ESPN NFL 2K5

"$20 for a GREAT football game which raises the bar in the Madden VS ESPN saga"

I have been a Madden fan ever since I played Madden NFL 2002 and 2004. I never payed attention to other football games until I was at KB TOYS. My dad bought me ESPN since it was $20 and he was feeling generous that day. Once I got back to my home, I popped in ESPN and was taken for a wild ride.

SOUND: If you dont feel like hearing broad stadium music, burn your favorite songs onto the XBOX hardrive and customize them into the game. So if you want to hear Yeah! (Usher) when you score a touchdown, knock yourself out. In the game, the players even say a few things depending on a situation. For example, if you are the cowboys versing another team, you may hear someone say "I got you keyshawn(Johnson)". There are also a few flaws. After the game, during the Player of the Game interview, Suzy Kolber will be out of track with what she is saying. So she may be saying something but her lips aren't moving! Weird huh?
Final Score: 9/10

Graphics: Being a Madden fan, I was surpised to see these different graphics shown in the game. The Player models look a little bit messed up but everything else is fine. Chris Berman is very detailed when doing SportSCenter and the players faces almost resemble their real life counter -parts. The fans are also detailed and look like real fans that you may see at a real football game. You may see guys with their faces painted or even fat men with letters painted on their bare chest.
Final Score: 9/10

Control: It takes a while to get use to the controls but once you get them down, you are fine. I had a problem doing trades. All I could do was pick my players but I couldn't go to another team and pick out new potential. I was stuck there for a while. When you pass the ball, you can't just tap the botton of the person you want to throw to. You have to hold it down. If you tap, you'll do a pump fake and probably get tackled since the game is so fast paced. Either this is true or my XBOX control is messed up.
Final Score: 7/10

Gameplay: This game is very fast paced no matter what difficulty you are on. if you want to pass, you better hope you have an open man to pass to because you have to pass QUICK. If not, you'll get tackled or sacked. The audience also adds to the enivronment by cheering or even booing when something happens. Also, if you want to challenge a play, you have to chose what you want to challenge. You can chose from the ball spot, to fumbling, and many other options.
Final Score: 7/10

The Other Stuff: Sportscenter is a great thing to view when you are doing a franchise. It shows scores from other games, injuries, and trades. Chris Berman does a great job in anchoring for this show but he is also assisted by other people like Trey WIngo. The half time shows are excellent as they show stats and highlights from different touchdowns that happened so far. First Person Mode is usless unless you want to feel the game from a first person perspective. The crib mode is just stupid but all you have to do is just avoid it. Lets not forget online play for all of you that has XBOX Live. Too bad I don't.
Final Score: 8/10

How ESPN gains an edge over Madden
1. Sportscenter presentations and halftime shows
2. Customizable Music
3. First real game with a pinch of REALISM

Overall: 8/10

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/27/04