Does anyone own both 2k5 & Madden? Which is better....

[ronnyballgame]

I have played both extensively, I will admit, I was like John Kerry, flip flopping my mind away, so I start off with ESPN and love it, got Madden love it, and ESPN started to collect dust, then Madden, no matter what, I always won, on All madden, and it started to lose its fun, and everyones ratings were jacked. Then my defense was solid slowing down teams, and the comeback bug will come around and every game they would score 20 points in the 4th quarter and a mass 200 yards passing. Every game, and all the money plays were exposed and it became too repeititive, whereas ESPN stays fresh, so I am back with ESPN for good!

[hist]

I have never played ESPN until this year, but I'm now not in a big hurry to get Madden. However, there are some annoyances that I have never noticed in Madden, most of which are in statistics/rules category. They do mar the "it's in the game" feel that ESPN actually does give me (despite that being Madden's tagline).

There are others, of course, but these two leap out at me because they just happened last night:

1) Penalties seem to be added on to the statistics of the play. There was a clipping penalty on a 6-yard run by Duce Staley, and that 15 yard penalty was put on to his statistics. He had run 20 times for 70 yards, but after that it was 21 times for 55 yards. Also, a facemask penalty on a punt return was added to Randle El's return yardage, giving him a 23 yard run when it should have been an 8 yard run.

2) ESPN does not appear to be implementing the "if there's an injury in the last two minutes of a half, a time-out is charged." I *am* impressed that they added the "get an extra challenge if the first two challenges are upheld" rule.

Dave

[BBMo]

Quote: Originally Posted by Heelfan71

Problem is there are too many big plays in ESPN. Still not sure what game I like better.

There ARE big plays in ESPN...but they mainly occur when you make a MISTAKE with coverage or there is a substantial mismatch of personel.
This is how it happens in the NFL and this is how it SHOULD be in the game (IMO)

[seanmac]

I've played the hell out of both games and have gone back and forth on which one I prefer (in California we don't call that flip-flopping, we call it thinking). My initial impression was that Madden was by far the better game, which surprised me, as I thought Madden 2004 was poor and I played the hell out of ESPN 2K4. As it stands, I've probably played about fifty to sixty more games of Madden online, partly because it's easier to get games in with 4 minute quarters, and partly because I just couldn't get myself to throw in ESPN. After having been forced to play more ESPN thanks to joining a few leagues, I realize that part of what was happening was simply that Madden felt fresher to me (imagine that), but that once you get used to both games, they are on roughly equal footing. I could give a lengthy breakdown on how each game handles offense and defense, but the truth of the matter is I think most people prefer one game or the other for a more subjective reason. In Madden's case, it's the feel of player movement- the gameplay is tremendously fluid, and if you are used to playing Madden, ESPN feels stiff and unresponsive in comparision (you will find Live players feeling similarly about NBA 2K5). For ESPN players, I think the graphical superiority is difficult to overlook, and the interactions between players is better, resulting in a much better tackling system, better blocking and (when the DBs aren't running in circles) better receiver/corner battles.

[cman321]

to me ESPN is more arcadey. I can take a running qb and scramble for 15 yards per play. There is no qb spy. Hell i can even run with guys like Kurt Warner.

The pursuit is off. If you get by one guy your are gone. No way to catch anybody in the game.

Also, the zone Defenses suck in ESPN.

Madden doesn't have any major glaring flaws like these out of the box.

Madden has unsophisticated blocking. You can shut down the run with a blitzing dime D. Runs to the outside suck also.

[ftball11]

Quote: Originally Posted by cman321

to me ESPN is more arcadey. I can take a running qb and scramble for 15 yards per play. There is no qb spy. Hell i can even run with guys like Kurt Warner. The pursuit is off. If you get by one guy your are gone. No way to catch anybody in the game. Also, the zone Defenses suck in ESPN. Madden doesn't have any major glaring flaws like these out of the box. Madden has unsophisticated blocking. You can shut down the run with a blitzing dime D. Runs to the outside suck also.

I know…I know…in the great debate between Madden and ESPN, its all a matter of personal preference, but I can’t let this post slide without a rebuttal. I am not here to defend ESPN because I know it has flaws, but to say Madden has “no glaring flaws like these out of the box” isn’t true. I play both weekly and believe me, Madden has just as many flaws as ESPN. Go to the glitch thread on the Madden Board; you’ll see the same complaints from 2 years ago. So that statement just isn’t true.

I don’t find ESPN to be “arcade-ish” at all, I think it does a good job of presenting the feel of an actual football game, as good as a video game can. The only time I can gain big yards with a QB is when I am playing against my 7-year-old son on Rookie Level. Heck, my biggest gain in my franchise, 6 games into my first season, is only 26 yards and that didn’t even go for a TD. Personally, I find the pursuit to be awesome in this game. As far as zone defenses go, the only problem I have is occasionally the safeties will fall asleep and break late, but the guys underneath do a great job.

The big difference between Madden and ESPN is sliders. If your sliders are adjusted right, ESPN will give you more game than you can handle. Trust me, I know. I am 3-3 in my ESPN franchise (just lost to the Bucs 27-16) and 6-0 in my Madden franchise (beat the Bucs 35-7), same team and same schedule, just different games.

[feeq14]

They both have thier meritts. I personally traded in both NCAA and MAdden because i dont have time to play them all.

I love Maddens Franchise,
I hate ESPNs, but my overall affinity for the in game play makes me want to lean towards it and just figure different ways to make it better. All that plus the graphical difference is to great to ignore. Other than that they are pretty even. I truly hope this years battle really makes them both step it up next year

[ODogg]

Both are good this year and I split my time about 50/50 between the two games (a frist for me I think). It really depends on how you intend to play the game most of the time. If you play for franchise and/or exhibition vs CPU most of the time then buy Madden. If you play random exhibition games and/or online vs your buddies then buy ESPN. I like ESPN but I really can't recommend it if you're a big franchise baller, gotta get Madden, otherwise ESPN is a great value at $19.99.