2K sports announces All-Pro Football 2K8 for summer release

[Eaglesfan27]

Jerry Rice seems likely to be the cover athlete since he had another press conference talking about the game, today. He confirmed that online leagues will be fully functional in the game.

[DanGarion]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

This game will be manna from heaven for those who have been pining to play with an authentic Bernie Kosar ever since he was not included in Tecmo Super Bowl.

Only if he throws sidearm!

[Bearcat729]

Originally Posted by dangarion

Only if he throws sidearm!

And runs like a wounded duck

[Evil Afro]

I can see a real problem with online leagues.

If you're a bad team, and you don't get a high drafgt pick for being a bad team, why would you keep playing?

[Logan]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

Jerry Rice seems likely to be the cover athlete since he had another press conference talking about the game, today. He confirmed that online leagues will be fully functional in the game.

For some reason, I laughed at this statement. Something about the NFL's greatest receiver being the one to confirm a feature in a video game...

[JediKooter]

No franchise mode, no buy. Simple as that.

[WVUFAN]

What a completely underwhelming trailer.

Good lord.

http://www.dailymotion.com/NoxCovena...pf-2k8-trailer

[Kodos]

But Ickey Woods has still got the moves!

[jaygr]

Actually I think the player movement look pretty nice and fluid. But the models and graphics are pretty bad. Underwhelming was a great word for it, WVUFAN. I not sure how that would pump anyone up for the game. The music said to get ready, but for what?

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by WVUFAN

What a completely underwhelming trailer.

Good lord.

http://www.dailymotion.com/NoxCovena...pf-2k8-trailer

I'm not likely to purchase this without a franchise mode, but the trailer didn't really underwhelm me at all. The greatness of the 2K series was the gameplay. The graphics were always ok, but the controls were phenominal.

If the gameplay were to be like it has been in the past, I may end up getting the thing anyway.

[sabotai]

I really like the player animations. But without franchise, at best, it'll be a "wait until it's $20" buy from me.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by sabotai

I really like the player animations. But without franchise, at best, it'll be a "wait until it's $20" buy from me.

No doubt I'm in this camp.

I guess it's Madden for me.

[johneh]

Hmmm.... do I pick up 2k8 Football or Maximum Football....

[Balldog]

Am I the only one buying this game?

[Phototropic]

Originally Posted by Logan

For some reason, I laughed at this statement. Something about the NFL's greatest receiver being the one to confirm a feature in a video game...

I still get a good laugh out of this every time I think about it. I can only wonder what Rice's opinion on DB AI is.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by Balldog

Am I the only one buying this game?

Uh, I hate to say it, but I think you are.

[TroyF]

I've been on the fence, but I'll likely get it.

Reasons:

I've always liked the gameplay of the 2k series. While I wish there were multiple seasons available, there is replayability with picking different stars each go around. It has Rick Upchurch in the game. Any game with Rick Upchurch is ok by me.

I'm not 100% decided yet, I want to see a few reviews, but I'm leaning on grabbing it.

[Kodos]

I'm unlikely to grab it if Madden and NCAA are as good as I expect them to be.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by Kodos

I'm unlikely to grab it if Madden and NCAA are as good as I expect them to be.

Same here.

[Calis]

Originally Posted by Balldog

Am I the only one buying this game?

I'm 99% certain I'll be buying it. I'm going to wait and check out a few reviews, but as long as they're not terrible I'll be getting it.

While I don't like the direction they went in a lot of ways, it also looks like the kind of game that'll be a blast to play with a couple of friends, which is what I really look for in a football game. More importantly, I want 2k to keep on making a football game. Actually the more I read about it also the more I get interested, it is kind of a fun idea. I can use Christian Okoye again, that's a selling point right there. I only wish Steve DeBerg had made the cut.


The last couple iterations in Madden still haven't caught up to the last 2k release, so I'm not real keen on spending more money on one of those.

Anxious to see how the game is received and how it sells.

[MizzouRah]

I'm going to talk my neighbor into it.

[Ironhead]

I will likely buy it but not at $60. I will probably only buy it in the under $40 range. I was pretty excited about the game but it has been tempered by the fact that NCAA is solid and I also still have to continue my WWSM career.

[Bee]

I might rent it if it gets decent reviews.

[Kodos]

It's definitely a game that, if you buy it, you should buy it new. We want to support competition in football games as much as possible.

[Phototropic]

I'll probably wait and hope for a price drop. The good news is this shouldn't be as much of a seasonal game as Madden and NCAA.

