The past few seasons, Sega's 2K/ESPN series has received consistently high reviews from such respected outlets as Gamespot, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, and many, many more. Gamers around the country who bought games in the series were highly impressed with the quality as well, and many 2K gamers never felt compelled to try out the Madden series. Even with these facts, Sega's football series was repeatedly trounced by Madden in the sales department, and as a result, they decided to lower ESPN NFL 2K5's price to a mere $20. With that price tag, it's undeniable: If you are a fan of football games, there is absolutely no reason why you shouldn't own this game.
The game shipped with plenty of gameplay enhancements over last year's excellent edition. First and foremost is the fact that the developers toned down the running game. Defensive awareness is right where it should be this year, which is a huge change from 2K4. On All-Pro difficulty, you will be pressed to run for more than 4 yards per carry. This might turn off some gamers, though, and to counter the improved run defense, Visual Concepts added some right sticking that you can do on offense. Basically, instead of pressing buttons to juke, hurdle, spin, etc., you can use the right stick to perform these moves. This might not seem like much, but it's now much easier to string together moves and it actually makes the running game more fun. It's also the main reason that offense feels more together and realistic than in Madden.
The biggest defensive addition is one that allows the player to either lay a vicious hit on the ballcarrier or wrap him up. This adds quite a bit of strategy to the game, as you can decide whether to risk missing the tackle when attempting to knock the ball loose, or you can go for the safe bet and just wrap the man up. This is largely the same feature as the Hit Stick in this year's Madden 2005, though. Plus it's just more exciting in Madden, as you get to use the right analog stick which is always a ton of fun. Defensively, the series still has a long way to go, as the play in the secondary is just not up to par with Madden's this year, though it is much better than any previous games in the series or in the Madden series for that matter.
There are a few serious gripes that I have with the gameplay. First and foremost, the default difficulty is WAY too easy, and most gamers won't feel challenged until they bump it up to the highest difficulty. The problem with this is that, once you master this mode, there's nowhere higher to go and the single player game suddenly becomes a non-option. I have also run into some nasty bugs where, for some reason, your team will mysteriously acquire a player from the team you are playing. For instance, in my franchise, I was playing the Chargers with the Falcons. In my secondary, and on my depth chart, Chargers CB Quentin Jammer suddenly became available. This has only happened a few times, but it was enough for me to question the programming a bit.
One aspect of the game that has very little to complain about are the graphics. They are, without question, the best graphics in any sports game to date. When you play the game for the first time, you will literally just sit there, jaw dropped, and marvel at the realism present throughout. Players' muscles move realistically, their faces and mouths move accurately, and the jerseys shine and appear translucent in the afternoon sun. It is really a huge step up from anything that has ever been seen in any game before now. Coupled with the game's outstanding presentation, which received the full ESPN treatment, the visual aspect of ESPN 2K5 absolutely trounces that of Madden 2005. The only downside is that some of the running animations are herky-jerky, but this is barely noticeable and doesn't really detract from the experience at all.
The game doesn't take very long to learn at all, especially if you have played games in this series before. When I played my first game, I immediately felt at home with the controller layout. That being said, once you do get comfortable, there is plenty to do. You could go ahead and play against the Virtual Identity Profile (VIP) of any player in the world (accessible through Xbox Live), which would enable the CPU to play exactly as they do (play choices, preferred ball movement direction, tendency to go for it on 4th down, etc.). Then, there are the usual modes, and then there is First Person Football, 25th Anniversary, and the Online play. The first person football remains largely unchanged from last year's, though their is a new receiver progression option when playing as the QB, which makes it a bit easier to pass. The 25th Anniversary mode is a nice little quirk that allows you to replay the 25 best moments in football during the span of ESPN's existence. Lastly, though the online play remains largely unchanged in its core, there is a new league play option that allows you to have live rosters and in-depth league websites. Very nice. All in all, the replay value of 2K5 is through the roof, even though the franchise mode remains largely unchanged and lags in comparison to Madden's powerhouse franchise mode.
The sound isn't all that different than previous versions. The two fictitious commentators return, and, no surprise here, they continue to deliver the goods. They have long been the best commentary in football games, and this year, the developers have added a slew of hilarious lines to their repertoire. The menu music is also outstanding, consisting mostly of Sportscenter and Monday Night Countdown tunes. Unfortunately, the in-game speech by the players doesn't fare as well. The lines sound cheesy and sound like they are coming out of a pipe. Still, this isn't enough to detract from the other awesome sound aspects.
Overall, ESPN 2K5 is an amazing football game. While it may lack the following of Madden, it is an excellent choice for anyone who wants a solid football game. I own both 2K5 and Madden, and by the time you read this, my reviews for each game should be finished. Which one is better? Neither. Every day, I want to play one more than the other, and it always flip-flops. If you only have $20, get $50 more and buy both games. There's no way to pick one.
