Operation Sports Roundtable: NFL 2K5 Edition

For the first time in quite awhile, we have gathered together several OS staff writers together to share their opinion on a single topic. This week, our staff looks at how NFL 2K5 should be regarded historically and whether Madden NFL 10 will top the much beloved classic.

How do you rate NFL 2K5 historically and do you think Madden 10 will be a better game than 2K5 was?

Richard Chavez: ESPN NFL 2K5 is the best football game of its generation. In fact, I just got finished playing a game. The game came out five years ago and the graphics are still solid, the features still stand up and the presentation is still the best we've seen. I've played the recent next-gen Madden games and wasn't impressed. From what I've seen on Madden '10 though, it looks to be a legitimate football experience. No matter how great ESPN NFL 2K5 is, it will not hold up forever. I think this years Madden game will take a step toward retiring the former champion.

Chrisian McLeod: I know I'm going to take a beating for saying this, but NFL 2K5 was quite possibly one of the most overrated sports games ever. While the game's presentation deserves major kudos, the gameplay really did nothing to blow me away. The game moved at a snails pace, the control scheme felt over complicated, thrown balls seemed to float slowly through the air leading to easy picks, and the running game was extremely stiff. For all those with fond memories of 2K5, do yourself a favor- go put the game in and try to play a quarter- it's downright brutal.

That being said, I fully expect Madden 10 to be the best football game to grace a platform since Madden 05. The slow speed of the Madden demo has me a bit worried that EA caved to the rabid 2K5 fanbase, but as long as there is a functional slider for game speed, I will be in pigskin heaven this year. Let's face it: you're either a 2K guy, or a Madden guy. There is no in between, and you instantly know what side you are on the second you play the respective games. As a Madden guy, Madden 10 has been a long time coming, I can only hope that 2K guys will give the game it's just dues.

Caley Roark: While NFL 2K5 wasn't a perfect game, I believe it was the most complete "package" of any sports game to date. Beyond the football, which admittedly had problems, one could enjoy the unsurpassed presentation, decorating your Crib, playing in First Person Mode, ESPN 25, deep franchise, etc. As an overall experience, recent Maddens haven't come close (for me). This year, I hope the tweaked gameplay makes up for years of mediocrity. Even if the "package" isn't as complete as 2K5, I expect the actual football should be better.

Bryan Estrella: Historically, I regard NFL 2K5 as a generational classic on par with NHL 94 or College Hoops 2K8. In other words, it's one of those games that's constantly used as a benchmark of comparison for other games in the sport and even the entirety of sports gaming. And while 2K5 isn't a perfect game, it easily proves its long-term worth when one considers that some of the features in 2K5 (gang tackling for example) are just now being introduced in Madden 10. In fact, one could also argue that some areas in 2K5, such as the presentation or overall feature set (crib/franchise/first person football for 20 bucks), have yet to be topped.

So although I doubt that Madden 10 will supplant 2K5 as the new 'benchmark', as an APF/NFL 2Kannanite, I admit that I haven't been this excited about an EA football game since the last Madden I purchased, which was Madden 04 for the PS2. Mainly, I've just been pleased that the current team at EA/Tiburon has seemingly steered the Madden mothership in a different direction this year. Now we'll be able to tell for sure when the game is released, but I hope that it's being sailed on the right path because I think Madden will eventually reach 2K5's level in the years to come.

What do you think? How do you rate NFL 2K5 historically? Will Madden NFL 10 top NFL 2K5? Sound off!

Support OS and by digg'ing this article

Member Comments

# 1 Grydnt Vektr211 @ 08/03/09 04:10 PM

best ever period. i still see animations in 2k5 that I've NEVER seen in any next gen title including all-pro 2k8

# 2 Warren_Peace @ 08/03/09 04:14 PM

2K5 is Like the Iphone of football games. And Madden 10 seems to be the Iphone ( 2K5) Killer!

# 3 Gusto1 @ 08/03/09 04:17 PM

So guy whats the verdict the post doesnt clearly name the winner between the two games in a one title answer madden 10 or nfl 2k5

# 4 enfilade22 @ 08/03/09 04:20 PM

2k5 always meant realism to me. You want to throw the ball deep? You literally watch the QB crow hop. The line play is soooooo well done it feels organic and real. Madden always meant fun to me. Playing Madden 05 always just felt a little more fun then 2k5. I really don't know how to articulate the feeling any better than that. I still play 2k5 to this day and have a great time. I really want madden 10 to be better, whole-heartedly. I literally am hoping it's amazing, but, as I said before; Madden won't be the best till 2010-2011.

