First Impressions...

Graphics - Compared to 2K3 AND the demo there is a huge improvement. After playing the demo a couple dozen times, there was something missing, and I got it with the retail version. Lighting is better, models look better and the arenas don't look so bland anymore.
Animation are also great. Nothing really different from the last year, just a more variety of tackles.

Gameplay - Feels just as good as last years, with a couple improvements. Running is different, when you run after the hand off, you dont charge up anymore, you are automatically there is seems. You do your first super burst, then you get to recharge. Kind of hard to explain, but you will see what I mean.
Dropped passes seems to be less of an issue. I have only played one full game, but catching just seems solid.
Play calling is different, no more of that anolog stick choosing type stuff, its all Madden-esque.

Sound - 5.1 all the way here. Especially in FPS mode, which I will get into later. You hear all the crowd, and player taunts from each speaker. Menus also have an option where you can use the Crib music which is a little more up beat.

FPS Foorball - Great feature here. Don't think this will be utilized as much, but its fun to have. I was blown away when I was returning the kick off seeing it from the recievers veiw. I even caught myself scream "I got it"! Sounds really is great in this feature also, you hear the players taught you like crazy. I was sacked using Johnson from the Bucs, and I heard the lineman say, "Hope I didn't break anything Brad". Really cool.

The Crib - Havent really gotten anything to furnish the place, but I see what this could be. You get a one story house, I think, and you have a bar, and TV room, a hot tub, and a living/game room. You can "jump" into each area, and use the right stick to look around. You get stuff by getting milestones (long play, single game, season, etc.).

Online - Havent tried it yet.

Overall - Much better than last years, and really crushed the demo. This was the first game that I have played after playing the demo that made me thing that the demo wasn't even of the same game....if that makes sense.

We should have fun with this one.

Overall

 

Oh, and no more moving arrows during field goals. Punt and kick offs are still plagued with it though, but much easier FG.

 

More cool stuff:

The things you get in the crib, you can actually mess with. You can play air hockey, paper football - the game where you used your index fingers and thumbs to make the field goals (remember?), and a bunch of other stuff. But you have to unlock most everything to play first.

Another thing is that you can change the menu music from the traditional ESPN music to your own personal sound track.

 

Hmm, that's disappointing. I kinda liked that feature. It didn't make field goals automatic. In Madden, where the aim is fixed after you set it, it's much easier (only need to worry about the swing meter thing).

Oh well.

RE: playcalling. I kinda got used to the NFL2k3 playcalling, even though I hated it at first. In the demo, it seems they tried to copy Madden, but didn't get it quite right. Is this changed at all? I know in the demo, I could barely see the play, some of the routes and which hole I'm supposed to go through on the running plays. It seemed all jumbled up and hard to pick out the routes. Is this different in the retail version?

 

How does the gameplay (difficulty-wise) compare to last years?

Are you playing on Pro or AllPro to start off?

 

Just played a Pro game, and it seems a little bit easier that last years Pro setting. But then again, there are still the All Star and Legend settings, which is probably sick.

And the play calling is a little more detailed, but still generally the same as the demo.

 

Thanks

 

Just found out that in Pro, the field goal arrow does move.

 

YaY? LoL I hate field goals... :cry:

 

impressions after my first half of first game:

much easier than last year. i'm up 10-0 in the first game, and last year i was like 2-8 after my first 10 games...

its cool, tho. first person is wicked.

 

ok - finished first game...

i'm playing season mode as the Jets...

I wound up beating Washington 17-3, really dominated the game on the ground. running game seems much easier than last year. at least at first... (last year i struggled to gain more than 2 yards in the first several games i played) - hey, maybe it's just the washington "defense"

so i won my week 1 game, and now i'm actually watching week 1 hightlights, on "Primetime" - really neat feature. Chris Berman narrates, complete with actual game highlights, and players of the week (Curtis martin's 134 yards and 2 tds made the list)

Miami is next, if i can run all over their defense, it'll be time to bump up the difficulty...

how's it going for everyone else?

ps- the graphics & animations are SWEET! much livelier than last year. i thought last years was a little "sterile" - best word i can use there...

 

MP and I just played. Great game, although I did find one bug. He did an onside kick late in the game and it went out of bounds. There's a new rule in the NFL this year where if that happens, the receiving team receives the ball and the kicking team does not get to attempt the onside kick again (which makes sense). Madden 2004 picked up on the new rule but ESPN NFL did not. Oh well, maybe they will patch that.

I can tell right now that if we want a realistic amount of plays run, we'll probably want to do ~8 minute quarters. 5min is just not enough to yield 120 total plays (which is around the NFL average, 60 per team).

 

yah i think i had what 40?? and you have like 30 something?

 

I love the dolphin D in this game they are fast and swarm to the ball really well and Ricky running is almost unstoppable (at least by the computer) just schooled the Giants 63-10 had 295 rushing yards with Ricky and 5 td's

 

8 min quarters might get a tad long. That will be an hour game with all the time stops, and everything else that will slow down the game clock.

 

Ricky Williams is the Marshall Faulk of 2k3....

Ohh and the Miamia D is soo good that i couldnt even get a pass off Good luck fellas

 

yeah they are really really fast
but they have like six guys ranked in the 80's
Zach Thomas
Junior Seau
Sam Maddison
Patrick Surtain
And the list keeps going

good game MP look forward to the regular season now.

And as good as Ricky is I am afraid to see the Preist.

 

you beat me with -20 passing yards :roll: :cry:

 

yeah but I had 190 Rushing and 8 Sacks and 2 turnovers

 

Yes, we are figuring on each game lasting at least a hour. That's not too long, the season is only 16 games.

If we don't play 8 min quarters, we won't have realistic stat totals, so things like the 100yd rushing game, 300yd passing game, 1000yd season rushing totals, etc won't come out right.