It's been a long time coming, but 2K football is back. GameTrailers has posted the debut trailer of All-Pro Football 2K8. The trailer is heavy on the hip-hop, which is to be expected based on the game's previously announced soundtrack (not to mention other 2K sports soundtracks). The All-Pro engine looks nice, with plenty of jukes, spins, and tackles on which to feast your eyes. We have to wonder though, can any non-licensed football title stand up next to the Electronic Arts Madden juggernaut? How about you? Assuming All-Pro delivers where it counts, will you pick it up over Madden?
Reader Comments (23)
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 10:38AM (Unverified) said
American football != football
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 10:40AM (Unverified) said
Yeah, um... that looks like a PS2 title. I loved 2k's offering in '05 and will continue to wish they kept the NFL license, but this just doesn't look good enough. Yeah, I know, graphics shouldn't matter... but they do to some extent.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 10:55AM Rajko said
Pretty much anything is better than Madden.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 11:08AM MadMup said
Agreed, #3.
If this game has the same great announcers they had back in the day, this is a sure-buy on the first day for me.
If this game has the same great announcers they had back in the day, this is a sure-buy on the first day for me.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 11:09AM (Unverified) said
idk about this. i think id rather just have madden. but id have to see later videos and some more gameplay
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 11:13AM LetsHaveWaffles said
@Modeps
I dunno. The graphics look alittle better then Madden. (mostly because I still say the graphics in Madden look like they updated it by like 20% from the xbox verison) The animation is a hell of alot better. It actually looks like real players running, not the retarded stance that madden has on kickoff. (It makes the player look like he's taking a crap) At least this game (from what I see) doesn't have crowds that cheer like zombies.
I dunno. The graphics look alittle better then Madden. (mostly because I still say the graphics in Madden look like they updated it by like 20% from the xbox verison) The animation is a hell of alot better. It actually looks like real players running, not the retarded stance that madden has on kickoff. (It makes the player look like he's taking a crap) At least this game (from what I see) doesn't have crowds that cheer like zombies.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 11:19AM The1 said
This may look like a PS2 title, NOT!!! I have always loved the 2K Football series and will not stop. I am going to pick this up.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 11:21AM (Unverified) said
I'll probably get both.
On one hand, the NFL rosters are great- its nice to know players' skills based on their name. Setting matchups, etc might be a pain in the ass if you have to look at a player's attributes (or however they are distinguished from one another) every time. With Madden, I know I should put my shutdown corner on Ocho-Cinco, for instance.
On the other hand, I *much* prefer 2k's offerings in the basketball and baseball arenas over EA. Plus, its hip to hate on EA these days, right? :P
On one hand, the NFL rosters are great- its nice to know players' skills based on their name. Setting matchups, etc might be a pain in the ass if you have to look at a player's attributes (or however they are distinguished from one another) every time. With Madden, I know I should put my shutdown corner on Ocho-Cinco, for instance.
On the other hand, I *much* prefer 2k's offerings in the basketball and baseball arenas over EA. Plus, its hip to hate on EA these days, right? :P
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 11:33AM jigsawhc said
I'll be getting this over Madden for sure. Madden feels like you're playing pinball with people. The 2K always felt nice and fluid.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 11:37AM FreeSwag said
You count me in.
The 2K football games have always played better than their EA counterparts. And at the end of the day, the gameplay is where it is at.
Concerning the lack of the NFL license, no biggie and here is why. If you are a true football fan, the NFL license in a lot of ways is more of a curse than anything. By contract, the NFL stipulates very matter of factly, that quite a few things are not allowed in a football game based on the NFL. This has been commented on before by Visual Concepts and even by the guys who make the Madden games - there is just a lot of stuff that is true to real life football that the NFL forbids to go into any game based on their license. Take how something simple like weather affects the players and gameplay. This is one of those things that the NFL stipulates is not allowed to have any perceivably, detrimental (realistic) affect on the players, in-game. So if you take a game like the "Snow Bowl" (Oakland at New England, 2002 AFC divisional playoff where they literally battled it out in blizzard conditions), and decided in an NFL licensed game that you wanted to recreate a game like that, technically you could not. You are never going to get the feel in your game what 6" of snow on the field does to the player, or what extreme low visibility due to literally playing in a blizzard, does to the player and how that effects the strategies you have to use to win a game playing in those conditions. That is just an extreme case, albeit one of the most memorable football games in history. But in a NFL licensed game, the same even holds true from something as common place as rain. Game programmers are forbidden to recreate the affect of rain and a wet field on players in any realistic manner.
