ESPN NFL Football

With the NFL Football season in full gear, it’s time for armchair quarterbacks to choose a football game for their home consoles this year.  Sega’s NFL 2K series has slowly been inching closer to EA’s Madden franchise as the consensus pick of the season, but Madden has always held a slight edge over 2K series because of solid gameplay and a marketing blitz that only EA could afford.  This year may be no different, but Sega gives it a fourth and inches effort with some spectacular new ideas on presentation, features, and a daring new first-person mode. 

Choosing between the Xbox versions of Madden and ESPN Football (Sega dropped the ‘2K’ from the title in favor of the ESPN brand) is a simple matter of what you want from a football game.  In short, gamers who play franchise modes from beginning to end or like to play more of a coaching role by choosing the right play at the right time in a gridiron chess match fashion will favor the complexity of the Madden series.  Those who prefer to rule the football field over the internet or want a little bling-bling in their games will opt for ESPN Football.  They’re both great titles, and are bound to be the centerpiece of many message board debates.

Franchise mode, season mode, quick game mode, situation mode, and tournament mode all return this year, with the best mode nod going to (surprise, surprise) the slightly improved franchise mode.  The Franchise menu looks much like Sega’s other sports game franchise menus such as World Series Baseball 2K3 or NBA 2K3, with the addition of an e-mail system that notifies owners of league news, scouting reports, and whatever else the game feels necessary to tell you about.  It sounds a bit hokey, but it’s an excellent way to notify owners of important league news and walks newbies through the game step-by-step.  Of course, as an owner, gamers will have full control over the team and deal with injuries, retirements, and daily operations such as choosing to drop cash for big time free agents like Tampa Bay’s Malcolm Glazer or ruling with an iron fist like the Darth Vader-ish Al Davis of Oakland (except you can’t sue the city your team plays in). 

One of the more interesting additions to this year’s game is the advent of First-Person Football (‘bout time someone gave this a shot!).  It is exactly what it sounds like.  This mode puts gamers under the helmet for a unique and exciting experience unlike any other sports game out there.  The idea of this mode is to give gamers the feeling of actually being a part of the game from a first-person view.  Everything is displayed in first-person view including coming out of the tunnel during introductions, the coin toss, and congratulations from other players after a big play.  Even replays are done as though the player was watching them on the stadium jumbotron.  Make sure your head is screwed on tight, because you’ll get blindsided ALL THE TIME.  In order to give a slight advantage to the player, Sega allows players to slow down time (think Max Payne bullet-time) by pressing in the right thumbstick.  This allows players to get their bearing and notice open receivers or holes in the line to cut through.  While it does have its slight faults (it’s very difficult to actually play the game), first-person football has enough innovative fun to make it worth checking out.  Once you return a kickoff or play some good defense, you’ll see what I mean. 

The other huge addition to ESPN Football is The Crib.  When people think of professional athletes, a few things come to mind.  Drug charges, sexual assaults and domestic battery, and livin’ large with some extravagant spending.  For obvious reasons, Sega could only incorporate the last item on the list.  The Crib offers a little virtual Bling-Bling for gamers who worship the almighty dollar in addition to high profile athletes.  While the idea may seem a bit silly, it’s actually a very effective way to display in-game accomplishments.  As gamers tour the pad, certain items can be replaced with shinier, plusher items such as couches, posters, and other pieces of furniture if they’ve been unlocked.  It’s MTV’s Cribs meets the Sims with a side of football.  Trophies for accomplishments varying from 70-yard punt returns to Super Bowl victories adorn trophy cases, movies can be unlocked and watched on the home theatre system, and bobbleheads can… well, bobble.  There are also mini-games such as a trivia game and air hockey to unlock when football gets a little tiresome.  The Crib’s jukebox is also the place to choose the playlists for the game’s soundtrack. 

