ESPN NFL Football!! *Official*
The new OXM has a demo of this year's Sega football offering, and holy crap, it's amazing. Everything feels a lot more fluid and organic - the robotic feels is gone. Basically, it's just alot more fun.
Running:
I've played every single 2K football game, and this kills them all. The running game is the best it's ever been (which isn't saying alot) - the O-line can actually push the D-line upfield, big backs can carry tacklers (Jerome Bettis hauled 3 guys for a first down), turning the corner is alot easier, and tackles are broken when they should be (ie., no more diving arm tackles from the side on an RB going full steam ahead). Using the special moves also feels more fluid - a ripple effect surrounds the player when he uses them.
[thumbnail]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/screen1/914721_20030718_screen011.jpg[/thumbnail]
Passing:
Passing seems much more streamlined as well - there's a TON of new animation in this game; it's almost like they remade everything this year. You'll actually see corners shoving receivers out of bounds rather than going for the tackle every time. The secondary doesn't home in like cruise missiles on a thrown pass so you can find holes more easily. And best of all - you actually get some pocket protection! The last two years have been a little silly in that regard - I watched Rich Gannon never get touched last year, but in 2K3 he had 3 seconds to throw the ball or it was sackville. In this version your pocket doesn't instantly collapse, although I don't know if you'll ever get 5-6 seconds in a max protect against the dime.
[thumbnail]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/screen1/914721_20030808_screen013.jpg[/thumbnail]
Defence:
That doesn't mean the D is soft, though. Not at all - the extra animation means advanced line moves are smooth as silk - it's like going from Art of Fighting to Street Fighter III. And you can really get a jump on the O-line if you have a mismatch - in the older games the offensive tackles would always vacuum you in, or force you to take a huge route outside of them. In the demo, I lined up against a weakside stunt with Jevon Kearse and had Chad Pennington unconscious before he'd dropped back 2 steps - line play is going to be massively important this year.
[thumbnail]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/screen1/914721_20030606_screen012.jpg[/thumbnail]
O-Line:
The linemen actually block properly, too - no more robo-wrestling. They'll shove you back, keep their feet moving to stay in front of you, pivot to force you into the guards, and pull better on sweeps and screens.
[thumbnail]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/screen1/914721_20030718_screen006.jpg[/thumbnail]
Playcalling:
The radial playcalling is gone, replaced with basically the same thing Madden does - choose a formation, then cycle through sets of 3 plays and press the corresponding button. The plays are no longer superimposed on the field, although the play diagrams have the marked field beneath them. I'm not sure this is really an improvement - you could still fake plays when they were superimposed on the field, and it was easier to read. This year the button icons can be big enough that they almost totally cover short routes. It also means the game has a bit less individuality compared to Madden. On the other hand, the playcalling seemed to be the biggest complaint in reviews, so maybe people will like it.
The ESPN Stuff:
The ESPN stuff seems well integrated, though it was hard to tell everything from the demo - there was no commentary yet, and not much of a front end. But when you see those trademark player profiles flash up during gameplay, you'll think you're watching tv for a second. I guess ESPN changed their NFL theme this year; I don't know that I like it better than the old one. They're also not using the Monday Night Football music anymore.
[thumbnail]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/xbox/espnfootball04/0806/espn_screen008.jpg[/thumbnail]
The first-person view wasn't playable in the demo, so I have no idea how that works out. There is some footage of it, and it looks pretty cool, but the reviews haven't been favourable. I guess we'll see.
Visuals:
Visually (gah, there's so much to say!) the Xbox version is the best looking football game ever, hands down. When you see the closeups of the player models, the bump-mapping is astounding. Jerseys ripple, muscles are pumped, faces look like the real thing. Supposedly the final version will support 720p, though the demo didn't.
[thumbnail]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/2003/screen1/914721_20030606_screen008.jpg[/thumbnail]
Anyway, I haven't tried this year's Madden, but anyone who wants an NFL game for Xbox Live should definitely check this out, even if they didn't like past versions. It really has undergone a major overhaul. And going by reviews, the only real differences between this and EA's game are a few extra features in Madden's franchise mode (who has time to play that, anyway?) and the playmaker control thing, which actually sounds a little unrealistic on paper.
Either way, as much as I liked the old World Series games and the NBA 2K series, from what I've seen so far I can't think of a sports game Sega's ever done that tops this. It should be out the day before the season starts, sept. 3rd. I can't wait!
