at least comfortable with.

Sound: 6/10
Let's see here: the siren doesn't work sometimes, Dermott and Dennis (Brereton and Commeti) are repetitive with their speech, and when a player gets injured they decide to ask Christi Malthouse how they are, with 3 responses: X player has been taken straight to the rooms, the doctors have revealed no info, or she hasn't had a good enough look. Great help you are, Christi… Crowd noises are still very bland, but that's no surprise. They cheer with goals and marks, they boo aggressive tackles (no matter who lays them)… They really should spice it up a bit.

Gameplay: 5/10
It seems that with all AFL games, response is delayed with input. You might press a button, but it may not happen. So jamming up your circle button trying to lay a tackle can be useless, especially because you can run through other plays as if they weren't there. The new ability to tap balls along the ground, aggressive tackles/bumps and the set shot system are great in my opinion, a little more tactical and creative. The stats are good most of the time, but when Collingwood are 4 points higher than the two teams that played out the 2005 Grand Final, you've gotta wonder what the creators were thinking... The Season mode is great, apparently players' stats can build but I have yet to see that. The limited look I had at the trade and draft was interesting, as in the trade period it was fun picking up players such as Daniel Wells and Nathan Ablett for late-round draft picks and crappy players (Andrew McDougall for Luke Power, that's a laugh). The draft pool contains delisted players and generic youngsters with the first and last name of random AFL players. For example:
"Farren Farmer": Most likely the Bulldog's Farren Ray and Fremantle's Jeff Farmer.
"Zach Ablett": West Coast's Zach Beeck (I think) and one of the 3 Ablett boys from Geelong/Sydney.
Entertaining, considering I got one of my players "Adam Copeland" which is the real name of WWE Superstar Edge :-). Anyway, expect the delisted players to get picked up in the first round unless they're old. You won't find much talent from the potential draftees (No Marc Murphy or Jarrod Oakley-Nicholls unfortunately)

Replay Ability: 7/10 or 9/10
If you have a multitap and some friends, or an internet connection to your Playstation, multiplayer/online is great and you'll be playing a lot longer. If you unfortunately have no friends, it might get a little boring, unless you set yourself goals for playing (kick X goals in a season, put together a certain team). I guess it's a matter of opinion.

Pros/Improvements from PE
+ Improved AI
+ More realistic gameplay (instant input recognition)
+ More original set shot.
+ Stats more realistic in general with one exception
+ Eyetoy Cameo Creator
+ Consecutive seasons, National Draft and Trade (I WILL SOON CREATE AN ARMY OF ABLETTS and LOVETTS!!)

Cons/Weakening from PE
- Absolutely shocking camera angles
- Less accurate player models
- Camera angles suck
- Audio glitches
- Exception to realistic stats: Team Overall stats
- Can't select different guernseys, only available in season
- No video clips unlockable (McPHARLIN! THAT IS THE MARK OF THE YEAR!)
- Did I mention the camera angles?

Rent or Buy?: Definitely rent it a few times, and if you enjoy it wait until the price is lowered to around $60AUS.
Overall: Like AFL:PE it has a big amount of glitches, and the gameplay seems a lot harder (Maybe that's because you have no idea where you're going at times). However Season Mode is much improved because after 30 weeks of gruelling football you are treated with a draft and trade which can set your team up for great things.

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 10/04/05