OT: Anyone get ESPN NFL2k5 yet?

[Eddie]

Lol Pop in the game and take a look at the differences.

Sorry bro, I'm not paying another $50 for updated rosters ... which is pretty much what you get with the Madden games. Minor tweaks don't count.

Madden 2005=2004=2003=2002=2001=2000

These games use the SAME engine. Even the experts have critisized EA for porting the same game rehashed with a different cover.

Even car manufactures make more changes than EA has with the Madden series.

My money is on the ESPN 2k series this year. No more Madden for me ... until they truly overhaul the game and give us something earth shatteringly different. That probably won't happen until the PS3 is out.

 

[AJM1613]

Lol Pop in the game and take a look at the differences. If you see none you dont know *** your talking about. If you mean its a football game then yes its the same SPORT every year but if you say the game is the same for the past 4 - 5 years you full of ****. I was impressed with the past 2 productions and found myself thinking what the hell are they going to add to 2005 to make it better. I was shown that. Defensive hot route. New animations which appear to look damn close to lifelike. Deeper franchise mode. Player conflicts. Just to name a few. Granted ESPN has more features but madden is still the king. All madden needs now is the week to week options ESPN has. Im buying both to compare but madden still looks like the leader as far as overall software. ESPN had to move down their price so madden didnt ruin their marketing. Chances are 4 out of 5 will buy madden over ESPN at the same price. ESPN made a smart move but dont expct the price to be $20 next year.

Did you play ESPN yet? It is great! I turned if off a little while ago but because I am so bored today and I don't have to work to 5, I started playing again. I have been a life long Madden fan and was great at it (I never lost a game to either the computer, friends or family on all Madden). Playing this game for about two hours, I love it. It has it draw backs like not being able to play Andrews at G and a couple of the ratings are off (Gildon is 90, Trotter is 87, Nguyen is 82) but it is still a great game, it just feels so real.

Right now I am terrible at it, trying to get a feel for the game play and play calling, but hopefully I can get better.

You do realize that this is the last year for Madden don't you? There will be another EA football game but Madden is gone. They will lose millions of gamers just because the name and anouncer is changing.

I also love how all of you other Cowboy fans are buying a game with everyone's favorite wide receiver on the cover.

 

[Eddie]

You do realize that this is the last year for Madden don't you? There will be another EA football game but Madden is gone. They will lose millions of gamers just because the name and anouncer is changing.

For real? Madden's name is being taken off the marquee? That would be interesting for EA. If they port the same game in 2006 under a different name, NO ONE is going to buy it. So much of Madden football's sales are due to it's legacy.

Wow, an end of an era. I remember buying a Sega just so I could play Madden 90 back in college.

For a brief period of time, Madden was outclassed by Gameday when the PS first came out. But Madden came back with a vengence with the intro of ot he PS2. Why did Sony let their own Gameday series suffer so badly???

 

[TheKey]

AJM, I hate to ask for help from an eagle fan but.....


Have you mastered the passing game yet? I cant seem to figure it out. I get lucky every once in a while but in the most part all of the WRs drop the ball. Do you have to push a button to catch or is it automatic?

Thanks

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

They are brutal:
QB: Carter: 75; Testaverde: 75; Hutchinson: 69; Henson 62
HB: Jones: 75; Cason: 71
FB: Anderson: 81
WR: Johnson: 85; Glenn: 85; Bryant: 80
TE: Witten: 70; Campbell: 68;
C: Dinapoli: 73
G: Allen: 87; Gurode: 75
T: Adams: 89; Rogers: 71
DT: Glover: 92; Blade: 75
DE: Ellis 85; Wiley: 83
OLB: Coakley: 85
OLB: Singleton: 72
MLB: Nguyen: 82
CB: Newman: 78; Mitchell: 66; Hunter: 64
SS: Woodson: 88
FS: Williams: 96
K: Cundiff: 71
P: McBriar: 55

After reading yours I feel A LOT better about ours. Newman 78? Witten 70? Nguyen 82? Trotter is 87!

If you want a backup or a player from another team just ask and I will look it up.