[kingnebwsu]

If it gets above an 8.0 review average I'll definitely check it out at some point. NCAA 08 better be good dammit

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by johneh

Hmmm.... do I pick up 2k8 Football or Maximum Football....

Or EA Head Coach

[MizzouRah]

Son of a B!*!*

Reading some impressions from a guy over at digitalsportspage and this one sounds really fun. I really wish they had more than just a season mode though.

They do have the halftime show and some other similar 2k5 stuff in the game. Creating your team sounds like it's a blast.

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Son of a B!*!*

Reading some impressions from a guy over at digitalsportspage and this one sounds really fun. I really wish they had more than just a season mode though.

They do have the halftime show and some other similar 2k5 stuff in the game. Creating your team sounds like it's a blast.

If it had any type of multiseason mode, I would have bought this today and juggled it with NCAA. So far, the impressions have been favorable for what it is, but I just don't play enough online and that seems to be the major emphasis with the game.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

If it had any type of multiseason mode, I would have bought this today and juggled it with NCAA. So far, the impressions have been favorable for what it is, but I just don't play enough online and that seems to be the major emphasis with the game.

I don't play much online either, but picking a team from a list of greats and then playing a season doesn't seem that bad... although the game should be $30 instead of $60. I would have picked it up at that price today along with NCAA.

[Travis]

Sitting on my desk right now alongside NCAA. Very much looking forward to giving it a whirl and it'll probably be in the system first.

[Calis]

I lied, I didn't wait for any reviews.

Picked it up on the way home today, should get a chance to try it in a few hours.

I won't be hard to please, if it plays like a HD version of NFL2k5 I'll be happy for quite a while.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Calis

I lied, I didn't wait for any reviews.

Picked it up on the way home today, should get a chance to try it in a few hours.

I won't be hard to please, if it plays like a HD version of NFL2k5 I'll be happy for quite a while.

I think you'll be happy. I went off at lunch and picked it up and played a game. (I REALLY have to get back to work after this post)

Thoughts after a game:

Selecting the all pros is a lot of fun. It's also good strategy. I picked Elway, Reggie White, Karl Mecklenberg, Dexter Manley, Cliff Branch, Rick Upchurch, Kory Stringer, Dermotti Dawson, Floyd Little, and a couple of guys I don't remember now. (most Broncos, Manley from Oklahoma St, Branch from Colorado)

The game is very similar to the gameplay of 2K5. Maybe even a little better.

The ball floats horribly if you don't set your feet. Throwing with a QB who can throw on the run makes a difference.

Highlights are awsome. Example: "Elway hit Branch with this pass on 3rd and 8 to keep the drive alive. It stalled and they had to punt three plays later"

Load times? Did you say load times? There are almost none. I mean, not even a second. After you finish a game, you want to see that 4th and 1 play from the second quarter? Go to the play by play, select the play, hit A and you are now watching the play. You can be moving to a second or third play in the length of time it took me to type this paragraph.

Stadiums are well done, uniformas are generic. (think the default fake NCAA logos when you create a team)

Slower than NCAA, but that's not a bad thing.

I love the pass rush. Stud DE will bull rush, deke to the inside, speed around the corner. . . in other words they look like real DE.

WR make nice cuts. The pass routes are terrific.

As always with 2K, the running game feels like a real running game. You have to fight for yardage, but when you call the right play, you can bust one off.

--------------------------------------------

I really like what I've seen in my half game of NCAA and will play that a ton, no doubt. But as someone else said, I think this will have some staying power out of season. Probably NCAA for the rest of the week for me, but this will get played more than enough to make it worth the money.

[TroyF]

Oh, one last thing before I head off. . . DO NOT run a route over the middle when Ronnie Lott is there. Poor Maynard almost had his head taken off. My spine hurts after the hit he got.

[MizzouRah]

Get back to work Troy! I will NOT get this game today.

[MikeVic]

What systems is this for?

[Pumpy Tudors]

Oh shit, now I'm tempted to get this game. Grrrrr.

[Kodos]

I have to admit that I'm tempted today as well...

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

What systems is this for?

360 and PS3.

[albionmoonlight]

Troy,

How distinguishable are the various all-star players? Like, can you tell the difference between, say, Walter Payton and Jim Brown, or is it more a matter of having superstars who are generically awesome and role-players who are generically meh?

[MikeVic]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

360 and PS3.

