OT: I've Got It (ESPN NFL 2K5)
 

I just picked it up from my local EB. I didn't preorder it and had no trouble getting it. Unfortunately I'm now hearing that I may have to stay here at work late. Sonofa...

I will post some impressions if I ever make it home and get to play it!

Great. Where are you, so I can kill you and steal your game?

My local Eb said they would have the game in tomorrow..... damn

yeah, I got the same answer. Looks like it's UPS tommorow.

You said that outloud, Foz.

Oops. My bad.

Gamestop said that if you haven't already pre-ordered it, you better do so now. Apparently the phone has been ringing off the hook all day with people asking about this game. Good to hear. :)

I haven't received a call from my local GameStop about it coming in! Pitiful! I am off to work now :(

Preordered at gamestop and it's still "Processing"

At least I have overnight shipping for when they do finally send it out.

I'll have mine at 6:00 pm tonight, just got the call.

Mine will be here tomorrow morning at 11 AM. I'll be snagging it when I get up! :)

I'll probably swing by Walmart in a couple of days and pick it up. I need some practice time so that I can whup on mckerney when he gets back to school... :)

Mine says "Shipped" on Gamespot, but the tracking shows it's been in Indianapolis since 1:19 PM yesterday and it's waiting for "Future pickup/delivery requested". They better have it for me tomorrow since I asked for overnight shipping! Grrrr

Jeebs, do you have a XBox?

What'd ya know... just a few seconds ago it said it's shipping! I should have it tomorrow... Weeee!

I had mine pre-ordered at EB, but all the St. John's Wal-Mart's got them today so I said screw EB. I'm playin it now and it's AWESOME!!!!!!!

David Arquette (sp?) just phoned me to challenge me to a game!

What's with Best Buy and getting all of the big new releases 7-10 days later than everybody else?

btw my gamestop order shipped too. Can't wait to play it tommorow :)

I'd hang up on that moron. He's just GOTTA be a cheeser... :p

Must just be yours. I swung by my Best Buy last Tues. and got NCAA 2005. They had at least 50 Xbox copies and another 50 PS2 copies on a stand, and it was 5 pm.

Now Circuit City, I went by every day from Tues. to Thursday, and they had 0 copies.

I just got a call from the automated Gamestop call thing, saying mine would be in tomorrow. I will be pretty busy the rest of the work week, then going to Chicago on the weekend, so I won't have much time to play it until next week anyways.

Yup :)

Got the game earlier today. Never played a 2k game before, thus far I am very impressed. I have been a Madden/NCAA player all my life, and I am stunned how the players in this game react more like actual real life players. In Madden and NCAA, it seems like the AI consisted of the computer player doing its pre assigned job(coverage to a certain area, blitz, ect) and then when the play suddenly comes to said player's area, the player instantaniously goes to a new sequence. There was no transition, and if you watch madden/NCAA players long enough you realize that they can often act like robots in that respect.

The players in this game are fluid in what they do. They really look like they are being controled by little humans(fuckin gnomes in my xbox). A computer AI player doesnt *Suddenly* realize the ball is coming his way, stop his old pattern suddenly, and try to make a play on the ball. In this game he gradually transitions from one action to another. This just makes for a much more realistic football experience. This game rocks. If you ever enjoyed football video games and have a console, buy this sucker.

Called gamestop @ 5pm and they said they will be there in a few minutes, but that they may go fast. The phone had been ringing off the hook. I got there about 530 and got the very last copy. Got it on PS2 and it rocks. Haven't played against the CPU yet, but my friend and I had one hell of a game. The passing game is great. Much more realistic than anything I've ever seen on a videogame. Instead of having all day to pass, you drop back and if they are rushing you, you better get rid of it. As I say that it may not sound like a good thing, but it is very realistic. I was the 9ers and Rattay was 7-11 for 142 yards when he got hurt. Was sacked for the 2nd time and it was a nasty looking hit that broke his arm. Dorsey came in and was 3-7 for 97 yards, 1 int, 1 td. My friend was the lions and Harrington was hit and miss. He made some bad passes. However they were not bad in EA senses. In an EA game the bad pass would have missed by 10 yards. These passes missed by a few feet or a yard making them ripe pickings. This seemed very realistic. Harrington was 14-21 252 yards, 1 td and 1 int. The running game takes some getting used to. We both thought it was kinda stupid, but then I figured out that you have to charge the red meter untill it was full and then press a button to do a job. The first half Kevan Barlow averaged 2.1 ypc. Obviously that had me crying foul. But in the 2nd half I adjusted the running sliders a little bit and figured out the above point and was getting 2-7 yards per. At the end his was up to 4.6 ypc. My friend busted a long 62 yarder for a td. This game is VERY realistic and I'm sold on it. College football will be hitting the shelf, this game is for real. However if I have one complaint it is the kicking meter. It seems WAY too easy to make field goals. btw I won 20-14.