That's one reason why I don't really like ESPN. They're terrible at getting ratings right. It was even worse last year. And they don't update their oline rosters for online play so if ESPN thought your team stunk at the beginning of the year, they stink the entire year for online play even if the real team is 10-6, 11-5, 12-4 or something. LOL

 

[Dale]

They are brutal:
QB: Carter: 75; Testaverde: 75; Hutchinson: 69; Henson 62
HB: Jones: 75; Cason: 71
FB: Anderson: 81
WR: Johnson: 85; Glenn: 85; Bryant: 80
TE: Witten: 70; Campbell: 68;
C: Dinapoli: 73
G: Allen: 87; Gurode: 75
T: Adams: 89; Rogers: 71
DT: Glover: 92; Blade: 75
DE: Ellis 85; Wiley: 83
OLB: Coakley: 85
OLB: Singleton: 72
MLB: Nguyen: 82
CB: Newman: 78; Mitchell: 66; Hunter: 64
SS: Woodson: 88
FS: Williams: 96
K: Cundiff: 71
P: McBriar: 55

After reading yours I feel A LOT better about ours. Newman 78? Witten 70? Nguyen 82? Trotter is 87!

If you want a backup or a player from another team just ask and I will look it up.

Nguyen's rating, along with Newman's are the most disappointing to me. You could make a damn legitimate argument that they are two of our top five players, along with La'Roi Glover, Flozell Adams and Roy Williams. Anderson's seems pretty low as well, considering he was our second best offensive player last year.

Where as guys like Woodson, Allen and Coakley could likely be given lower rankings.

Even so, looks like the Cowboys are the second highest rated team in the division. The Commanders are an 83 overall I believe, and the Cowboys are an 85.

Got the game earlier today and must say it's fun to play. It does take some getting used to, and I'm still having problems on offense, but it's a good game. The graphics really amaze me, as does the overall presentation.

 

[Cajuncowboy]

What's the story on the 20.00 price tag. IT would seem to be an inferior product for only 20 bucks.

 

[Tass]

For those of you complaining that Madden didn't change anything...neither did ESPN. Exact same engine, exact same stiff motion captures, exact same ugly faces, same short tyrannosaurus arms and flat butts. (Looks like they had asian guys doing the motion capture...truthfully.) The ratings of the players are a joke, the weekly prep is way too time consuming, and you can't even get an injury report. No moving of the franchises, either. My biggest gripe is the lack of options when creating your player. Madden has over 3,000 faces for your player and you can make him be built any way you want. ESPN has 4 body types that you can't change and only 6 or 7 faces per skin tone. Whoop-de-do. If they had overhauled the gameplay and graphics it might be different...but this is just last year's game with a roster update.

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

What's the story on the 20.00 price tag. IT would seem to be an inferior product for only 20 bucks.

Madden outsells ESPN about 10 to 1 so they're hoping that they can sell their game at an outrageously low price this year and grab some new customers.

 

[cowboysforum]

They are brutal:
QB: Carter: 75; Testaverde: 75; Hutchinson: 69; Henson 62
HB: Jones: 75; Cason: 71
FB: Anderson: 81
WR: Johnson: 85; Glenn: 85; Bryant: 80
TE: Witten: 70; Campbell: 68;
C: Dinapoli: 73
G: Allen: 87; Gurode: 75
T: Adams: 89; Rogers: 71
DT: Glover: 92; Blade: 75
DE: Ellis 85; Wiley: 83
OLB: Coakley: 85
OLB: Singleton: 72
MLB: Nguyen: 82
CB: Newman: 78; Mitchell: 66; Hunter: 64
SS: Woodson: 88
FS: Williams: 96
K: Cundiff: 71
P: McBriar: 55

After reading yours I feel A LOT better about ours. Newman 78? Witten 70? Nguyen 82? Trotter is 87!

If you want a backup or a player from another team just ask and I will look it up.

man those ratings are BS

 

[jdnalls]

I'll move this over to the appropriate board shortly; just curious if anyone has gotten the game yet. If so, opinions?

Nope. Could care less about ESPN NFL2K5.

I am however waiting for Madden 2005.

