All-Pro Football 2K8

".... High hopes; low expectations"

ESPN NFL 2K5 was the last football game released by Take-Two Interactive's 2K Games studio, and what a gem it was. Considered by many as arguably the best football game ever released, it got better reviews than EA's juggernaut Madden series and sold for the trifling sum of just $20 U.S. Does All Pro Football 2K8 uphold that same standard?

Graphically, APF 2K8 is almost ugly enough to make your eyes bleed; at best, looking like a first generation Playstation 2 title. I was never impressed by the over all graphical presentation; however, little things make a big difference here. Watching legends help catch a player whose momentum brought him errantly off the field of play and onto the side-lines was a nice addition. Some of the stadiums look fantastic, though others just look ridiculous. The legends look decently like their real-life counterparts, but some just look weird: Dan Marino, for example, has such over-exaggerated jowls that he looks like a bulldog. A final note on the graphics -- eyes -- eyes have always creeped me out, but staring into the eyes of these computer generated pixels is just... wow... it's enough to give kids nightmares.

On to gameplay, after all, that is the meat of any sports title. When you boot up your game, you are prompted to create your team. You start by selecting from 2 gold star players, 3 silver star players and 6 bronze star players, then you are asked how you wish to fill in the rest of your team with generic players (Would you like a good run blocking o-line, pass blocking or balanced? Finesse running back or power etc.). From there you can choose to play a quick game against the computer, start a season mode, go online and a few other options. Quick games are merely exhibition games, Season mode is a one year season where you attempt to win the championship.... yes, one year and no more. There is no franchise mode, no dynasty mode.... nothing. You will not be drafting players and grooming them until they are ready for the big time. There are no contract negotiations, no salary cap to worry about; to be honest, there is very little anything. Unfortunately, this leads to getting bored very quickly, after all, where is the motivation to play if you can't watch your draft picks develop into superstars over the years? Online is decent enough, I've experienced very little lag, and the community of people seem to be nice enough. Although, it's not uncommon to just beat up on someone and receive an unfavorable rating from your sore losing opponent. It's nice to be able to sift through some sports news on the main online page, check the leaderboards and stuff like that. You can join leagues tournaments, or play a quick ranked or unranked game. The menus are easy to navigate and very user friendly.

The football seems to be quite hit or miss: Way too many dropped passes/interceptions are probably the most common occurence. However, there are other things that mar the overall experience such as runningbacks breaking unrealistic amounts of tackles and the default play calling menu can be a bit overwhelming for someone new to the series. 2K Games did do quite a few things right when they made this game, though. This, to me, is the best running game produced in a football game to date; and the passing game is probably the most realistic I've come across as well. You can't just keep dropping back and then expect to throw a 50 yard bomb downfield off your back foot, you have to take your time and set your feet to get a truly accurate throw. All in all, the football itself was well-done, with some minor flaws.

Now, I'm going to discuss the licensing. As most of you know, 2K8 does not have an official NFL license and therefore does not have any of the NFL teams, logos, stadiums or current players. Does this detract from the game? Well, it's really a matter of opinion; I think younger gamers are going to have a problem with this as most of them won't recognize a lot of the legends such as Roger Staubach and Gale Sayers. Personally, it didn't bother me not being able to pass the ball to Randy Moss with Tom Brady, because I just wanted to play football. Of course, it would have added to the experience but the addition of said licenses would be so paltry that it doesn't matter. So, I think the older crowd will get a kick out of playing with the people who they grew up watching, but younger players might not be able to get passed it.

After all is said and done, All Pro Football 2K8 is very average at its best moment and slightly below average at its worst moments. If winning the Superbowl with the stifling Bears defense, led by Brian Urlacher, is important to you, I would suggest you rent this game just to get your football fix, but you won't be satisfied. It is with a heavy heart I have to give 2K8 a 6/10 because I had such high hopes for it, but it just doesn't deliver everything it could have.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 07/30/07