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Just finished my tenth game online (6-4, started off 0-3), and I think I'm ready to wrap up how I feel about this game, for the benefit of those not --- in the know. Btw, my "experience" in football gaming (post N64) comes from playing NFL 2K,1,2 on Dreamcast, to NFL 2K2,4,5 on PS2, and Madden 2005(Xbox), 2006(Xbox), & 2007 (Xbox 360). Like a lot of the video gaming community, I was crushed when EA bought NFL license for their Madden. But, some kids just want to play some football with their favorite team (Chargers), so I made the switch to Madden in ‘05, in preparation for the 2006 season. Played on Xbox Live, with a record of around 400 - 200... Embarrassing I know. If you remember, Madden 05 was an actually GOOD football game, as it was near the end of the Xbox age. 06 came, and I think I played about 40 games online. And then this year on the 360, I played about 20 games for the first part of the NFL season, and didn't play online again until about 2 weeks ago, and it definitely inspired me to purchase a new football game with good gameplay. So this review may be a little bias.
Opening statement: if you don't want to wait another year to play an awesome football game... you need this right now. Why wait for madden to step up their game? APF 2K8 is awesome, and I’m sure that it won't be worthless in your collection at the end of this season, I assure you. I don't think that can be said about Madden. Strip Madden's NFL license and you've got a generic video game... a very generic video game. But i won't lie, I’ll definitely be buying madden but only because I have ta’.
Presentation. 10. 2K Sports quality. Awesome presentation, frame to frame. All the colors on the screen are rich & vibrant. Just like NBA 2K7, there’s not too many pauses for lame loading screens... takes about ten seconds to get IN the game, from the press start screen. As in, I press start, right analog stick to bring up the quick menu, quick game, S, Start, and a loading screen for about 5 seconds, and bam I’m on the field. Everything is just really fluent; no delays when pausing, no delays when accessing the depth chart, or stats central, just really smooth. Great half-time & post-time shows, with real instant replays from the game. And a player of the game award. Just awesome. The concept of creating your own team is just great for gaming in general. You’ll never play the same team twice… No more trying to play a game online with the Chargers, and finding no challengers. & btw picking plays while the other person doesn’t know what you’re going to pick = great. ( not that I’m too stupid to now know how to pick plays without your opponent knowing, but try teaching that to your opponent on the fly.. cat’s are dumb). VIP PROFILES FOR THE WIN. If you haven't experienced 2K's VIP profiles, you are definitely out of the loop. 2K Ticker… real news, with real articles.. crazy.
Graphics 8+ – Though graphics aren’t as important to me in football games, it just looks amazing. The stadiums are completely filled with more fans… and the crowds come alive along with the stadium when big things happen. Field pass allows you to see more then Madden does in terms of showing off graphics. In Madden you had the same animations over and over before each play, but not here. New camera angles, and different players & faces take focus between the play. Usually context sensitive to the previous play/drive…ie, the team rooting on Walter Payton to step up his game. The great thing is everything is just really smooth, sitting at 60 FPS. Create-a-player is great, and the uniforms end up looking gorgeous, no matter how you design them… usually. The CPU has a good knack for finding great angles on replays between plays.
Sound 8- (that’s in comparison to madden… alone it’d be a solid 7) – I’ll take this crew over the home town announcer everyday. Can’t coach that. They don’t clutter the speakers with random blurts, but nearly all of the play calling is accurate to what’s going on, on the field. A lot of the commentary is recycled from 2K5, but at least they have it. Voices for players on the field aren’t at all distinct between one another, but that’s fine, at least they have some sort of human element to them, instead of in Madden, where they’d have just rambling from the players on the field. And the soundtrack ain’t bad. Not too shabby.
Gameplay 10. No lie. I could go on and on and on about what impressed me about the gameplay. And then there’s the little things that just made me smile… ( beautiful one hand catches, tip toing on the sideline, toe taps…) What I love about this, and any GREAT video game, is that you can win with three things. Skill, patience, and high gaming IQ. And this is what 2K8 is all about. Picking the right plays, packages, formations, etc. make all the difference, on both sides of the ball. And that’s just before the play.