# 5 ReggaeBoy88 @ 08/03/09 04:21 PM

honestly...Madden still has gameplay that attracts the faithful players to play all the time. now with that said...i highly doubt that the presentation for madden will top that of ESPN NFL 2K5.

# 6 kennyacid @ 08/03/09 04:27 PM

EA needs to add real weather like Joe Mantana Football on genesis had. It would be sunny, then out of nowhere it would rain. Then stop, then rain again. Plus they need to bring back the video highlights they had in the genesis verson also.

# 7 MADman24 @ 08/03/09 04:39 PM

This is a outrageous debate, say all you want about 2k5's presentation I know I certainly enjoyed the highlights and all the other features but gameplay is most the important aspect of any game and I can remember thinking what could be more unrealistic then charging up broken tackles. 2k5 is easily the most overrated sports game period, I didn't think it's gameplay, as it was more arcade oriented and as much as people complain about the franchise problems in Madden there were different issues that arose in 2k5's franchise mode. I didn't think it was better than it's Madden counterpoint at the time, yet I like many were upset when EA bought the exclusive rights to the NFL. This anger over the exclusivity is what I think fuels this nostalgia for 2k5 as it was a fun game but certainly far from a classic.

# 8 DookieMowf @ 08/03/09 04:41 PM

I enjoyed 2K5 like the rest of them, but it had some major flaws itself and to me, it's doesn't deserve all the praise it gets.

# 9 Gusto1 @ 08/03/09 04:48 PM

It is still being talked about 5 yrs later that fact alone puts it in a league of its own. The game felt more like the nfl experience than any other game it will be interesting in a few years when the ea deal is up with the nfl.

# 10 dan77733 @ 08/03/09 04:52 PM

Richard - I agree with everything you said.

Chrisian - How anyone can say that 2K5 is one of the most overrated sports games ever despite the fact that Madden has been overrated, overhyped and overpriced year after year is beyond me. The gameplay isnt slow at all and maybe you should put the speed setting on fast and see if that helps you. The funny thing is that you sound like one of those Madden fanboys who have always complained about 2K being arcadish but yet, it was 2K5 and 2005 that actually reversed roles. I remember so many Madden fanboys saying "where's the momentum" in regards to the 2K series yet didnt mention it ever again when 2K5 had momentum but 2005 didnt.. You talk about the control scheme being complicated??? Are you four years old or something because going through previous versions of Madden (in game and menus) is like going through a text book tutorial in comparison to 2K5's control setup.

As for being either a 2K or Madden fanboy, I would disagree with that because going back to the SNES/GEN days, I was always the "alternative to Madden fanboy" which means that I always preferred the alternative whether it be Tecmo (SNES), Montana 92-95 (GEN), GameDay 96-98 (PS) or the 2K series (DC/PS2/XBOX) because the alternative was always superior.

As for Madden NFL 2010, I already have it paid for in full for Xbox 360 and am more than willing to give it a fair chance but whether or not it surpasses 2K5 remains to be seen.

Caley - I pretty much agree with everything and while the gameplay had its negatives, they were outshined by the positives and quite honestly, the negatives in 2K5 have more to do with the non-gameplay aspects as opposed to the actual on the field gameplay.

Bryan - I agree with everything you said and like you, the only Madden that I ever purchased and played was 2004 (Vick on the cover) and even preferred it over 2K4.

In general, I would rate 2K5 a 7/10 but if you have access to FINN's editor and an Action Replay, the rating gets increased to a 9/10 because you can pretty much eliminate the negatives that are in 2K5 itself. As for Madden NFL 2010, after watching the entire game between BAL and TEN on YouTube, im actually looking forward to playing it which I can honestly say has never ever been the case.

And sorry for the LONG post but this should be an actual topic so people can discuss it.

# 11 metallicatz @ 08/03/09 04:55 PM

NFL2K5 was the benchmark for its time to be sure, but it has not aged well outside of the presentation aspect. Like one of the OS contributers stated.....I popped in my copy recently and found it to be very un-inspiring from a gameplay standpoint in 2009. Most people seem to view 2K5, like they do Goldeneye, through nostalgia-tinted goggles. It's a game we remember very fondly but simply doesn't measure up to the gameplay performance of today's offerings. I remember thinking in 2007 that the gameplay of 2K5 had been surpassed. I think this year's Madden will be the new benchmark judging from not only the demo, but also from what we know was left out of the demo (as all demos are stripped down).