I've never tried an ESPN Football game, and I'm really excited to try this game tomorrow night. Thanks for the impressions.

And to clear something up, during the post game and half time reports your game highlights are in still pictures(on PS2). However I simmed some weeks and ran a sports center. The CPU games actually have video highlights. I went to week 12 and saw mel kiper's section on sportscenter and it underwhelmed me. He only mentioned 2 players and they both had the same picture.

As I sit here at work waiting on HP to order a system board for a down server at SBC, I have to smile reading comments like these. Nothing against Madden, as I've had plenty enjoyment out of the series, but I really want Sega to succeed with ESPN 2k5 and from comments I've read on various boards, I'd have to say.. maybe just maybe, they've succeeded in their drive for this years version.

I can't wait until tomorrow!


Todd

I hate the charge up meter. I may try to set the sliders so I can get a decent run average without using it. It's just such a stupid way to do it. Real life players don't charge up before making a move... RRRRRRgggh.


That being said, I am still very anxious to get my copy tomorrow. :)

Don't they have kicking sliders as well? That should make the kicking game harder if you mess with those. Not sure if they do or not though. NCAA does.


Todd

Hopefully I can save up and get an Xbox then. I jut have to figure out how to justify spending the $300 on the system, games, and live to my girlfriend which will not be easy.

Well, I think that most Live enabled games come with a free trial. So get yourself a refurbished system and this game and that's way below $300... :)

Yep refurb is the way to go!

Todd

Can I trust a refurbished system and how much do they run for?

I'll be snagging mine in about 12 hours, and I'll be playing it tomorrow night. Look for KingNeb on XBL, and PM me if you wanna play tomorrow night (after 1 AM EST). Also, Thursday night after 6-7 PM would be good too. Catch everyone there!!! :D

Mine's worked like a champ and although I traded in my ps2 for it - I think they go for $119 with a free game like Halo, Hitman, etc..


Todd

dola,

this post summed up my excitement for tomorrow..



Todd

Sometimes you can get an even better deal than that. I ordered a refurbed unit off of Gamestop.com for $119, and it came with Splinter Cell, KOTOR, and Morrowind. I didn't even need to buy a game, those were plenty to keep me busy!

I'm a very, very loyal Madden fan. I wouldn't have even made a purchase of ESPN if it was the same price as Madden. But 20 bucks is basically nothing so I might as well. I always have this thought that Madden is made for the ps2 and ESPN is made for xbox. Why? usually, it seems those people who own ps2 give Madden higher marks, and those with the xbox give ESPN higher marks. Since Sony won't be coming out with their system late next year or even 2006 and xbox is supposed to come out before the new ps comes out. It will benefit ESPN. ESPN seems like it works better with a better system like xbox, while the ps2 and Madden fit together. My prediction is that ESPN will OWN Madden when the new xbox comes out, because Madden will still be friendly to the ps2. Of course, being a homer, I think Madden will easily kick ESPN ass this year. Madden was a better game last and it will be a better game this year.

Cool, my thread has caught on like the "Alright Boyz ..." threads.

I had ESPN for PS2 last year, and I traded in Madden to get it. I got sick of winning against the AI with 65 yard bombs while sitting around waiting for the rush to get me. ESPN plays like a football game, not like an arcade game. To each his own I guess.

What is the procedure for calling places up to see if they have this in stock? If they give me some company line, how do I find out if I can drive there tonight, and pick up a copy?

