The Best 2K Football Game Besides 2k5?

[e0820]

Quote: Originally Posted by teddyberrz

I meant if you had to pick between 2k2, 2k3 or 2k4.

2k4 would be my next pick

[Segagendude]

Was 2k3 the one with Urlacher on the cover? If so, that was my LEAST favorite of the three. I remember during the CPU hurryup offense, they'd always snap the ball before my defense was set, resulting in numerous offside calls.Also, my WR's could NEVER outrun the db's, regardless of who they were. I'd always get tackled right at or near the goalline.....and don't get me started on that playcalling screen! Lol.....

Now, to answer the question, 2k4 (or ESPN Football, as it was called) is easily my choice for best. It didn't have a virtual Berman, but his voice was there. It blew me away with the presentation; I can remember my wife coming into the room and asking, "what channel is this game on!?" No joke. Also, they did away with that "point and click" playcalling that was in 2k3.
I wish even now that I could update the ESPN Football rosters......

[dan77733]

Quote: Originally Posted by Segagendude

Was 2k3 the one with Urlacher on the cover? If so, that was my LEAST favorite of the three. I remember during the CPU hurryup offense, they'd always snap the ball before my defense was set, resulting in numerous offside calls.Also, my WR's could NEVER outrun the db's, regardless of who they were. I'd always get tackled right at or near the goalline.....and don't get me started on that playcalling screen! Lol..... Now, to answer the question, 2k4 (or ESPN Football, as it was called) is easily my choice for best. It didn't have a virtual Berman, but his voice was there. It blew me away with the presentation; I can remember my wife coming into the room and asking, "what channel is this game on!?" No joke. Also, they did away with that "point and click" playcalling that was in 2k3. I wish even now that I could update the ESPN Football rosters......

Yeah, I would get caught with the off-sides penalty here and there but not to the point in which it was a negative. I'll give you the WR's never being able to outrun the defensive backs but since the juke move was such an effective move, it didnt matter because all you had to do was juke the defender. As for the play-calling screen, it goes back to the original NFL 2K on DreamCast. I LOVED the play-calling screen because it was unique, original and innovative plus unlike those "damn my receivers route always gets cut off in those small old obsolete boxes", you would be able to see the actual play on-field and know exactly where every receiver would be running during their routes. Its 4th and 2 and you need a short slant, 2K3's playcalling shows you exactly where your receiver will be in order to complete the pass and convert the 4th and 2.

When I first played 2K4, I hated the fact that VC changed the play-calling screen from what it was to the same old, small, obsolete lets copy Madden and every other football game boxes. UGH. If NFL 2K ever returns, I seriously hope they go back to the way the play-calling used to be - awesome!!!

Also, it was a lot easier and quicker to find my plays in 2K3 than it was when I first played 2K5. Of course, since the playbooks are basically the same as they were in 2K3, either way shouldnt take more than a few seconds to find a certain play.

And for those who say that I only favor 2K5, you just read one of my biggest complaints about it and negatives. The play-calling setup. UGH again.

[wheelman990]

I remember playing 2k on my freamcast, for its time it was revolutionary. Then Madden came out on ps2 shortly after, and I gave that the edge. PLayed Madden until 2k5, and that game changed my life with football games. I couldnt believe the difference in that game and Madden. It felt like 2k5 was years and years ahead of its time. I have 2k4 and its a fun game as well. 2k5 obviously is the best.

[Cardot]

In 2K4, the CPU running game was really tough...even after toning it down with sliders. There were times I really had to focus on run defense. This was cool, because in just about every other video football game, I can play pass defense all game and still keep the CPU running in check. But in 2K4, I had to hunker down on the run...and then CPU could legitimately pass on me.

If I recall, one drawback was too many big kick returns....but that isn't much worse than 2K5 where almost every return is to the 20.

The CPU would also frequently punt from the 28 yard line or beyond (which I read is an issue in Madden 10 as well). And when the CPU would kick field goals, they never missed (although this could be fixed by editing players I think).

So yeah, I think I would go with 2K4, then 2k2. 2K1 was great until I realized that out patterns were money.

[slickdtc]

I played NFL 2k1 and NFL 2k2 outrageously on the Dreamcast. It was my first foray into this type of gaming -- what was this? A franchise mode? You could go multiple years, draft guys, etc? That was so cool and I burnt up many an hour just playing around with it. This was really the time when I was getting into sports and sports video games so I remember it fondly.

However, I didn't play games like I played them later (or even now). I only owned NFL 2k4 for a bit before NFL 2k5 and I really loved how different it was from Madden (after taking a few years off as I went from Dreamcast to XBOX) and how much it had evolved since those Dreamcast days.

I didn't play NFL 2k3 until way later, at my friend's house. I didn't play it too much but the one thing I loved; the snow! It was snowing so hard that I could hardly see my players and the game was actually lagging up. APF2k8 does a pretty good job with the snow. The Madden games and even NFL 2k5 left a little something to be desired with the weather. There's not much better then playing football in a blizzard.

Anyway, I'll go with NFL 2k4. It really set in motion the shift the series took with 2k5 and APF2k8. It really established the NFL 2k franchise. It's such a damn shame that it was ripped away just a year later. I really do think we could've had something great, from both sides, had the NFL 2k series been able to continue.

[2Koalition]

honestly, i am goin to have to say NFL 2K3. i was a Junior in high school when the game came out and i remember right when i came home from school i used to jump right on that game to play my Franchise. i still remember i did up to 8 years in that game non-stop playing. Rodney Peete was getting old (had a terrible rating also) and i drafted this sweet QB named Dale Erickson.

also 2K3 was how i became really good with football games. the only team i ever used online was the Panthers and i was so used to using a crappy team(came off of a 1-15 season prior and u couldnt use updated rosters) that when i used a team like the Rams i was unstoppable cause i used to use Rodney Peete online despite his rating and do very good with him, now imagine what i did with Kurt Warner.

now that i brought this up, in NFL 2K5(10) i am goin to start playin the preseason games with all of my back ups.

[DreadedSteeler]

If 2K5 had 2K4's gameplay, i'd probably never need another football game. 2K4 had IMO the best QB play and running game i've seen in any football game. Unfortunately 2K5 had the worst and most unrealistic QB play of them all. Cpu QBs almost never scrambled regardless of the ratings, so a QB like Vick was nothing more than a less accurate pocket passer.

In 2K4 QBs would drop back and seemingly scan the field to find an open receiver and scramble when pressured. It was a thing of beauty and mysteriously absent in 2K5, where QBs just dropped back and fired with no concern of the coverage, even if pass protection was good. Dumbing down the defense was not an option for me and could not fix all the issues.

I have still not played another football game where I gameplanned and worried so much about facing a star running back as in 2K4. (Even toned down a bit with sliders) I don't understand why EA cannot seem to get this right (Among other things). The only issue I had with 2K4 was the sideline pursuit angles, but that wasn't much of a problem as long as the runner wasn't zig-zagging down the sideline. 2K4 with 2K5's presentation and editor would be football nirvana.