Amazing game available for an amazing price

Sega surprised us all when they dropped ESPN NFL 2K5 considerably earlier than they used to. They also surprised everybody by putting a 19.99 $ price tag on it. One just had to wonder, is there anything wrong to explain this drastic drop in price. The answer is no. Loaded with the usual features and even some new ones, ESPN NFL 2K5 captures this year's NFL crown with its ultra realistic gameplay and the great price, which always helps.

2K5 brings back the things gamers expect. All the NFL teams with updated rosters, the franchise mode with all the off-season tasks of re-signing players, drafting kids out of college and playing them through preseason games. One new part of the Franchise mode is the weekly preparation, which enables the gamer to structure practices and training sessions. A lot of things are possible with this option, and the choices you make will impact the ratings of your players, positively or negatively. Fortunately, weekly preparation is optional. Why fortunately ? Because it is so detailed and time-consuming that the less patient gamer probably will prefer to turn it off and play the franchise just as it was last year.

The Crib also returns for people to decorate by earning credits and purchasing items. These credits can also be used to unlock secret videos and characters, such as ESPN announcer Chris Berman, who become free agents for you to sign. For example, Berman is an all-star quarterback.

Drafting also is improved. Rookies resemble real players more, enabling you to keep enjoying the game after a few years of franchise, unlike certain games which created rookies so different from the real pros that it made the game impossible to play after a few years.

Now, all this is good, but how does the gameplay fare against the immensely popular Madden ? It does very well and while some will stick with Madden because they are accustomed to it, no one can deny that ESPN at least matches Madden in terms of fun gameplay. Personally, I would go as far as saying that it outweighs Madden in terms of realism. There are a few nice pluses in ESPN that are still missing in Madden. First, breaking tackles does not happen so randomly as there are specific controls to give the player ways to exploit a ball carrier's abilities. This places a much needed emphasis on what kind of ball carrier you are using. If you control a power guy, such as the Ravens' Jamal Lewis, then you will have more success running over defenders with a shoulder charge unlike if you control a back such as Marshall Faulk of the Rams, when finesse moves such as the juke or the spin will be handier.

Second thing is the contact mechanics between players. There are once again assisted tackles and sacks in ESPN, which can appear like an insignificant detail, but are a huge part of Football. Also, contact between linemen is as realistic as it gets. Offensive linemen make very clever blocks to ensure that a running play is not cut off by a defender. D-line fanatics like myself are given loads of moves to finesse their to the quarterback or even to shed blocks in the running game. Only one hiccup resides in those moves. Since the button to attempt to block a pass with defensive linemen is the same as the one used to club, you will sometimes make your lineman jump because the club must be executed after contact and you thought you had made contact when you hadn't. However, some of the other moves work very well so the club is almost expendable.

This game can be challenging, very challenging. Of course, the rookie and pro settings are quite easy and the computer will amaze you with the incredible crassness of its blocking and coverage. However, you can adjust the level of each facet of the game for your own players and that of the computer. Put up the level of computer-controlled players, and it gets abusive, blanketing your receivers and giving you very little time to get rid of the ball.

Graphically, the game is once again very solid. The close-ups after plays are the best that you will find, and Sega renders the crowd better than EA does. The only minus is that 2K5 retains that awkward running motion that players have when carrying the ball. It is too upright and players' arms look frozen and glued to the torso. Some NFL players would have trouble recognizing their own faces when playing the game as some appear to have been given more care than others. However, as far as players models and stadiums go, the game is close to impeccable.

Sounds are also right on. Fictional commentators Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe are back. Chris Berman also lends his voice to pre-game, halftime and post-game shows. A new addition to the ESPN cast is Suzy Kolber, who interviews the player of the game. The crowd noises are also excellent and you finally get the feeling that you are in an NFL stadium and not at a junior high game where a timid crowd would just give occasional cheers. Stadiums now carry different types of music and you can now save your musical choices to your VIP (virtual identity profile) to keep them every time you play home with your selected favorite team.

The game doesn't bring any radical changes to the usual controls. However, that means that those controls are still as detailed and you might want to head to the practice mode to try the new tutorial to get used to the game's mechanics. Once you get past the learning curve, the game is player-friendly and gives lots of different options for more realistic gameplay.

With the light price tag, the great gameplay and features, ESPN truly is the champion of this year's NFL season. It packs even more things than you could hope for in a game and delivers in every possible facet. At 19.99, it is a must own for anyone with the slightest taste for Football.