And this is just an example; one of many restrictions that the NFL places on every game programmed using their license. So for fans of the game of football who are looking for the most realistic sin, you are never going to get it. In a very real sense, you are getting a more whitewashed, arcadey version of football whenever the NFL license is present.
Now, I've been keeping as close tabs on the development of All-Pro 2K8 for some time now, and when the developers gave an interview a few months back and stated that all of the true to life elements of football (like realistic effects of weather that I mentioned above) that the NFL had been forbidding them and everyone else from doing for years, that all these realistic features were going back into the game they were building, I almost soiled my pants. I've played every videogame football franchise since Tecmo Bowl on the NES, and in those 20-something years, have longed to hear the words from a aces sports game developer that football fans would finally get a proper sim football game with nothing held back from the real world version of football. At the point they made those comments, they did not have to say anything else, they already had my money. Yes, I am a fan of the NFL and yes I am a fan of EA Sports, but always more than that, I am a fan of football, and the company that makes the most true to life game of football, will always get my money.
As for the games graphics as seen in the video, take my word for it, what you are looking at is a lack of video quality, not the game's graphics. I've got great hi-def stills of the game, and it looks as next-gen (if not moreso) as Madden. I downloaded the HD version of the video, and noticed a ton of macroblocking artifacts in the video. So I downloaded the SD version of the video and saw the same thing. For whatever reasons, the video quality is just crap and as a result, it unfortunately makes the game look like garbage. But trust that the games looks awesome. And you do not even have to take my word for that, you can head over to IGN, they've had hi-def pics of the game up for weeks. Take a look at those, and you will see what I mean about the video artifacts making the game look terrible. The game looks fantastic, and when some other vids finally surface, you'll get to see that for yourself.
The 2K football games have always played better than their EA counterparts. And at the end of the day, the gameplay is where it is at.
Concerning the lack of the NFL license, no biggie and here is why. If you are a true football fan, the NFL license in a lot of ways is more of a curse than anything. By contract, the NFL stipulates very matter of factly, that quite a few things are not allowed in a football game based on the NFL. This has been commented on before by Visual Concepts and even by the guys who make the Madden games - there is just a lot of stuff that is true to real life football that the NFL forbids to go into any game based on their license. Take how something simple like weather affects the players and gameplay. This is one of those things that the NFL stipulates is not allowed to have any perceivably, detrimental (realistic) affect on the players, in-game. So if you take a game like the "Snow Bowl" (Oakland at New England, 2002 AFC divisional playoff where they literally battled it out in blizzard conditions), and decided in an NFL licensed game that you wanted to recreate a game like that, technically you could not. You are never going to get the feel in your game what 6" of snow on the field does to the player, or what extreme low visibility due to literally playing in a blizzard, does to the player and how that effects the strategies you have to use to win a game playing in those conditions. That is just an extreme case, albeit one of the most memorable football games in history. But in a NFL licensed game, the same even holds true from something as common place as rain. Game programmers are forbidden to recreate the affect of rain and a wet field on players in any realistic manner.
And this is just an example; one of many restrictions that the NFL places on every game programmed using their license. So for fans of the game of football who are looking for the most realistic sin, you are never going to get it. In a very real sense, you are getting a more whitewashed, arcadey version of football whenever the NFL license is present.
Now, I've been keeping as close tabs on the development of All-Pro 2K8 for some time now, and when the developers gave an interview a few months back and stated that all of the true to life elements of football (like realistic effects of weather that I mentioned above) that the NFL had been forbidding them and everyone else from doing for years, that all these realistic features were going back into the game they were building, I almost soiled my pants. I've played every videogame football franchise since Tecmo Bowl on the NES, and in those 20-something years, have longed to hear the words from a aces sports game developer that football fans would finally get a proper sim football game with nothing held back from the real world version of football. At the point they made those comments, they did not have to say anything else, they already had my money. Yes, I am a fan of the NFL and yes I am a fan of EA Sports, but always more than that, I am a fan of football, and the company that makes the most true to life game of football, will always get my money.
As for the games graphics as seen in the video, take my word for it, what you are looking at is a lack of video quality, not the game's graphics. I've got great hi-def stills of the game, and it looks as next-gen (if not moreso) as Madden. I downloaded the HD version of the video, and noticed a ton of macroblocking artifacts in the video. So I downloaded the SD version of the video and saw the same thing. For whatever reasons, the video quality is just crap and as a result, it unfortunately makes the game look like garbage. But trust that the games looks awesome. And you do not even have to take my word for that, you can head over to IGN, they've had hi-def pics of the game up for weeks. Take a look at those, and you will see what I mean about the video artifacts making the game look terrible. The game looks fantastic, and when some other vids finally surface, you'll get to see that for yourself.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 11:50AM ccc said
This Franchise was owning Madden B4 EA bought the NFL licence,which is most likly Y EA bought it in the first place. EA is gonna get what they have comming to them for 1 of the top 3 dirtyest things I have ever seen in the console industry.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 12:05PM (Unverified) said
I'd seriously considering picking this one up. I've always loved the 2k football games and was disappointed when the NFL sold its license exclusively to EA/Madden. I've always thought Madden was way over rated and actually a pretty bad football game. I tried 2007 this spring and still didn't like it and promptly sold it on Ebay.
