ESPN NFL 2K5 Review

EA’s impending exclusivity deal with the NFL is bad news for pretty much everyone in the industry. It’s bad news for developers who make American Football games because most Americans don’t want a game without real stats and players. It’s bad news for developers who don’t make American Football games because it puts EA in an increasingly indomitable position in the industry and sets dangerous precedents for other forms of license snaffling. And it’s bad news for gamers because it means we’re going to see an end to the NFL 2K series of games and they happen to be bloody good.

Getting the obvious out of the way, if you have no interest in American Football whatsoever, if you make jokes about it being called ‘football’ despite the fact that they use their hands or think that rugby is harder because the players don’t wear pads then you aren’t going to like this game. On the other hand, if you’re prepared to give a little time to the combination of tactical prowess, swift thinking and sheer brutality that’s America’s favourite sport (not necessarily fact) then read on, because this might just be the purchase you’re looking for.

Out of the blocks, this game looks stunning. The animation, textures and general in-game graphics are all top-drawer but it’s the overall presentation and polish that blows almost every other sports game around out of the water. The ESPN licence has been used to its fullest with graphical overlays, theme tunes, presenters and sports-talk shows taken straight form TV. In between plays, you’re treated to miniature replays in one window while facts and figures fill the rest of the screen and the commentators pick apart what went right/wrong with the last play. This not only serves to immerse you in the action, but is also a huge help when picking offensive and defensive strategy as it allows you to see and hear what’s been working for you and in which area of the field. Whilst none of this on it’s own may sound revolutionary, the way the whole package works together is a thing of slick beauty and should be a real kick up the arse to people like KCET, who continue to make Pro Evolution Soccer the best soccer game engine around but mix it with some of the worst presentation imaginable.

If you’re familiar with previous iterations of the series then you’ll be pleased to know that the already excellent game engine remains largely the same but with some key improvements. Whilst previous versions saw unrealistic amounts of rushing yards notched up over the course of a game, the way the players move has been altered so that in 2K5 they have a more realistic sense of momentum. This means that turning on a sixpence/nickel and avoiding the clutches of those pesky defensive linesmen is now much more difficult and it also means that tackles crunch even harder. To counterbalance the changes to the running game, the passing side of the engine has been improved so that fewer simple catches are dropped by your klutz receivers. Get a decent quarterback and a nippy wide-receiver and some seriously nice Hail Mary plays are yours for the making if you pick your moment. If there’s a complaint to be made, it’s that I find that the ball is intercepted a little too frequently (both by me and against me) but this may have something to do with my somewhat cavalier playing style. Eight yards to go on fourth down? Shove your punt up your arse Mr Assistant Coach.

The balance between a videogame and a simulation is always a tricky thing to get right with sports games and none more so than with American Football. At its fullest, the sport is as impenetrable as a conversation in Swahili and a game has to try and re-create this depth for those that want it but offer a softer option for those that don’t. NFL 2K5 does an admirable job of offering masses of depth but also useful shortcut options to speed things up if you just want arcade action. If you can’t be bothered to work out which play needs to come next, no problem, have your assistant coach select it while you play it out. Can’t remember the ins and outs of each play? Don’t worry; you can see who’s supposed to be making what runs as the play is setting up. Essentially you’re offered a scalable experience where you can run around in blissful ignorance if you’re new but over the course of one game can also bring in the more complex offensive and defensive options available. That’s not to say it’s perfect, if you’re a rookie, then the game will take a few plays before you’re entirely comfortable but for a sport as complicated as this, the learning curve is excellently implemented.

The game options are equally scalable ranging from quick games and training to a full-on (and frankly daunting) managerial mode where you take on all aspects of a football franchise. There’s a bizarre “Crib” mode where you win points for performing various feats of skill on the field and can spend them on blinging up your mansion. There’s also the major introduction of the 2K series’ new “VIP” saving system. Essentially, once you’ve created your save file here, the game remembers pretty much everything you do. It stores your records and it learns the way you play and uses it against you at higher difficulty levels. You can also upload your profile to someone else’s memory card meaning that they can effectively scout the way in which you play before they play you. This superb inclusion would have meant more had the online modes available to our US counterparts been available here but as usual, the European gamers appear to have been short changed. I’d hold out hope for the next iteration including the online play, but thanks to the smart licence purchase by EA, there isn’t going to be one.

And that tinges this review with sadness. EA’s enormously unsporting attitude of “If you can’t beat them, stop them from playing” makes great business sense but that doesn’t make it any less crap. Out of all the ESPN 2K games EA clearly feared this one the most and have done all they can to stop it getting in their way any more. The depressing thoughts don’t stop there either. As if further proof were needed of the uphill struggle any other sports games face in the wake of EA’s dominance, Visual Concepts have recently completed their mid-season transfer from SEGA to Take Two and in the process, their NHL, NBA and NFL series have been ‘downgraded’ to budget £19.99 releases. This is obviously a plan to try and wrestle some market share from EA rather than an indictment of the games themselves but cheaper games are often treated with scepticism by the public and it will be interesting to see how this anything-but-budget title fairs chart-wise against its immediate competitor, Madden 2005. If you can’t sell more copies of a better, slicker and cheaper game then what the hell can you do?