I'm planning on calling up this afternoon and if I find anywhere that has it, heading out after work to get a copy.

Also, how likely is it that somewhere will have a copy?

Thanks,
~rpi-fan

Ok, here are my thoughts after an evening with the game. Now keep in mind that I'm a Madden guy. And when I say I'm a Madden guy I don't mean I'm a Madden guy, I mean I'm a NCAA guy. But same difference. I bought MAdden last year and didn't even play one stinking game - I jsut played around with franchise mode and kept on playing NCAA.

I would have to say that NFL 2K5 is probably the coolest sports game I've ever played as far as graphics and presentation goes. The weekly sportscenter highlights are something I've wanted in games for years. I find it really hard to stay abreast (har har) of the rest of the league and having the highlights helps to keep me in touch and not feel like an island. The franchise mode seems really well put together aside from a few disappointments relating mainly to console vs. pc limitations. It even has one feature that I've wanted in FOF for quite some time - a way to look down the road and see what your cap situation will be like in the years to come.

Having said all that, I just CANNOT get into the gameplay. Even if I were to get over the minor annoyances with the button differences between NCAA and this game, it just doesn't FEEL right. I don't feel like I am in control of the players as much as I am in NCAA. Also, some things feel a bit choppy and unresponsive. For example I play as the SS on defense, and when you move around before the snap it looks completely ridiculous.

I'm not giving up on the game yet as I'm sure a lot of my complaints stem from differences between EA and Sega, but overall the gameplay could be a killer for me. But for $20 it definitely has enough redeeming value to go out and pick up.

Your boy is on the box of ESPN! Show some respect! :)

I think you've made an assumption without even playing either game yet.


Todd

Damn TO! Is there a curse for being on an ESPN cover?

Also, I think a lot of people have been making assumptions without playing either game. Most of them have been pro-ESPN. My post is just my opinion, I might very well be totally wrong.

Heh...I went to Best Buy this morning and was told they wouldn't be getting the game in until around noon. After I told the salesguy that I wouldn't be able to make it back until tomorrow, he asked me to promise I'd come back. :)

I said we'd see. Then I drove over to the mall and got a copy at Babbages. :D

After 2 hours of sleep my daughter tells me the FedEx guy is here. :)

I had to play one game before going back to bed and well, I'm in awe. I think the gameplay is great. In fact, I wonder how much I can get for NCAA 2k5 at Gamestop on trade? I honestly don't think I can go back to NCAA's style of football after I really get used to ESPN's. They are totally different, as always, but NCAA was played immensly last year while Madden was traded in and ESPN was only bought because later on it was cheap. Enough Madden vs ESPN - I honestly think both games will be top knotch and well, for $20... yada yada..

The presentation is THE BEST of ANY sports game I have ever played. I thought 2k4 was a good start, but 2k5 is unreal. Getting into a franchise is going to be so easy for me. Can you say 'immersion'? Yes, only one measly game and the presentation has really made me wonder how they fit all of that onto a CD? I played Cardinals at Rams and on default AP - no slider changes - the game had everything I've wanted in a game (I know small sample, but if it plays like this, I'm happy).

Passing has never been so fun and real. I could pick apart the Cardinals secondary at first, until they started adjusting, but it just felt so right throwing the ball to Holt as he made his cut, hitting Faulk out of the backfield in stride, throwing a strike to Maulmalmaua for a TD on a play action. By far the best passing module in any game.

They show stats and more stats during gameplay, breaking down just about everything that has to do with your game. At halftime, Berman recaps the first half, which is really done well. I found myself calling my wife and saying, check out this TD to my tight end in the corner of the endzone. :)

Once I figure out how much time to make the quarters, my franchise is getting started. I also need to see if you have to adjust the time for simulated games.

Forget sleeping, I'm getting back to this game. I really don't see the need for anything else to be in my Xbox's CD tray but this game. I know I sound fanboyish, but so be it. I'm very happy with this game right out of the box. Running is also a blast as are the hits. Each team also has the VIP for the coach you are playing that week. (It would be neat if coaches got fired and hired so you could see different teams use different VIP's and change up their way of playing football - this is the wave of the future, I can see games having coaches who have VIP's for drafting players, signing certain types of guys, etc..) I played against Dennis Green and I could see his style of play with the Cardinals, which made me think to play a more wide open defensive attack against his passing game.