Count me interested.
Count me interested.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 1:31PM (Unverified) said
I couldn't care less about 2K8 not having an NFL license, but it NEEDS to support a franchise mode (where names count for little anyways because most players are fictional, even in Madden). No franchise mode, no $$ from me.
Does it support franchise? I've heard that it does not, and that would be a bummer.
Does it support franchise? I've heard that it does not, and that would be a bummer.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 2:02PM ZapBranigan said
I am buying this game the day it is available.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 2:29PM (Unverified) said
I agree with invader phlegm. If 2K delivers where they said they would (and the video seems to back it up a bit)then I will definitely pick it up. I have been a big fan of madden for a long time, but 2K has been dishing out some really good sports titles (Nba 2k has stolen my heart). And the video quality downplays the graphics a lot. Look at the screens on ign and tell me that jerry rice doesn't look like jerry rice. The graphics are good and I think the gameplay will deliver as well.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 3:24PM DeadPlasmaCell said
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 3:56PM JRock3x8 said
2k5 sold a zillion copies cuz it was $20. if this game is $60, no thanks.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 3:53PM (Unverified) said
I believe that is John Elway.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 4:33PM imadogg said
The last (and only) football game I purchased was ESPN NFL 2K5. Always hated Madden, I even played 2K5 a week or two ago on the Xbox.
I am looking forward to this.
I am looking forward to this.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 4:35PM DeadPlasmaCell said
@ 17
Sure is, It just looks like Will Farrell in the blurred picture they have up :)
Sure is, It just looks like Will Farrell in the blurred picture they have up :)
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 4:49PM (Unverified) said
I will be purchasing this game when it comes out. In the mean time, I will be playing NFL 2k5, the last 2k game.
Posted: Jun 11th 2007 5:25PM (Unverified) said
I'll buy it... as long as there's more Jurassic 5 music in it, hah. Chali 2na ftw
Posted: Jun 12th 2007 9:58PM (Unverified) said
Post# 10 by Invader Phlegm is right on the money as is most of the comments posted here. That 2K sports games particularly football is a much better sim than EA has and will ever dish out. EA snatched up the license using their purchase power knowing that they were going to lose major ground had 2K retained a copy of the NFL license. I for one like invader love football and the chance to play a sim that is what it is supposed to be: A sim not a stupid arcade game with pretty close ups in the huddle, during the snap and after a touchdown such as EA'a Madden. The gameplay is horrible. ESPN Football 2K5 to this day is a better looking better playing and better featured football game than any Madden game to-date. The VIP feature was unmatchable in any other football sim since. Come on anyone that says that the VIP feature was not received and liked is either lying or a complete idiot. EA could not think of any innovation to compete wit that so they came up with the ridiculous superstar mode in 2K6... so lame and ridiculous it's laughable. But back to the qualities of 2K Sports. They just put their all and all into game sims. When you are playing it's almost like your playing the real players with a few limitations. The gameplay is very close to reality such the momentum shift when making a cut where in Madden you can make shift or turn on the dime standing upright without any loss of footage or penalty (totally unrealistic). EA is ported, glorified, long standing, arcade game and nothing more. And you have to remember in this world there are very few people who appreciate true craftsmenship of any art form and most people garvitate toward that which is mediocre to suit their mediocre thinking.
As for teh graphics, the still shots are incredible and EA takes screenshots of in-gameplay unlike Madden that uses the trailer or cut scenes for their best marketable attractions. But when you play it, it is the same old graphics enhine worn over with the same ridiculous gameplay style with one or two added features that don't amount to anything worth talking about. Each year Madden fans plunk down 50-60 dollars for the same exact game. Unbelievable... but that is what they target: the masses=mediocre heads. Nuff said.
As for teh graphics, the still shots are incredible and EA takes screenshots of in-gameplay unlike Madden that uses the trailer or cut scenes for their best marketable attractions. But when you play it, it is the same old graphics enhine worn over with the same ridiculous gameplay style with one or two added features that don't amount to anything worth talking about. Each year Madden fans plunk down 50-60 dollars for the same exact game. Unbelievable... but that is what they target: the masses=mediocre heads. Nuff said.
