Fall in South Louisiana can mean only one thing: football season. On the Nicholls campus this is no exception, but this year the focus seems to be more on the video screen than the gridiron. And the question on everyone’s mind is: Which football video game is worth my money? Gamers in need of a new football fix anxiously await the arrival of new titles each autumn, but this year their choices will be limited. Of the major video game production companies, only two have released football titles for the fall: Sega Sports’ “ESPN NFL 2K5” and Electronic Arts’ “Madden NFL 2005.” Though each has its advantages and drawbacks, one title is definitively superior. Both are available for Xbox and PS2 but only
“Madden 2005” has been ported for the Nintendo GameCube.
With major changes to its offensive game play, “Madden 2005” now has the ability to move players before the ball is snapped, allowing complex patterns to be run. This tweak allows for greater penetration and a real sense of actual pro-football play.
ESPN developer, Visual Concepts, has allowed for fewer dropped passes, making forward movement easier and, at the same time, much less challenging than its competitor.
The defensive game is what really sets “Madden” apart. ESPN’s controls are clunky and operating outside of the set patterns can be difficult.
“Madden,” on the other hand, is much smarter in its defensive game play.
“Madden” uses a “hit stick” to tackle opponents while ESPN has added a tackle button to its controller configuration.
One category in which “2K5” excels is online play. Xbox live subscribers can download the latest updates including up to the minute player rosters, a handy option in these free agent days.
Xbox live game-play options are virtually unlimited. Players can choose from “Quick Match,” which is the quickest route to finding a gamer, or “Opti-match,” which allows gamers to search for games based on type, difficulty or quarter length.
“ESPN NFL 2K5” also sponsors tournaments and seasons in their on-line content. Tournaments are round-based until the final winner is determined. Season mode allows players to battle other opponents for an entire season. Rankings are determined at the end of the season according to a team’s record.
So which one should you buy? If you have the money, I say get them both. But if you are budget conscious, the $20 price tag for ESPN is a safer investment than the $50 that Madden charges for its disc.