Damnit.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Troy,

How distinguishable are the various all-star players? Like, can you tell the difference between, say, Walter Payton and Jim Brown, or is it more a matter of having superstars who are generically awesome and role-players who are generically meh?

I've only played a game, so I don't know to tell you the truth. Most of the guys I picked are very generic in their play for being all stars anyway. Elway was mobile and has a rifle arm. Branch was fast as all get out. Maynard ran precise routs. Floyd Little was elusive, but not too elusive. And he wasn't especially strong at breaking tackles.

I guess the short answer is that it's going to take me some time to see.

For all who are considering it. . . don't take my word of a game. I'm prone to liking a game early, than I start finding the warts in it as I move on. I love how the game plays right now and the strategy of picking the all stars is a lot of fun.

After thinking about long and hard as to if I'd get the game, that's what swayed me. Sure, I'd love season play. But the ability to pick a series of different all stars and go through a season at a time is great too. I'm not sure I'll want Elway as my QB next game. Maybe I'll go with Unitas and Rice. Or Butkis and Peyton. Or Marino and Alworth.

If the gameplay continues to be as good as it was in my first game, it's going to give me a lot of entertainment for the dollar.

I'm not sure of how much more I'll play this week. I only have a week before I'm out of town for two weeks and I'd like to get a decent career with NCAA going so it's over and done with when I get back. I'll play another game or two tonight though. If anyone has questions, post em here and I'll try to get them answered for you.

[TroyF]

Oh, one more thing. The generic guys played generic, but they weren't horrible. You had a chance to pick what type of skills you want with your generic players. Like with running backs, do you want fast scat backs, power backs or balanced backs? Do you want your OLine to be run or pass block oriented?

I selected balanced on everything but the running backs. (I figured I had Little for the speed, I wanted some power guys) A couple of generics made big plays in the game. My generic TE ran a nice route and caught a pass in traffic for 13 yards. I had a generic DT slice through the line for a sack. (I'm thinking have White and Manley made it easier for the generic tackles because they take so much attention)

And one of my generic RB's broke a tackle for a two yard TD run. So they aren't superstars, but the generics aren't useless either.

[Pumpy Tudors]

I remembered how much fun I had playing NFL 2K5 on XBox Live. I normally hate playing sports games online against random people, but that game provided me with a lot of entertainment. Just remembering that was enough to get me to buy this game. Doh!

[Calis]

Ok, I've had a chance to play a couple of games now and so far I'd give it a thumbs up.

I thought it would be a case of these superpowered all stars running rampant against other guys in sort of a more arcade-like game but I've had some pretty tough and relatively realistic games. I haven't noticed a huge difference between players, but then again I haven't even looked at the abilities or paid any attention to what they have. I've used Barry who seemed pretty Barry-like to me, and a game with Okoye who I oddly enough had better luck with just pounding the hell out of people behind a star-studded offensive line. I can seem some real cool stories inside the game happening from this, as Barry was up against Mike Singletary and he was EVERYWHERE, the whole game just coming after him, it was a great battle.

Anyway, not much else I can say yet. If you were a 2k5 fan I don't think you'll be dissapointed, which is good. This doesn't feel like a crappy rush-job next gen game...at least yet. I hope it sells well enough that they can continue and add in some more options to increase longevity.

[Balldog]

I've only played one game and I somehow managed to forget to add a Legend as a QB so I played with a Generic QB. I was quite impressed with him, it might have helped that I had Andre Reed and Mark Carrier at WR with Earl Campbell at RB. My Generic QB threw some horrible ducks but he played a lot better than Bobby Hebert did for the CPU.

As of right now I am liking this over NCAA, granted once I get real names for NCAA it might help me get into it more.

I saved a couple highlights but it wouldn't let me upload for some reason.

[FBPro]

Originally Posted by JediKooter

No franchise mode, no buy. Simple as that.

Yep, ditto.

[TroyF]

OK, remember what I said above about not trusting me? Keep that in mind with this post. . . I just played the single best game of football I've ever played on any console.

I redrafted. Elway and Earl Campbell my two Golds. Three offensive lineman, Cliff Branch, Don Maynard and then the rest defensive players. (notables included Carl Banks and Chris Doleman.

I start a season mode and realize I screwed up. Quarters were set to 5 minutes and the difficulty level was on pro. Oh well. I play against the Legends. Half of their roster is stacked with superstars. Montana, Sanders, Rice, Singletary, Night Train. They are freakin loaded.

Game starts off with me stopping Sanders two straight carries. Then they run a draw play on 3rd and 9. Sanders hits my secondary, spins past one guy, breaks a tackle and hits the sideline. TD.