Off to play some more... I wish I had surroud sound, the hits/tackles are brutal. :)


Todd

Another complaint I forgot to mention. For those of us who hate some of the micromanagement aspects of TCY, FOF, etc. do NOT turn on the weekly preparation in franchise! The amount of options available for you to work on is completely insane! You can do all sorts of things from train players every day, to have the coach give a team meeting, to ahve position coaches review film, etc. and within each activity are tons of different options. There are about four or five different things you have to decide on when giving a team meeting. One of them is the tone of your opening comments. There are about seven levels from happy to yelling and screaming. When you train your players you can train a position group and/or select individual players within each group. You decide what muscle groups they work on and how many reps. You must decide all of this stuff EVERY DAY for the ENTIRE WEEK. Some VERY cool options, but I did not have the patience manage all of the crap. It was TCY hell all over again.

I could see myself MAYBE taking the time to do this if I didn't have to do it for every single day of the week! Luckily, you can easily turn this option off when you set up your franchise.

Dola - One of the cooler NCAA and ESPN comparisons I noticed. New to NCAA this year is the gatorade/water being dumped on the coach. Pretty cool little addition. But when ESPN does it, they do it in style! Once it hits the coach in the back he immediately tries to avoid the rest of it and run away. The players happily chase him down and give him a friendly pat on the back. They are laughing and having a gay ole time. NCAA's "gatorade celebration" seems pretty vanilla when compared to ESPN. And why are the players drinking jello that evaporates upon hitting the atmosphere in NCAA? Weird stuff.

I wonder if the FedEx guy has delivered it yet?

Being at work sucks.

hehehe, look at how quick they are, here's my tracking notes for my order!


Date/time

Status

Location

Comments


Jul 21, 2004 7:36 am

On FedEx vehicle for delivery

BLOOMINGTON MN




6:42 am

Arrived at FedEx Destination Location

BLOOMINGTON MN




4:29 am

Left FedEx Sort Facility

INDIANAPOLIS IN




4:13 am

Left FedEx Ramp

MINNEAPOLIS MN




4:11 am

Arrived at FedEx Ramp

MINNEAPOLIS MN

mrsimperless,

I think once you setup your weekly preparation it stays the same, so you just have to tweak things from week to week. I haven't tried that option yet.

One more thing, did I say the passing game is beautiful? It is. Just hit Bruuuuuce.. on a nice strike when I noticed him in single coverage on a post pattern. They show him on the bench and the players are congratulating him. Also, about halfway through the 3rd quarter, they show a breakdown on the field of Bulger's passing stats inside boxes on the field. I also love how after the play, the field view zooms out, but continues on while you choose your next play.

Todd

best, passing game, ever.

dola, anyone find a good quarter length yet?

I purposefully saved this thread for last, and still have some posts to read in it. However, this sounds like a great first impression :)

very bad CPU trade AI. Got into my franchise and simmed the preseason. I get a notice that a huge trade that will impact the entrie league took place. The Charges sent Phillip Rivers to the Bucs for Kerry Jenkins. In looking at the trade Jenkins is a 7th year vetern rated 81 @ RG. He was the bucs best gaurd but they got a couple of younger guys that can step in that are close. Jenkins becomes the Chargers best gaurd, while Rivers will backup Johnson this season and the Chargers lose their best QB, a rookie QB that could have been their franchise. Makes no sense to me.

I am not sure if this has been mentioned yet, but for those of you who have the game, take a look at the back cover.

Look to the very first and largest screen shot. For those without the game, it is a screen shot of T.O. stiff arming Ray Lewis to the ground. That got me thinking, I bet this was intentional. Anyone else think that it is more then a coincidence, considering that T.O. is the cover boy for ESPN this year and Ray Lewis is the cover boy for Madden? Heh, it just made me laugh with all the hype this year of ESPN trying to beat out Madden in the market.

Yes, I've been reading this over at OS. Can trading be turned off during the season and then back on during the draft?


