The upcoming dilemma...ESPN vs. Madden - Page 2

yeah but hopefully non football experts will be able to pick up and play without being slaughtered.

anyway if you can get past the Ps2 graphics here, this is a pretty sweet shot fron 2K5

Even though I'm getting 2k5 I'll give props to that Madden pic because it's shows Gardner burning a 'boy

I too will be purchasing ESPN over Madden this year for the Xbox. This sort of reminds me when Madden 97 came out and EA said it would be impossible to make a 3D football game and when Gameday 97 came out, it blew Madden out of the water that year. EA had to go and totally retool Madden the next year and they didn't get it right untill Madden 99. I sense the same thing happining here.

Re: The upcoming dilemma...ESPN vs. Madden

Bah! He's just catching another of those third and long passes way too short The defense is quite obviously downfield of him.

Sega's football has been #1 in my books since I the first version on the Dreamcast. Part of that was my personal bias against EA for not support the Sega machine, but in my oh-so humble opinion, Sega has crafted a product that rivals and surpasses Madden. Now, with it's lower price, how can a console football fan NOT try it out.

With the league options over Live, this'll be the game that finally gets me and my xbox online.

Re: The upcoming dilemma...ESPN vs. Madden

Please, Gardner will just plow over that 'boy.

Track Listing for Madden 2005 (aka EA "Trax")

Like I said earlier, thank God for the Xbox hard drive and ESPN 2K5. Most of that stuff looks like garbage.

Now I just need to decide where to put the Mad Capsule Market songs in that bad boy. Is this still coming out the same time as Madden? I've heard conflicting answers on that.

Madden is coming out on August 15th. I think that ESPN is coming out 2 or 3 weeks before it.

man its totally expected. all it does is make me want ESPN more.

Okay, now ESPN is just going for Madden's jugular now.

Did you hear about the insane promotion right now with Coke? If you enter 10 codes from specially marked Coke caps, you can get $10 off any ESPN game. That includes 2K5. I've found 4 on the ground already.

2K5 for $10 ?? Good God . . .

ESPN / Coca Cola Savings

That's worth it if you drink coke but I don't so I'd have to spend 10 bucks to save 10 bucks. Great promo though!

dude he just said he's found 4 caps already on the ground. meaning he didnt have to drink or pay for it either yet.

Thanks, Fazer. Didn't "read the fine print" enough. I still will probably hold on to my caps, though. And, it's not like $20 is putting me in the whole.

Just pre-ordered this baby.

And NCAA 2005 comes out in less than a week.

I picked up the controller and played Madden 2004 a couple of days ago, and it totally reminded me why I want to play something else. I started thinking about it, and I don't think I've won more than 3-4 games playing Madden 2004. I started simming all my games/seasons to get to the off-season stuff. And part of that was due to the fact that, when I played a game, the first half was fine. But then in the second half, it was like I had no ability to do anything anymore, and the CPU could do anything it wanted to.

I'm very psyched for ESPN to hit the shelves.

Speaking of NCAA, I really really hope that NFL2K5 sells well enough for Sega and ESPN to decide to make a college football version next year. ESPN College Football would kick much ass. I would love for this year's version of NCAA to be the last EA Sports game I buy for quite some time. Or, at least until they get their shit in gear and stop pick-pocketing gamers every year.

Carl's just secretly hoping for Notre Dame Football: The Complete Simulation

Would that include the pre-game Mass in the Sacred Heart Basillica?

I don't pick crap up off the ground though But that really does suck about the think not being valid until 9/9. I wonder who thought that one up?

picking crap up off the ground rules though! where else do you think the script for white chicks was found??

haha wayans. best new word for testicles.

Picking up stuff off of the ground . . .the only hope for the human race in the 21st century. That, and the execution of man-whores.

Picking up NCAA 2005 today. My local Gamestop is getting them delivered early, so I'm heading by after work to pick it up. Trading in NCAA 2004, Madden 2004, and non-sports game so it shouldn't cost more than $25 or so. Will post a quick review after I initially play it tonight, for anyone interested.

Awesome Speedrazor, absolutely awesome!

And I heard yesterday that this is the last year of Madden. And that Madden and ESPN Football is merging, anyone else heard this? And this fact/rumor was told to me by an employee of EB and they're the pinnacle of gaming news I'll have you know!

Blinks.

I'd be shocked as all out if this were true.

Same here. Meet me on Xbox Live tonight if you dare.

I've got to get XBox Live first. I need to buy an access point for my Xbox so I can hook into my wireless router. Otherwise, you'd be mine! Well, at least we'd play. I suck vs. non-CPU opponents. I used to play my neighbor, and our games would always be 75-74 'cause neither one of us bothered to play defense.