 

[Dale]

For those of you complaining that Madden didn't change anything...neither did ESPN. Exact same engine, exact same stiff motion captures, exact same ugly faces, same short tyrannosaurus arms and flat butts. (Looks like they had asian guys doing the motion capture...truthfully.) The ratings of the players are a joke, the weekly prep is way too time consuming, and you can't even get an injury report. No moving of the franchises, either. My biggest gripe is the lack of options when creating your player. Madden has over 3,000 faces for your player and you can make him be built any way you want. ESPN has 4 body types that you can't change and only 6 or 7 faces per skin tone. Whoop-de-do. If they had overhauled the gameplay and graphics it might be different...but this is just last year's game with a roster update.

It's a shame one of the two games can't incorporate some of the things that really make the other one so good.

Something else about player rankings and all that, they have Julius as a "skinny" back, weighing only 205 pounds. I haven't found a way to change players' weight in franchise mode. Is that possible, or are we stuck with the incorrect weight and body size?

It's a fun game to play, but I'll be buying Madden as well. I've been doing this for several years now. Neither game has enough to satisfy me with that game alone, unfortunately.

I really like the option to customize your stadium's soundtrack. Anyone have any good song options for this? Any Cowboy related songs? Or good rock/rap themes for a stadium?

 

[bounce]

I bought it today, and just played it for a few hours. I've come from Madden and NCAA, so the controls are bloody difficult. I suck at it right now. I figure at $20, I'll get it and play it for a few weeks until Madden. If I grow to love it, I'll keep it and ignore Madden. If it's nothing special, I'll use it to try to get whatever trade in (not much) and put it towards Madden. It was too cheap not to check it out.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I bought it today, and just played it for a few hours. I've come from Madden and NCAA, so the controls are bloody difficult. I suck at it right now. I figure at $20, I'll get it and play it for a few weeks until Madden. If I grow to love it, I'll keep it and ignore Madden. If it's nothing special, I'll use it to try to get whatever trade in (not much) and put it towards Madden. It was too cheap not to check it out.

Hey bounce, where is that sickening bounce avatar?




It did make me laugh.

 

[Tio]

Espn is the best....until you are actually playing the game. The gameplay sucks. If only we can combine espn customizations with maddens game play...

 

[Tass]

Espn is the best....until you are actually playing the game. The gameplay sucks. If only we can combine espn customizations with maddens game play...

What customizations? In ESPN you get a paltry choice of faces, NO choice of hairstyles or colors, no wristbands on the elbows, only two kinds of helmets, you can't change the players' bodily dimensions, etc. Which customizations are so great?

 

[Tio]

What customizations? In ESPN you get a paltry choice of faces, NO choice of hairstyles or colors, no wristbands on the elbows, only two kinds of helmets, you can't change the players' bodily dimensions, etc. Which customizations are so great?

I mean like the crib, the preperation, espn 25 etc...

 

[Dale]

I mean like the crib, the preperation, espn 25 etc...

I agree.

I wish we could have ESPN's cut scenes, with players demonstrating plays on the sidelines when plays are being reviewed, Gatorade baths, etc, with Madden's actual game play.

I never like the way ESPN plays when I try playing it for the first time after having not played it for a while, but once I get used to it it tends to grow on me.

 

[ChrisFul]

If Madden is anything like NCAA 2k5, then it will be a big steaming pile of poo. Framerate issues, Online connection issues, difficult as hell, etc.

I could give a rats *** about all that "extra" stuff they put in it. Like getting chicks, The Crib, yada yada yada. Give me a good Postseason draft, FA experience and good gameplay and forget all that other stuff.

 

[Dale]

If Madden is anything like NCAA 2k5, then it will be a big steaming pile of poo. Framerate issues, Online connection issues, difficult as hell, etc.

I could give a rats *** about all that "extra" stuff they put in it. Like getting chicks, The Crib, yada yada yada. Give me a good Postseason draft, FA experience and good gameplay and forget all that other stuff.

With NCAA 2005, I've gotten to the point where I just sim all the games and control the team in the offseason. Recruiting, changing positions, etc is what I'm having the most fun with on NCAA.

The game is fun to play, but depending on what settings you use, either seems to be incredibly easy or terribly difficult. And I just don't have the time to tinker with the settings to create a realistic game.

On the Heisman level, I simmed a season, and the guy who won the Heisman Trophy was a running back that finished the year with 1050 yards and 12 touchdowns. Last year's stats were far more reflective of college football it seemed.