With the recent domination of Giants quarterback Eli Manning at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, I can't help but compare him to his brother.  He was hyped as the second coming of Peyton and was supposed to lead the Giants back to greatness.  While he's been no slouch, he's just not of the same caliber.  Ironically, this comparison (although the results are much different) drew me to the topic of this week's article, how has All-Pro Football 2K8 compared with its spiritual "big brother" in Madden 08?

On the surface, one could argue that Madden's domination reigns supreme.  The sales numbers are staggering, seeing Madden crush 2K Sports' title underfoot.  However, there are a number of factors that play into this disparity.  The primary reason that can be drawn is the simple fact that Madden is a multi-console release with eight different consoles, nine with the PC taken into account, while APF was only released for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3.  That fact alone can greatly skew the numbers.  This isn't the only area where APF has a disadvantage though.

The lack of an NFL license is a great hindrance to those looking for a quality football title.  In today's gaming landscape where graphics are often overpowering gameplay as a selling point, the lack of an NFL license in the case of APF has a devastating effect.  While it is certainly nice having teams of created players and Hall of Famers playing at a level only reached in the prime of their respective careers, many sports gamers do not share this sentiment.

Madden, as always, has got the graphical edge in the football landscape.  APF does a great job in mapping the faces of its Hall of Famers but falls decidedly short on the depth of creation in regards to its generic players.  Madden has done an amazing job of capturing the on-field look and feel, seeing a great amount of detail to every minute detail between the sidelines.  Where All-Pro takes a small piece of Madden's pie is in what takes place outside the sidelines.  Not only do players actually appear on the sideline rather than a select group of generic players, but the fans in the stadium also have some element of life to them.

Gameplay is really where All-Pro proves that it isn't going to give up without a fight.  While some of the animations are rather shaky, like the running backs running as though they have a stick up their butts, the actual execution of plays and the interaction of the players during play is uncanny.  They break the Madden mold of a selection of scripted tackling animations and have players interact with their teammates and opponents.  One particular shining moment for me was rushing up the middle and seeing my player attempt to get around the lineman in front of him rather than pinballing off of the player as if there was some invisible force field around him.

 The space between these two games isn't nearly as large as some might have thought it would be.  Madden still has a clear edge in the market but if the errors of this year return next year, EA Sports could be opening the floodgates and allowing 2K Sports to regain a very large chunk of the ground they lost when they took those couple years off after the signing of the NFL license.