ESPN Football does a few things exceptionally well.  With the ESPN brand, Sega has blurred the line between watching an NFL telecast and playing a video game.  Setup in the same way as ESPN’s Sunday night games, ESPN Football has the best television-style presentation of any game ever, period.  Players who make the big play get a little in-game video highlight ala ESPN and props from the announcers.  Several in game cutscenes bring the atmosphere of the stadium to life, whether it be a coach throwing a clipboard to the ground, players saying “Hi Mom!” on the sidelines, or fans with their faces and chests painted cheering on the home team.  The best element however, has to be ESPN NFL analyst Chris Berman’s halftime show, in which he highlights the big plays of the first half with snapshots of the actual plays.  The half time commentary engine is so good, you’ll swear you were watching a telecast. 

While the gameplay has improved, it still plays second-string to Madden 2004.  Some tweaks to the tackling and running games make this year’s version more balanced than last year’s pass-heavy game.  The play challenge feature has been included this year, and is slightly more in-depth than Madden’s.  When challenging plays, you’ll have to select exactly what you’re challenging, i.e. challenging the actual catch or the receiver’s feet inbounds, from a menu.  Most calls are overturned though, unlike Madden’s.  The newest feature to basic gameplay is the ‘charge’ feature.  With this addition, players can charge up a move by holding down the A button at the cost of sprinting.  The cursor underneath the player then turns red, and the player can unleash a more effective spin, dive, or juke.  It works well, particularly on kick returns and short yardage situations.  With the gameplay sliders, adjustments can be made to fit the likings of the user, and you’re going to want to adjust a few things, particularly the amount of pass interference calls.  I do have a problem with the play selection screen and the playbooks, as they seem much smaller than Madden’s. 

The graphics of ESPN Football match the quality gamers expect from Sega Sports.  The players mirror their real-life counterparts very well, and differences in body size are very apparent unlike Madden.  A lineman running down the field looks like a lineman running down the field, and not just another slow guy.  Of course a new edition of a sports game means several new animations to leave sports freaks drooling, and the new tackling, receiving, and post-play animations are a joy to watch.  For some reason, the players still do a little bit of the sliding they have in the past, but that’s the only knock on otherwise stellar graphics. 

The sound has been improved moderately.  The announcers are quite thorough in their commentary, but occasionally repeat lines a bit too often.  The commentary team of Terry McGovern and Jay Styne rivals John Madden and Al Michaels thanks to the fluidity of the lines.  The sounds of the stadium are slightly better than Madden, particularly the crowd, but ESPN Football doesn’t support Dolby sound. 

ESPN Football offers a different experience from Madden 2004.  It’s a fantastic product and a great sports title, but may not be for everyone.  If you are a technical football junkie, get a copy of Madden 2004.  ESPN Football leans slightly towards the arcade side (but only slightly!) and concentrates a little more on action.  For those in the market for a football game, the best thing to do here is rent Madden 2004, ESPN Football, and NFL Fever 2004 (part of the XSN sports network) and see which one suits your tastes best. 

Gameplay: 8.9

A big improvement over NFL 2K3, and a huge score for Sega.  While not as technical as Madden 2004, ESPN Football is great fun to play.  The balanced running and passing game was a vital change for the game.  Receivers do seem to drop passes and rushers break tackles a little too often, however.

Graphics: 9.5

Aside from the occasional player gliding across the ground, the graphics are phenomenal and superior to Madden 2004.  Kudos to the development team for the entertaining cutscenes. 

Sound: 8.8

Yep, it sounds like football all right.  The commentary is excellent, except for some often-repeated lines.  Using the jukebox in The Crib allows players to customize their song playlist, including tracks ripped to the Xbox hard drive.  

Difficulty: Medium

There’s a difficulty level for everyone here, but novices are going to need to spend a little bit of time practicing with the controller before they’re really ready to take the field against a good opponent.

Concept: 9.5

Big ups to the first-person football mode.  It may not be a vital part of the game, but it’s about time someone tried it out.  The Crib feature is also a surprisingly fun addition. 

Multiplayer: 9.3

With Xbox Live support, ESPN Football has a challenger always waiting in the wings. 

Overall: 9.2

ESPN Football finally gives Sega a football title that doesn’t stand in the shadows of EA’s Madden franchise.  With its improved gameplay, incredible presentation, and online capabilities, it’s definitely one of the top football choices for the Xbox.