Todd

Thanks, now that I re-read what I typed, it's kind of jumbled.

This is one of those games you have to see to believe. The only negative I've heard of is the trading, which hopefully can be turned off. I know it might suck for drafting, but...


Todd

I've never played a sports title with more immersiveness. The halftime and postgame shows are great, and the players actually look like the real thing on replays. The clips going into the playscreens are very cool as well...actually feels like a field full of individual players. Waiting to get home from work to try out the Dynasty mode, but for a one-game reaction, I'm very impressed by the gameworld.

As far as gameplay...it's different than the NCAA-style I'm used to, but I'm liking some things better...tackles and such seem to have realistic results (e.g. Priest Holmes falling or twisting forward). The game looks better (and by better I mean I feel closer to watching a telecast than ever) after the whistle blows and it zooms in, but overall I think that will some acquired taste, I'm going to be playing the hell out of this one. The pass rush is much improved from NCAA, that's for sure...players don't feel like they're being held by marshmellows. :)

I just ran towards the OL with Faulk when I push to the left, no room up the middle - he side steps to the left and goes for 8 yards. The animations are so nicely done.


Todd

I picked up my copy earlier today. Just finished a game against the Lions andI beat them 37-14. Harrington threw 4 INT and Suggs ran for 170 yards

Reading these comments really makes me wish that I wasn't smack in the middle of a 15-hour workday.

I turned every penalty all the way up, so far, so good. Shawn Alexander just ran a 60 yard TD on me, I was like.. shit, how did Archeletta get taken down.

Flag, the replay shows him getting pushed down by Koren Robinson to spring Alexander for the TD.

Awesome stuff!

Todd

I really wish Steve O would stop calling me. You would think he should have something better to do

HA! Archeletta just picked one off and Hasselbeck threw his helmet! :)

ALSO, on your playcalling screen they have a 'favorites' where you can store your favorite set of plays you call more often than others.


Todd

When you goto gamecast stats by pausing the game, you can select ANY play you had during the game and replay it. Neat.


Todd

Found a weird bug. Alexander's run got called back, now it shows him at -60 yards rushing for today.


Todd

I just picked this up, and a HD. Just getting the HD good to go before trying the game out.

These trades are getting out of hand. There is a trade about every week. Can't wait till the deadline. This week the panthers trade minter for kenard lang? wtf, why would they trade their best db for another DE who is now 3rd string. This may become a deal breaker to the franchise mode.

EDIT:

It was a 90 yard TD, typo there.

He ran for 15 more yards on 3 carries, now he has -75 yards for the day and my team has allowed -75 yards for the game. Shit!


Todd

Of course this and the trade thing only comes up after I bought the game. :(

No trades this week, thank god. I love the weekly prep, and yes, after you make the plans once they stay the same every week, you just have to make minor changes. Mainly just press conference policy, team meeting attitude, scouting, and rehab decisions.

I was about to complain about the manual, but now I see it has an in-game manual. Handy.

Troll,

PS2 or Xbox?

Do you see this being TCY-like, where it's fun for about an hour, and then just gets tedious? Or does it look like making these changes will actually have a significant, tangible impact on the game?

Also, how are the custom soundtracks working? That's something that interests me greatly.

i got the ps2 version so I don't know about custom soundtracks. But the weekly prep could get tedious, but as little time as I'm spending on it each week, like 30 seconds to 1 mintue after the initial 1st week investment I really don't see it getting too tedious.

You guys are killing me. I have the damn thing sitting in my car, but won't get to try it until tonight at the earliest.

For those who are playing it and enjoying it, are you doing any slider tinkering or is it pretty much playable right out of the box?

Ight more on the franchise mode. A pointless trade was made between the Eagles and Falcons. The eagles got Rod Coleman a 6th year DT rated 80 and the Falcons got Darwin walker a 5th year DT rated 83. Thats a pretty good indication of how smart the trading AI is. Also the panthers have Julius Peppers on the trading block. He is rated 92, they are asking for a CB or a TE rated 50 or better.

I use 10 min quarters and every penalty turned up to max. Seems about perfect to me thus far. Nothing else has been touched. It's great on AP out of the box - pro is default.

