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Scattershooting observations from a longtime critic of the 2K series
I just don't get it. Here's this game that addressed 95 percent of my beefs with it, and now I see where some of the 2K3 fans are disappointed? I don't understand. This game feels nothing like Madden, so that's not it. It's simply more polished - A LOT MORE POLISHED - than 2K3 was. So much more fluid, without the herky-jerky animations and dizzying colisions. I would think longtime fans of this series would feel a great deal of "I told you so" today, but I guess not all do.
Wierd.
I have only one real beef with this game so far. In all its pristine glory, where did these running animations come from? They don't look horrible, but why is everyone in seemingly half stride? Especially with the superb blocking and tackling animations, the strides of the players just doesn't look right.
But like I said, that's my only real complaint right now, and it's not close to a game-killer to this very well conceived and executed simulation of the NFL. I really love the game.
Some observations after about five games:
1. No, the passes are not floaty. This is a much clearer reflection of an NFL pass. Though I've liked Madden more in recent years, I've always been bothered how it depicts passes covering 30 yards in about one second. That's just unrealistic. ESPN does this nicely.
2. The passing animations, however, are a little odd at times. Sometimes they are really amazing, and others they just seem to animate incorrectly. Not really a big deal though.
3. The running game is really good, both offensively and defensively. You pop a couple of runs for nice gains, then you get shut down for a spell, and in a believable way. Very nice. You can bust it to the outside and outrace defenders, or you can slip a tackle inside. Likewise, you can get chased down or knocked on your keester to.
My lone complaint is that the animation where the defender pulls the RB over his body for extra yardage is a little too common.
4. I do not like the commentary. These guys' voices grate on my nerves, always have. Thus, I tend to play in "in the stands" or "on the field" mode.
5. The presentation is simply fantastic graphically. I love the stat overlays from different angles as players approach the line of scrimmage. Really cool. You could right five pages on the look of the game. It's just beautiful.
6. Problem: defensive pass interference is way too common. However, I'm pretty sure that this can be addressed with sliders.
7. I love the ability to look at the play-by-play of the entire game in the stats category. Really nice touch. Can't remember if that was in 2K3, but I like to go through it after a game.
8. The sack animations are outstanding, particularly on a blitzer that comes in free from the front side of a QB looking downfield. Just pulvarizes him, and looks very NFL-like. Likewise, the blocking for pass plays is much more lifelike than Madden, which is that game's biggest problem IMO.
9. First person is actually a lot of fun on defense. Offensively, it's really just not quite right, but defense is fun, especially rushing the passer with a blitzer.
10. The player models look good, but what's up with those facemasks?
11. For a late release, the rosters don't seem any more up to date than Madden. Fixable though.
12. Superb stadium detail, and I love the way the cut scenes during playcalling gives you a good look at the layout and the stands. Really nice grass textures, too. Best representation of Texas Stadium I've seen to date. Kudos.
13. The fatigue thing seems odd. And why does Hutch keep replacing Quincy even though I've changed the depth chart? I think I must be doing something wrong.
14. I am not finding the CPU runners too tough to tackle. Sure, they break tackles, but I get plenty of open-field tackles, too, and when I'm in the right defense, there's usually help to bring down a tough runner. No complaint here.
15. Ah yes, I forgot the momentum. Dang near perfect. Not too real, yet you have to watch your thumb conrol down the sidelines or you'll step out of bounds. Feels really good, and the contact between players is better than Madden's. I'm already well convinced of that.
All in all, I think this is a superb effort that will only get better once we've tweaked the sliders and gotten the penalty situation balanced.
If Sega puts in a good offense and works hard on what's already a damn fine game, then the sales figures for this series will dramatically increase. Perhaps even three- or four-fold.
I trashed 2K3 mercilessly. But ESPN will no doubt be my NFL game of choice this year. I can see a lot of hours logged on this puppy. Congratulations, Sega.
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09-03-2003, 09:56 PM
