a "covert's"preview (of the video)

[augustus]

hi guys,
most of ya'll remember me from my opening thread. After 4+ years of Madden PC, I preordered ESPN on X-Box. Yesterday, I just watched the videos of ESPN for the first time. After viewing the videos, every football-loving bone in my body felt revived like it never has over a video game. I simply was speechless at the sheer amount of EFFORT thrown into this game and the attempti to make it as realistic as possible.

The animations and smooth mo-cap alone melted my heart, and the Sportscenter presentation, amazing graphics, gang-tackles, postplay celebrations, on-field communication between players, realistic PA system, amazing haze and stadium effects, realistic staduim music, beautiful blocking AI and pocket formation, real masses of fans clebrating, TV-like chalkboard effects, AMAZING INJURY CUTSCENES, real playbooks, the list goes on and on! I do not see how any unbiased football fan can say that Madden is even on this level of competitive gaming effort. Honestly I have never seen any 2K4 videos but if its close to what I'm seeing on 2K5 then ESPN definitely had the better game last year, hands down.

Don't get me wrong, I love both games greatly, and I do feel that Madden's franchise mode is extraordinarily deep esp. in terms of upper management tools; however, I personally feel that a football simulation is built on gameplay first and foremost, b/c no matter how deep a franchise mode is, you do not pay $50 to simply simulate seasons and manage rosters. NO GREAT FRANCHISE MODE CAN SUBSTITUTE WEAK GAMEPLAY! ESPN 2K5 is %200, hands down a better looking, more polished, more realistic product so far in terms of pure gameplay and that's what matter; moreover, I have absolutely no problem saying that as a longtime madden player. I am a football lover first and foremost and ESPN's product shows a deeper appreciation of the sport than madden is.

Like I said in my previous thread, I just recently was able to get a console, so I have (as a PC gamer) have no had the luxury of playing NCAA or ESPN at all until now. I had a dreamcast and used to play 2K games back in the day, but dreamcast games died out three years ago.

[Moegames]

Quote:

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augustus said:
hi guys,
most of ya'll remember me from my opening thread. After 4+ years of Madden PC, I preordered ESPN on X-Box. Yesterday, I just watched the videos of ESPN for the first time. After viewing the videos, every football-loving bone in my body felt revived like it never has over a video game. I simply was speechless at the sheer amount of EFFORT thrown into this game and the attempti to make it as realistic as possible.

The animations and smooth mo-cap alone melted my heart, and the Sportscenter presentation, amazing graphics, gang-tackles, postplay celebrations, on-field communication between players, realistic PA system, amazing haze and stadium effects, realistic staduim music, beautiful blocking AI and pocket formation, real masses of fans clebrating, TV-like chalkboard effects, AMAZING INJURY CUTSCENES, real playbooks, the list goes on and on! I do not see how any unbiased football fan can say that Madden is even on this level of competitive gaming effort. Honestly I have never seen any 2K4 videos but if its close to what I'm seeing on 2K5 then ESPN definitely had the better game last year, hands down.

Don't get me wrong, I love both games greatly, and I do feel that Madden's franchise mode is extraordinarily deep esp. in terms of upper management tools; however, I personally feel that a football simulation is built on gameplay first and foremost, b/c no matter how deep a franchise mode is, you do not pay $50 to simply simulate seasons and manage rosters. NO GREAT FRANCHISE MODE CAN SUBSTITUTE WEAK GAMEPLAY! ESPN 2K5 is %200, hands down a better looking, more polished, more realistic product so far in terms of pure gameplay and that's what matter; moreover, I have absolutely no problem saying that as a longtime madden player. I am a football lover first and foremost and ESPN's product shows a deeper appreciation of the sport than madden is.

Like I said in my previous thread, I just recently was able to get a console, so I have (as a PC gamer) have no had the luxury of playing NCAA or ESPN at all until now. I had a dreamcast and used to play 2K games back in the day, but dreamcast games died out three years ago.

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These are true words coming from an unbiased sports gamer that has no fanboyism in his blood.

Good post

[onetonmartin]

man, that was well put.

[TIm]

Well said...I don't know why that people are so in love with one game that they have to trash the other..Madden is still a great game for most..However I sure hope people see the effort that VC has put into this game...From the sounds of STEVE most of the glitches that were in last year are fixed...Whatever game you have this year HAVE FUN....THat's what gaming is all about!!!!

[rock85]

Amen

[vinny]

Hail augustus

[gopadres]

Very nice!

(Do you mean "convert" or are you some kind of Madden spy?)

[augustus]

Quote:

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gopadres said:
Very nice!

(Do you mean "convert" or are you some kind of Madden spy?)

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umm, no. I mean "convert" as in I'll be buying ESPN instead of Madden this year. I just like what I see on the video and am honest about who I am, that certainly doesn't make me a spy of any kind. I could care less about the flame wars and fanboyism going on right (esp. on Madden fan sites) b/c I just want the better gameplay product.

I got fed up with Madden claiming to be a "football simulation" but even admitted in their recent producer's interview's that they intentionally ignored fixing crucial, fundamental gameplay problems because they claimed that it would kill the "fun factor" or the game. One big fact is that they admitted to intentionally over/under rating player speeds in order to promote more "big plays" and make "highlight players" standout; however, the speed issue is the PRIMARY cause for Madden's notoriously bad runnning game, "grandma-speed" QB's, and poor overall blocking. That told me right then that they are more concerned with appealing to the bigger, arcadish fan-base rather than making the a fundamentally sound football game. I finally got a console, and for $20, ESPN has earned a shot at winning me over like they did on dreamcast. Even if I do buy madden, I'll definitely wait a few months for the price to dip first; however, from the way people talk NCAA has more polish than Madden so I may just get that.