Rating

B+

Specific Ratings

GameplayA-
GraphicsA
Learning CurveB
Replay ValueA+
SoundB

Pros and Cons

Pros
  • Game is better at stopping "cheese" than Madden
  • Good graphics
  • "The Crib" is more appealing than Madden cards
  • Passing game is better than Madden
  • Chris Berman halftime and weekly highlights
  • Interactive franchise mode
Cons
  • Running game is too easy
  • Kick returns can get out of hand
  • Player movement isn't as natural as Madden
  • Small online community

ESPN NFL Football (Xbox)

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Summary

The only football series that can compare to Madden.

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Description

If game sales were indicative of their quality, Madden would be head and shoulders above all football games. Every year, the famous Madden football series outsells its competition by huge margins. But don't let that fool you, because there is a competitor worth playing in the football video game market and its name is ESPN NFL Football. Sega's football product continues to be the only football game that can compare to the behemoth known as Madden and in the opinions of many of its fans, it is the superior game.

Madden 2004 may be the equivalent of a curse word for die-hard ESPN Football fans, but it's important that we clear up a few differences between the current Madden and ESPN versions. In a perfect world, a gamer would be able to frequently switch between Madden and ESPN and not lose anything, but the hard facts are that both of these games play differently and you'll need to spend most of your playing time on one particular title if you want to be one of the best ballers out there.

The first obvious difference someone will notice when switching from Madden to ESPN is the running game. The running game in ESPN NFL Football is much easier than in its counterpart, Madden. ESPN doesn't have the same realistic movement as the Madden series, and players can turn on a dime. Calling the wrong defense or missing a tackle can mean instant doom for your team as most running backs will make you pay. Power backs who excel at knocking off tackles will resemble Earl Campbell more often than not with the infamous "shoulder charge button." Only playing on the most difficult level in ESPN (legendary level) will tone down the running game. This also applies for the return game. Field position can be a frustrating issue in ESPN NFL Football. When playing a human opponent, its fairly common for your opponent to return kicks to the thirty or forty yard line. The plain and simple truth is if you are good at the running game in Madden, you will dominate the running game in ESPN. It's important to get that out of the way first, because the running game is one of the few elements of gameplay that may turn off fans of Madden or other football games.

Never fear, though, because while the running game isn't the best trait of ESPN Football, the passing game is. Ever get frustrated with the way poor quarterbacks can play like Brett Favre in Madden? If the running game is too easy in ESPN's product, the passing game is Madden's achilles heel. Too often, the vertical passing game will eat up huge yardage in Madden, but in ESPN, players can't get away with bombing their opponent to death. Slants and other short gains that are more realistic to the actual sport are what prevail in ESPN NFL Football. Hitting your receiver in stride and watching him run for good YAC (yards after catch) is much more common in ESPN than it is in Madden. If you've ever become frustrated with the antics of Randy Moss or Terrell Owens in Madden, ESPN is the game for you.

Now that we've got two important gameplay differences out of the way, it's time to focus on ESPN's polish. Frankly, Madden could learn a lot from ESPN NFL Football, and if you look at the upcoming Madden 2005 features, you'll notice that they did rip-off some of the interesting features in the 2004 version of ESPN NFL Football. (This review is on ESPN's 2004 version. There is also a 2005 version planned for a 2004 fall release.) One of those "borrowed" ideas is using a real sports celebrity to cover the activities of your game and franchise. In this current version of ESPN, Sportscenter's Chris Berman provides halftime coverage of all games and if you play in franchise mode, you can even get a weekly highlights reel. While this can get old after too many viewings, it is a fun and novel approach to football gaming. Berman must have spent at least a week voicing the different names and numbers to enable this feature.

Two more features in ESPN NFL Football that set it apart from its competitors are "The Crib" and First-Person Football. If you know how Madden Cards work, you already know the idea behind The Crib. Basically, as you achieve certain stats and highlights, you will be awarded with prizes to place in your Crib. After a while, your virtual Crib will be pimped out with trophies, big screen televisions, bobble heads and other awards. First-Person Football is another new feature that allows a gamer to play football as if they were looking through the helmet of a real player. You can now see the defensive linemen running full speed at you and wanna-be NFL players will feel the same pressure a quarterback does in the NFL. While both of these features are unique, honestly, they lose their appeal after the first few days. They add polish to the game but they're not critical gameplay elements. It will depend on the individual gamer as to how much they matter.

If you have Xbox Live, ESPN NFL Football has its own online match-up system that allows you to find a game 24/7. Unfortunately, the game doesn't have the biggest online community. If you play Madden online on the PS2 or PC, you'll notice a definite size reduction, but don't let it worry you because it's still easy to find a game. Online players are ranked, and you can also view the amount of quits and disconnects players have in case you would like to avoid that kind of player. This reviewer also found that ESPN's online service contains less "cheesers" and other griefers than the Madden community. Players are better about punting on 4th and 5 (instead of going for it!) and other common sense gameplay issues that you would hope all opponents abide by. One problem, though, is several gamers have purchased controllers with "turbo buttons" since your player's speed depends on how fast you can tap your X button. Playing someone who uses this can be frustrating because they are given an advantage that you won't have if you play with the regular Xbox Controller S. The graphics in ESPN NFL Football are top notch and possibly an improvement over Madden. The sound is average for a football game. The audio sensations aren't worth hooking your Xbox up to a home theater system, and you'd be better off leaving it to the television speakers.

If you're tired of Madden, or maybe looking for a new football game, ESPN NFL Football is a good place to start. I'm a big fan of the Madden and NCAA series but I also enjoy spending time with this game. It's the only football series besides Madden that I've enjoyed playing for months at a time. There is also a PlayStation 2 version of ESPN NFL Football available, but my advice would be to stick with the Xbox version. Madden is designed primarily for the PS2, and ESPN is designed for the Xbox. This will be even more apparent in next year's version (ESPN NFL Football 2005) which will be the first football console title to have online franchises. Right now, Madden and ESPN are probably on equal ground, but if ESPN continues to add new features that Madden has to copy, we might see the balance of power shift to ESPN NFL Football. ESPN continues to be a favorite among game reviewers but still lags behind in sales compared to Madden. It's not as easy to find this game as it is Madden on the Game Trading Zone, but there are a few copies out there. Go ahead and grab one if you're interested, because you may find a new series that keeps you playing for years.




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