I own NCAA. I'm in year two of my Dynasty. I just bought Madden 25.
After messing around in the maze of menus in Madden and trying to edit sliders and then realizing my "play now" settings don't translate to the Connected whatever mode...I got frustrated.
Re-Impressions for 2K5 and APF...
Yesterday I popped in my NFL 2K5 aka NFL 2k14. WOW.
I haven't played this in awhile and honestly thought I was done with it. I can't believe the quality of this game and how well it holds up graphically. Madden is straight up beautiful as an HD game. But the player movements, fluidity, foot planting, throwing and tackling shown in 2K5 are all just flat out gorgeous! Menus are easy to navigate - the game play doesn't suffer from random speed bursts - and ratings matter. Throwing with Geno Smith feels different from 5'10" Russel Wilson. note: you need to find throwing lanes with Wilson because defensive linemen will try to bat the ball down.
Is 2K5 perfect? Nope. But after 10 years it is the best NFL title available which is terribly frustrating but so impressive.
All Pro Football 2K8? Dropped this one in the ole XBOX 360 yesterday too. Goodness...how does a game without a legacy mode of any kind remain relevant and immersive? By offering the best on the field experience. From the interactive sidelines, stadium atmospheres (unmatched in any game IMO), to the unique player abilities this game is flat out technical and fun.
Is APF perfect? No. Sometimes there are coverage breakdowns, and defensive linemen can run down a play too often but neither of those things take away from the overall gameplay. More so than with 2K5, selecting the proper play, creating matchups, and player awareness and interactions mean more than ever on EVERY PLAY. You feel the importance of every yard, just like on Sundays. The AI provides a legitimate challenge and will make you pay for simply button mashing. Get to the line of scrimmage and recognize the defensive alignment...BAM, audible, and suffer the reward or consequence for your decision. Thats football.
With next gen on the horizon - I'm not sure what I'll do. As it stands now, NBA 2K is the only game I have to look forward to. Does my football gaming, and gaming hobby end with this current gen? It may. Until then I'm going to continue to enjoy these two classics from 2K!