# 12 Beezzee @ 08/03/09 04:56 PM

I think there are a dedicated group of gamers that genuinely think that NFL 2K5 is the end all, be all fooball experience that has ever come out. Past that core group, I think there is a much larger group that praise 2K5 just because it's the cool thing to do. The presentation was was excellent but that's where the accolades end. The gameplay was mediocre at best. Take the rose colored glasses off!

# 13 kennyacid @ 08/03/09 05:03 PM

@ MADman24: I aways just put the whole charging up moves into context with real life. When your playing football guys are always tryin to put more into their moves...like when they do a stiff arm, some guys just throw their hand out..But guys like LT like to put a little more into,and thats all the charge up feature represents. What I didnt like though was the whole tapping a button to run faster...it mad the running animation look a little ugly and less fluid.

# 14 stlstudios189 @ 08/03/09 05:11 PM

I have had a week w/out my 360 and have turned back the clock playing NFL 2k5. It is a fun game to play, the presentation is a 10/10 the gameplay is 8/10 but, the overall fun factor is again 10/10 I still play Madden every year but, 2k5 was a complete experience. Madden may be catching up in the gameplay dept and someday the 2k5 name will fade away.

# 15 thmst30 @ 08/03/09 05:15 PM

It's sad that 5 years after 2K5 we still have to ask these questions and wonder if Madden can surpass 2K5 in every way. It's been FIVE YEARS. Madden is getting better, but it should be better in every possible area. It's not though. Not yet.

# 16 rudyjuly2 @ 08/03/09 05:23 PM

2K5 was completely overrated. Took many steps backwards from 2K4 which was the better game imo. Game was extremely flawed out of the box and the brain dead cpu QBs throwing a million interceptions became a game killer for me.

Unfortunately, Madden 05 wasn't much better. Playing defense was boring and the lack of presentation was awful compared to 2K5.

# 17 BlackRome @ 08/03/09 05:26 PM

"Chrisian McLeod: I know I'm going to take a beating for saying this, but NFL 2K5 was quite possibly one of the most overrated sports games ever. "

I agree completely

NFL 2k5 is the most overrated sports game of all time.

metallicatz: I must digress against Madden being so great based on the demo.

At this point I would say Madden isn't better than last year's version.

I like the fact that the defense actually covers the man in the flat when your in man to man defense but I would take the 09 version with some game play tweaks like the one I just mentioned over this super slow version of Football.

There is no sense of speed in the game.

I said the same thing about 2k9.
They slowed the game down and it was terrible.

Yet OS in both reviews or previews in Madden's case say this is a good thing.

To many freebies if you ask me.

If I'm pushing buttons or moving my stick and the game is not responding accordingly to what's happening on the field how is that a good thing.

I'm seeing things on the field but can not respond to what I'm seeing due to the slow down.

If adding all this realism to the sidelines and stadiums is causing them to do the exact opposite with the gameplay by slowing the game down I would do without the freaking sideline animations.

Athletes are getting faster not slower. So how does slowing down the game make any sense towards the sport you are trying to simulate.

The average pass play in the NFL takes 2-4 seconds. Madden 09 was pretty close when you stayed in the pocket and threw the ball.

This year's madden takes you 2 seconds to just drop back in the pocket.

# 18 wEEman33 @ 08/03/09 05:38 PM

Madden is definitely catching up in terms of features and presentation.

Unfortunately, the gameplay (based on the demo) is still way behind.

I hope next year the Madden team devotes as much time and resources to the gameplay as the did to the features/presentation this year.

# 19 reddawg60 @ 08/03/09 05:54 PM

apf 2k8 is the cats meoow !! ohhh wait....nevermind

# 20 tabulaRasa @ 08/03/09 05:55 PM

THat guy that said 2k5 was one of the most overrated games? whoa...
I can�t disagree more. NFL2k5 kicked ***, and was a complete package. Just that it took madden 5 years to add stuff they had back then proves how great it was. The exclusive deal was a huge fail for the NFL image wise.

« Previous12 3 4 5 6 Next »