2005 Sports Games

[Acebot44]

Here's what XBN says about the new ESPN Football franchise mode:

ESPN went all-out with its new weekly prep section that lets players customize nearly every aspect of their team's weekly training regiment. That's every detail--from what players lift in the weight room to how managment meetings play out--under your influence. A "Game Cast Live" feature runs a simulation of any season game, giving you play-by-play text descriptions of every down. You even have the option to jump in and change the outcome of the game. Football personalities Mel Kiper and Trey Wingo conduct a "Franchise Show" in whcih the two discuss your team at certain milestones.

and for the online players:

ESPN's biggest addition online this year is a VIP profile feature that records your play tendencies into downloadable capsules for others to compete against. That way, you can play against your friends even when they've gone outside to throw a real football.

The Verdict:

This summer, ESPN is out for blood. The game looks better than Madden, it's loaded with new features, and the hit animations are brutal and clean, but sadly, the controls still aren't as responsive as EA's champion. That said, we recommend you check out ESPN this year--Visual Concepts has added a good deal of personality and soul to videogame football and the genre is much better for it.