Testing the Water with All-Pro Football 2K8

[elgreazy1]

Here's what went wrong, in order:

1) Little to no information about the game during development: We were all left in the dark about what the game was going to be about.

2) Little to no marketing for the game: The only ad I ever saw for the game was a quick flash of the menu screen on a Dodge Caravan commercial. Weak...

3) Price point was too high: 2K5 sold for $19.99 WITH NFL rights, this game should have been at the most $39.

4) Lack of polish: Not even close to the level of ESPN NFL 2K5 which was a last generation game. This is not something 2K does, they always try to release the most polished game possible.
4a) Upgrade the graphics: Even games that suck can sell due to graphics. While this is not a major need for the APF franchise, it's hard to argue that the player models in APF were a big upgrade over the ESPN 2K5 models.

5) LACK OF CUSTOMIZATION: No NFL, fine, but there was nothing to make the game deep enough. Not enough logos, player models (hair, faces, equipment, facial hair, etc), etc.

6) No franchise mode, offline modes to speak of: Okay, maybe it was hard to do this with the Legends so that explains the single season, but what about mini-games, at least. Maybe APF was geared for online play, which is no biggie, but then that leads to this:

7) Limited online league customization: You can make basic leagues and that's about it.

8) COMPLETE lack of community feedback: The developers just left all the owners out to dry after the game was released. We only had 1 patch & that was it!!!? Hell, even Madden 09 has had 2 patches and EA frankly doesn't care about their customers.

9) Lack of downloadable content to keep the game fresh: Okay so no franchise? How about making that downloadable down the line. Or how about adding more Legends, more team logos, more stadiums, etc? This game is screaming to be patched & have expansion packs, especially if it's going to be a bi-yearly release (possibly).

10) Threw in the towel (possibly) after 1 game release: The kiss of death. Basically, we don't even for sure know if there will be another game.

All these small things could have been avoided and or built upon. As for the Legends, well you can keep them or leave them, I don't think they hurt the game sales but by excluding them (or at least signing one major legend as the cover athlete) 2K would have had much more money for further game development.

[CreatineKasey]

Quote: Originally Posted by elgreazy1

Here's what went wrong, in order: 1) Little to no information about the game during development: We were all left in the dark about what the game was going to be about. 2) Little to no marketing for the game: The only ad I ever saw for the game was a quick flash of the menu screen on a Dodge Caravan commercial. Weak... 3) Price point was too high: 2K5 sold for $19.99 WITH NFL rights, this game should have been at the most $39.

These are the three that I feel did them in.

[turftickler]

No, they need to leave the Madden NFL arcade style junk with EA and keep doing the awesome real football simulation that makes the game stand out and keep its replayability.

Even still, APF 2k8 is a better game than Madden 09 and it will be better than Madden 2010 - 2012.

[turftickler]

Quote: Originally Posted by dunelly

Focused too much on useless features and gimmicks instead of working on a pure gameplay upgrade. Franchise? who cares if the gameplay sucks balls

Give the NFL lisence to 2k Sports not EA shorts.

[kcxiv]

lol @ the guy who said that 2k5 was more polished, are you freaking kidding me? I am a 2K fan boy, I admit it. I moderate for them and i talk with 2k about things a few times a week, but 2k8 was 4 times more polished t hen 2k5 ever could dream about.


To the guy who said that we were all left in the dark as to what the game was going to be about didnt look around the internet. When they announced the game and gave information about the game, theyt old you exactly what 2K8 was goign to be about. THey said from the get go, that the game was for hardcore players. There would only be a season mode. No franchise and its mostly built for online play. They told everyone what the game was about upfront.

I have also been told time and time again, that 2K football is not done. They wont exactly tell me when it will come out, but last time i asked, they said, its not in the immediate horizon as they have NBA and MLB coming which VC is working on. After MLB hopefully we hear something as they will be on a break. Next game after MLB is what? NHL and NBA which are all due at the end of the year.

[coogrfan]

With respect, you're all missing the forest for the trees. Our friend Fossen nailed APF's central problem in a review published over at 5W-G mere days afters it's release:

Quote: Originally Posted by Fossen

All-Pro Football appears confused, a Frankenstein of disparate elements that only serve to remind you that they don’t have the NFL license. We have NFL legends parading around in futuristic stadiums wearing XFL uniforms while funk/rap music plays, and it doesn’t add up to anything but a lack of focus and concept. Give me a far-future where cloned athletes battle it out in space domes, or an alternate-history eighties where the USFL won out, or… something. Just deliver an stylistic choice beyond “we lost the NFL”.

There's the problem in a nutshell-APF didn't know what it wanted to be.

[RogueHominid]

Quote: Originally Posted by coogrfan

With respect, you're all missing the forest for the trees. Our friend Fossen nailed APF's central problem in a review published over at 5W-G mere days afters it's release: There's the problem in a nutshell-APF didn't know what it wanted to be.

Perhaps. It's telling, though, that the game is still being played well over a year after release and that its following on a site like this is growing even today. I think they could have done some things differently to be sure, but I also think the actual product plays so well that these objections make more sense theoretically than practically. The practical fact is that this game got even more right on a nuts and bolts level than the heralded 2k5.

But this is all coming from the countryboy of APF--I'm a homer and I know it .

[dunelly]

This game is definitely not growing. If anything people stopped playing the game because the gameplay is shallow and boring.
It's rediculously easy to score in this game. Defense is limited and slow. Maybe it's deep to people who don't grasp the basic concept to playing a football game.

I remember when I averaged 40-50 pts a game on people.
Lbzrules just dropped 63 pts on somebody on this board the other day hahahahha. ran for 300 yds LOL.