Nice Dokken reference, BTW. Can you guess what 80's metal band mine is related to?

The graphics may be better in ESPN, but I think the plays and football feel is better in Madden. The playbook, both offense and deffense are better in Madden than in ESPN, that's just more important to me than how it looks. Plus it's not that big of a difference.

you've played it already?????

and if EB over there is anything like here, they once told me fable was out next week in like january, then i wouldnt trust them!

Suprised that some aussies enjoy our Football. Damn I want this game already!

Well, Gamestop didn't get the game until 9:00 PM last night, so I only got to play for an hour or so (NCAA 2005). Gameplay is pretty much the same, although the new twists added are:

Matchup Analyzer: When you get up to the LOS, you can check the matchups to look for mis-matches (slow LBs vs. your stud RB, etc.). I only played one game, and against a crappy team, so I consistently got the good match ups. Can't see how this will help yet. Maybe when I play vs. a tough team there will be some insight.

Formation switch: Like in the last Madden, you can now flip your chosen play at the LOS (Thank GOD!).

Running and passing games seem a bit easier to control, and the pass defense for me was outstanding. Only a couple of "yeah, right" plays from the CPU (including the only TD the CPU scored--they threw to a WR in double coverage, and the QB dropped it over my leaping CB). Although my #1 WR dropped 3 easy passes in a row, which floored me.

And it appears that if you make a "user catch" or "user tackle" or "user interception", etc., you get more "Challenge Points" than before. In other words, you don't let the CPU catch it and then it switches to you, you actually switch to the WR after you throw the ball and you catch it.


Also, for those who love playing with the historical teams, you can finally EDIT THE HISTORICAL TEAM ROSTERS! Woo hoo! The classic games are all back (with no new ones added, unfortunately--you would think they'd add the BCS Championship Game, Ohio State vs. NC State, Miami vs. UT, etc. from last year), the Mascot teams (yawn), and SI in dynasty mode is still there. Haven't started a new dynasty yet, but I also read that there are other things to think about now during the off-season, mainly to do with keeping you players happy.

Nice.. I was supposed to get my console this week and NCAA Football was the first game I was going to buy .. I had it on the PS1 and loved dynasty mode, the only real reason to buy a football game IMO.

Now the wife says "wait until we get back from China.." Screw China, I want NCAA Football now!!

oh yeah man, my friends at school thought i was weird cause i would take the day off to watch the superbowl!

Sweet! Reminds me of how weird my brother took it when I started chatting up his british friend about soccer.

7 days 'till 2K5 . . .

ESPN's pricing is friendly enough to let me pull the trigger on NFL 2k5 and Madden. I'm not good at choosing. Anyway, i think it's a pretty bold and smart move on ESPN's part - because if Madden is more of the same, and ESPN is a solid as i hope, they'll have a convert on their hands.

It really is an amazing thing ESPN has done. they have the better reviewed title and they drop the price $30 to go after the bigger competitor. really smart and really brave. I'll definitely buy it because as everyone's pointed out what the hell at $20. much like i like Mac over PC because it's the better system I've always liked the sega option over EA. just think if Mac's were less than half the cost of pcs. things might have turned out differently.

i don't think there's much dilemna though for people. at $20 who wouldn't at least take a shot at espn.

I'm quite curious if Sega takes the same approach with their NHL 2k5. I don't know if EA has the market cornered in the hockey gaming world quite as much as it does with Madden, but it would be great to see. Sega has SOUNDLY beaten EA in the NHL games the last 2 years imo and it'd be nice to see some more converts there too.

I'm actually finally getting on xbox Live this week, just so that I can be in an online ESPN 2K5 league with friends.

Only won 3-4 games, you must not be good at Madden then...I win all my games. I've played ESPN, it's good but it never lived up to the anticipation and furiosity of Madden. No, I'm not brainwashed, just not jumping on the ESPN bandwagon like half the people in this thread. Madden has always been a popular football game....everyone I know plays it. I'm not goiong to look at a bunch of new things written on a site and say it's automatically gonna kill Madden because anyone with common sense knows Madden has too many addicted fans. There are people I know that play Madden for DAYS on end, the only time they stop is when they either go to the bathroom, get something to eat, or go to bed. Then when they wake up they do it all over again. Madden is not just a name on a box...it's been around for years and won't be gone for a while. There are people that have mastered the game so well that they can DESTROY the computer opponent on the highest difficulty level!!!!!

Now, I'm not saying I'm not going to rent ESPN...I know I will. But Madden has been my love since it 's first game and I'm not going to bash it no matter what.

No doubt about it Shao is EA's wet dream consumer.

haha was just thinking the same thing. why should EA ever have to improve, with fans like these they should never ever try.