* The bug might just have to do with Clipping calls.. I know, I know.. but hey, we can turn them off.. although why does this shit always happen with a potential excellent game?

I know you can't catch everything in testing, but didn't anyone see a clipping call on a running play and notice the negative yardage?

I'm up 14-0 against Seattle, Hasselbeck has 3 INT's thus far.


Todd

Troll, can that feature (trading) be turned off?


Todd

Sounds like trading needs to be turned down a bit... there just aren't that many trades in the NFL these days.

Turn off Clipping... everyone so far that has seen that bug has had a clipping call.

They need to have a way to send patches to console's.


Todd

They do, on Xbox at least ;)

Does the strange trades have anything to do with salaries? Perhaps teams are unloading big contracts? Just a thought...

I'm debating on whether to get it or not, but the trading issue may be a game killer for me (and the messed up running yardage from Todd doesn't help).

I have an Xbox, patches? How they do dat?


Todd

I have a very short break in my workday, and I'm catching up. I really hope that trading can be turned off if the trade AI is so bad. Has anyone been able to turn AI trading off in the franchise mode?

edited to add: Only about 4 more hours til I get home to play this game :)

I'm planning on turning clipping off if it will solve the running yardage problem. That will be annoying, but I'd rather have no clipping than have those big negative yards.

I haven't found a way to turn trading off, but if you would like stupid ass trades all year there is an option for no trade deadline.

Maybe move the trade deadline up to week 1? That might reduce the # of trades...

Through XBox Live. There was a patch for NFL 2K4 last year.

Grrrrrr....

The thing I hated about this game 2 years ago is still there. If you are say looking at free agents, and you go to whatever position you are looking at, if you select someone and then go out, the stupid game puts you all the way back to "All Positions"! Why can't it just stay where you were? That is so annoying that it might end up put this game on the shelf for me.

Ditto. At least it's delievered. Now I have to get home before my leasing office closes!!!

:D

12:18 pm

Delivered

MUNDELEIN IL

No signature required - release waiver on file


12:18 pm

Delivered

MUNDELEIN IL

No signature required - release waiver on file


10:07 am

On FedEx vehicle for delivery

WAUKEGAN IL




6:37 am

Arrived at FedEx Destination Location

WAUKEGAN IL




5:25 am

Left FedEx Sort Facility

CHICAGO IL




4:59 am

Left FedEx Sort Facility

INDIANAPOLIS IN




2:47 am

Arrived at Sort Facility

CHICAGO IL




1:15 am

Left FedEx Sort Facility

INDIANAPOLIS IN




Jul 20, 2004 2:24 pm

Left FedEx Origin Location

INDIANAPOLIS IN




Jul 19, 2004 1:19 pm

Pickup status

INDIANAPOLIS IN

Future pickup/delivery requested

How many minutes should you sim to get realistic stats?

Do you have the hard-drive? If not, are the highlight shows still fun or are they pointless?

Is there even an option to set the sim quarter lengths different from the quarter lengths used when playing? I don't remember seeing this option, but I could have overlooked it.

Assuming you can set both, we need to find optimums for both. Mizzou has already recommended 10 minutes for playing. Anybody have any idea on simming length or if it can even be changed? (stuck at work right now)

This thought occured to me too. (My game won't be deleivered until tomorrow or the next so I can't check.) Maybe several teams start off in really bad financial states and need to unload cap money (similar to how EWR's WWE would dump half their roster when starting a new game)? Perhaps one of you could be so kind as to "quick sim" a couple seasons ahead and let use know if the stupid trades continue years later?

I'm 90% sure that you could set different sim and play lengths in last year's version.

The last version I had was 2k3, but to change the sim lengths, you would play your game for the week with one setting for quarter length. Then you would go back into the options and change it to 5 for simming to get comparable results. It was a small pain, but I don't know if it works the same way for 2k5.

Todd

You can set quarter length differently in Franchise mode (between sim and play). The question still is what is the correct sim length? (I don't understandf why they haven't made it 15 minutes. That is another thing I always found irritating about this game).

I'm pretty sure I did precisely that. You wanted 5 minute quarters for simming, but longer quarters for the games you played.