Nice Madden VS. ESPN comparison at Gamespot

[TheBandit]

That's funny, because I'm an under 50% FG kicker with David Akers on ESPN. This is my first year with the 2k series, so you'd hope I would get better at it. The rest of my game is pretty good as I can hang in there on the legend mode--of course that only makes my kicking worse

Quote: Originally Posted by Muskrat

Kicking IS a minor point, but quite honestly, I'm really TIRED of the kicking game being nothing more than 'gimmes' unless they're super long, and this year in ESPN..THAT doesn't even matter. I LIKE the fact that you can miss an XP by being careless in Madden. I REALLY like the fact that you CAN and DO shank kickoffs (on occasion) and Punts (a little more frequently). THAT IS REALISTIC. In Madden, FGs over 45yards are tough. In ESPN, FGs over 50 are routine. That's my point with regards to the kicking....

[quietcool72]

Quote: Originally Posted by jordan0386

2k5 is the best football game of the year... from 2k4 to 2k5 there are more improvements than 2004 to 2005 i find it amusing that nobody has mentioned that for the past three years, madden has implemented things that were in the "2k's" previous versions...and some madden fans call it the end all be all madden 2005 is a great game...but it isnt a better improvement over last years version as 2k5 is to 2k4, imo

Difference is-

1. Madden 2005's gameplan man to man/matchup/double team screen actually works.

2. Madden 2005's hot-spy audibles actually work, and the player actually shadows the QB laterally.

So, give props to ESPN for coming up with good ideas. Give Madden props for actually making sure they work correctly or at all.

[coogrfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by tripwire

What? No mention about polish/bugs at gamespot? ESPN is a very solid game, but severely hampered and sometimes deemed unplayable by some of us due to the few very annoying gameplay bugs and myriad of franchise/statistical bugs. ESPN has been relegated to just being popped in for games with friends(offline and online), while Madden does it all. Always been a 2k fan, but they really need to work out the glitches/bugs before putting out a product.

My only change would be to replace "unplayable" with "less enjoyable".

[brahmagoul]

I just read Gamespot's comparison and I think they got it butt backwards. Most posters on this site know more of what they are talking about. I say, offensively, Madden's better. The passing game is the difference. Defensively, ESPN's better. Also, they wrote that ESPN is better special teams wise because the kicking game is much more important than kick returning. If Madden's kicking was horrible, I'd agree. But because it's decent, kick returning is more important.

[bkrich83]

Quote: Originally Posted by brahmagoul

I just read Gamespot's comparison and I think they got it butt backwards. Most posters on this site know more of what they are talking about. I say, offensively, Madden's better. The passing game is the difference. Defensively, ESPN's better. Also, they wrote that ESPN is better special teams wise because the kicking game is much more important than kick returning. If Madden's kicking was horrible, I'd agree. But because it's decent, kick returning is more important.

I agree with a lot of what they are saying. But Madden's kicking game with the new kick metter and return game is far superior imol.

[Dondadda]

Quote: Originally Posted by quietcool72

Difference is- 1. Madden 2005's gameplan man to man/matchup/double team screen actually works.

Not sure about the matchup / double team pause menu screen in ESPN, but the pre-snap double-team defensive hot routes work very, very well. Everything "pre-snap" in ESPN, on both sides of the ball, works well, actually.


As for the guy who said kicking is easy in ESPN . . . it sounds like he hasn't kicked on All-Pro or Legend. I haven't seen tougher kicking in a football video game than 2K5's Legend difficulty.

[Muskrat]

I was the one who said it was easy, and I was playing on all-pro. It could be the fact that I've been playing the 2K series for the past 3 years, so the whole system is just that familiar. In any event, the 'golf type' meter in Madden gives a higher margin of error (IMO), ESPECIALLY if you get 'jumpy' at all while kicking.

Like I said, I've NEVER shanked a punt in ESPN, and I RARELY missed a FG to the left or right....on Madden, in 2/3 of a season, I've shanked several punts and missed an extra point (that NEVER EVER happened in ESPN).

Oh, and I don't want to hear 'try this slider...or try that slider'....quite frankly, I don't think you should have to MAKE the game more realistic by using the sliders...and any higher difficulty and I get so frustrated that I almost break the disc in half...

[bugblast]

Quote: Originally Posted by quietcool72

I'll post my findings when I get home from work. This should be fun. I'll count the Raiders' offensive plays and defensive plays in both games and post them in this thread.

Home from work yet?