Offense. An emphasis on 3/5/7 step drops, pocket passing, watching the pocket collapse around you, and feathering the LS to get your feet planted to throw passes with awesome accuracy, while waiting for routes to develop… what fundamental football’s all about. No more of that Michael Vick 70 yard lobs without a wind-up (bullshit). No more split second throws to the other side of the field. No more of the jetpacking WR’s jumping over double coverage over the middle on slants. Deep posts are great, but they definitely can’t be abused. A Madden 3 & 9 isn’t the same as an APF 2K8 3 & 9. And a Madden 4 & 16 is DEFINITELY not the same as an APF 4 & 16. Patience, and following blockers, allows for exciting runs, and every time the RB touches the ball that dude is FIGHTING for yards, and that, is just awesome. There’s a real gritty tenacity behind running and I absolutely love it. And the ability to change directions, shimmy, hesitate, cut, and squeezing through tight holes, etc… is just great. There’s just an amazing reward factor in finding success by playing the game the way it should be played… and that is what draws TRUE SPORTS GAMERS to 2K. (TROOF). A true-to-football video game experience on offense.
Defense. The front four always gives a decent push, always trying to close the qb’s pocket. It helps, to pick the right play for your d-line before the play (twist left/right/, fan, razor left/right, base etc), guessing which side you want to attack could make a world of difference, in influencing the offense. Several moves to use when engaged with the defender. Buttons individually assigned to club, rip, spin, bullrush, etc. Having an awesome ILB on the field at all times pretty much gives you great command over the center of the field. Star corners shut down sides. Star linemen make an impact almost every play. Defense meant to stop the run, will usually stop the run, or at least limit it to few yards. DB adjustments and shifts, along with hot blitzes & hot assignments.. just what we’ve always expected. Sadly you can’t control D-line separately, but you control the DL & LBs as one unit shifting appropriate to the defensive formation your in. ie Nickel 3 3 top, nickel 3 3 shell, show blitz, etc. Great control before the play, and during. Strafing, I haven’t gotten down yet, so I’ve left the game on it’s default autostrafe (hold LS up, and then break with the receivers using A & LS to cover). A tackle button. The “hit stick” gives you more options on how to tackle and make big hits. 3 buttons to play the ball in the air. Pass defense isn’t hard to play if you call the right amount of DBs. Zone is great in shorter passing situations. Man + cover 2 is great when your opponent’s going deep. Just the way defense in a football game should be played. If you’re prepared for what the offense is going to do, and pick your defense after your opponent picks his play, defense is infinitely simplified. There isn’t a perfect play for scrubs to abuse, and that’s great. I WILL CRUSH YOU IF YOUR RUN THE DIME AGAINST MY IFORM. I haven’t seen anything like the old DL nano glitches in 2K5, which is a plus, and it makes playing DL more of a team objective rather then trying to run around the OT’s, or just swim moving past the center. Playing DL is more honest now, than it’s ever been. There’s a subtle balance. Unlike Madden where I can do the same god damn thing with Julius Peppers every play and totally shut down the running game on one side of the field, timing, move selection, and awareness, are all involved with playing D-line. No more of these isolated battles between overpowering DEs and weak tackles. Reggie white still dominates, just like a gold star player would, but tackles aren’t always pushed behind the LOS a second before the RB even gets the ball.
Lasting Appeal
Real football gameplay
Create numerous teams, with different players, emphasis & philosophies, uniforms, etc.
Never have the same two teams playing against each other
Not limited to actual team ratings & stacked matches
Ability to create players, put them on your team, and take them online in about 2 minutes. Great.
VIP systems
Online League
Smooth & solid online play
Not a game that’s still in its “growing years”
Smart AI
Emphasis on high football IQ as opposed to money plays, and cornerback blitzes.
The only thing it’s really missing other then an NFL license, is a franchise mode…
SCORE = 9 / 10
If you want to play a competitive football game… this is it. You don’t have to wait to see if Madden’s really going to NOT put in all of the features that the previous games had on the current-gen systems. Like I said, I’ll be buying Madden too, but only because I have too. Shit, I guess if this is what the competition was going to do to you in the future, I would have bought me an NFL license too. It’s too bad people are going to let this game slip through their fingers.. Just too bad.
XBOX 360 - THE GEEK IS DOWN
it's deep game and all in the pimpin'!
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