I hit a big pass play to Branch to set up a TD at the end of the first half and we go into the second half tied. Sanders and Rice take control in the third quarter. He makes a series of runs I can't stop. Then I load the line and Montana hits Rice on a slant. Good bye. Down 14-7. It stays that way until the fourth quarter. I stop them and get the ball at my own 35. Elway proceeds to get hot. He hits 6 different receivers as I drive up the field. 3rd and 12 at the 22, I call a double out and up. The generic guy beats his man clean as they are doubling Maynard and I score a TD with 38 seconds left.

Tie game. I go into a prevent and Montana simply picks me apart. Hits Rice with two sideline patterns. Then hits his TE in the middle of the field for 14. Sets up a 47 yard FG for them to win it. The kick has the distance, but it hooks left. Overtime.

I get the ball first in OT. Elway hits a couple of passes the gets me to the 50. I run a trap play to the weak side with Campbell. The defense is fooled. I've only ran to that side of the field three times on the day. (my stars are all loaded up on the strong side) Earl breaks a leg tackle from the LB and is in the clear. The FS is the only guy with a shot at him. He tries to take Earl high and Earl drops the shoulder. BOOM. FS falls down, Earl runs up the sideline for the game winning TD.

A couple of cool things in the game:

After a first down pass, there was a flag thrown. Holding on Singletary. I watch the replay and he did hold the TE coming out into the flat. (only penalty of the game, I may need to tweak some sliders there)

On one play Earl broke a tackle and just as he was about to get hit again, he covered up the ball.

The Legends ran a pick play that got Rice on one of my generics. Rice did a shimmy and my poor generic guy is probably still looking for his jock.

After rushing outside with Manley about 7 or 8 straight plays, I faked out and cut in. The OLine whiffed and I nailed Montana. Next play I tried the same move and the OT shoved me toward the interior line and pancaked me.

I'm going to set the difficulty up and get the minutes higher and play it some more. More thoughts later.

[ShaneTheMaster]

Here is my review, from a coach mode perspective. You get pretty realistic play with Accelerated clock, and 13 min quarters.

Gameplay:

The good:
The running game is sweet and realistic. I have Earl Cambell, and it is fun watching him run over certain players - but watch out! He won't do that against certain player's!

In coach mode, I had a 4th and 1 at the opponents 30 yard line. My team lined up in offense, to go for it. After getting to the line, the coach called time out, with the announcers saying they want to 'talk it over'. After the timeout, the FG unit trotted on to the field. First time I have seen a football game do that!


The bad:
If you are playing coach mode, the passing game is non-existant, unless you change the sliders by improving passing for human and cpu, and decreasing covergae for human and cpu.

The ugly:
Always a problem with the 2k games and still not addressed, running backs running flats and receivers running out routes will run their routes until they go out of bounds, at which point the QBs don't mind throwing it to them out of bounds. Also, the QBs don't seem to put zip on the ball when throwing passes in the middle of the field, letting their receiver get hammered in the process.

Presentation:

The good:
Commentary is excellent, as always with this series. Camera angles are customizable.

The bad:
Unless I don't have something configured right, there are no video highlights as in 2k5, I only get photo stills of the game at the half.

The ugly:
No ticker showing scores of other league games, another missing feature that it seems I should see, but can't. I think you need to be hooked up to the internet to get real time stuff, but I shouldn't need to be in order to get my own league scores.

Configuration/Options:

The good:
Best uniform editor EVER. You can change the colors of the ingame logos, and create virtually unlimited variations of uniform designs.

The bad:
You can't pit 2 teams you created against each other.

The ugly:
Nothing ugly about this.

Replayability:

NO FRANCHISE MODE!


Overall, I would give this game an 8. Add a franchise mode with completely fictional players, and this gets bumped to a 9. If you like coach mode, this is your only option right now, as I don't think you can do it with NCAA.

[Balldog]

I just played with another team, I loaded the offense with Marino at QB and 9 other Legends, while just adding White at DE. I got beat, 27-24! Marino was 26 for 42 with 424 yards. Since my defense sucked Hebert did a lot better, he was 14 for 18 with 218 yards.

In the 2nd half they kept mixing up their coverages and blitzing, I couldn't do anything. They also dominated the time of possession in the 2nd half with short passes and running with Marcus Allen.

So far I am very impressed, I would love to have seen how this would have turned out with current NFL. There is a major difference in the game depending on who you pick for your team.