Looking back at All-Pro Football 2K8

[jmood88]

The route running animations still haven't been touched and until I see the sideline interaction during a game, I won't believe that Madden has what was in All Pro Football.

[davez]

Thank you, Jayson. As one of the gameplay producers and designers on APF, it means a LOT to know that there are people out there that noticed some of the nice things we did in that game. Reading this definitely brightened up the day of a few of us here. Again thank you (and thanks to other nice commentors).

[ajk49er]

I LOVE APF 2k8. I bought it a few years ago, I was always a 2k football fan, but recently have really started to play it more. I now am not playing madden, and have just customized my own teams and when I need my fix, I play that. yes, it lacks a franchise mode, but you know what, when the CPU sims 6-8 tds for a QB, I sort of lose any desire to play madden's version anyway.

APF is so great, they do so many "small" things right, like real penalties, the announcers are actually quite good, the game is fun, it really represents real football if you play with the sliders, avoid a few money routes. but this is a old game, imagine what they could have done. there are things in this game, such as huge challenges where I can pick what I want to challenge, that have changed a game and made it so much more realistic.

this is such a great game. I only buy a console for FOOTBALL. that is it, but the poor games from EA with problems they refuse to fix, and other aspects they refuse to look at such as penalties, I have no interest in xbox one. I'll wait for a license change(unlikely) and play my 2k8 on 360.

[Pokes404]

Hands down, the BEST passing system of any football game I've played. Yes, some of the routes are a little overpowered; however, the pass speeds/trajectories, and the pocket created by the OL/DL interactions were the most realistic I've ever played. I loved that sense of urgency you felt as a QB when your receivers were covered up and the pocket was closing in around you.

[Nexgenrulz]

This was the best playing football game ever made. Period. It actually plays like football. My only complaint was the play calling system. It really nailed the fundamentals. Oh, and it actually had refs & nets on the goalposts unlike the first 3 years of that other game.

[commonlogick]

Just a thought - if OS started a KickStarter for a new All-Pro Football to "hire" Visual Concepts to make the game, with the idea that all the backers would have a % stake in producing/designing the game...

Just saying. Reading the comments about the love of this game - got my eyes a little moist.

[Paul316us]

Finally some respect for the best football game ever!! All I ever hear is NFL 2k5 is better. NFL 2k5 was good ,but it not the best football game all pro football game is.


Every single legend play like themself. My boy Dan Marino play like himself.


I am puzzle why there hasn't been a other all pro football game.

Each year I buy Madden ,and I always turn back to all pro football ,and get mad ,cus Madden is bad compare to this they could be a Madden 2020 game ,and all pro footbal 2k8 will still top it.

[FaceMask]

I agree with a lot of what you say because a lot of it is the truth, 2K simply did not put in their best effort, and what upsets me is how their reports came out basically blaming us (the gamers) for the game not selling.

Now, if I had to choose a game with great gameplay or a game with great modes I'll go with gameplay every day of the week and twice on Sundays, and All-Pro Football 2K8 was that game, even with its exploits it still plays far better than what we've gotten before or since and that's what counts most.

The other day someone who plays football games a lot asked me "what is All-Pro Football?" He never heard of it before! This reminds me of the question you get when you mention BackBreaker. You know what that says to me? It says 2K did a HORRIBLE job of marketing this game. I think we all remember the fiasco that was very public at the time regarding how this game was being marketed. It was so bad at one point that media outlets began reporting on the marketing blunders more than the game itself! Blitz The League 2 only sold like 150,000 copies but most people who play football games knows BTL 2 existed, smh. But there was a learning opportunity here for 2K, an opportunity that I think they became too stubborn and too full of themselves to acknowledge:

1. The game's failure was all of their own doing. They spent too much on legends, and didn't put much into the game's offerings.

2. They charged full price. To recoup expenses they may not have had a choice. But who are we kidding, this game wasn't worth $60. They painted themselves into a corner.

3. Blitz The League 1 for the original XBOX sold over 1.1 Million copies. The game was marketed brilliantly, and despite being an arcade style game it was a BLAST to play. It also had what APF didn't, tons of unlockable items, mini-games, a cool story mode, weekly training of players, and a LEAGUE PRESENCE that made you feel like you were part of something REAL. BTL's league logo and team logos looked professional and real, APF's looked like something rushed and not taken seriously. APF completely failed with that. Did 2K think people wouldn't notice that?

2K glossed over the league presence part to the point of giving the game ZERO identity and that was a killer. They were so worried about pissing off the NFL that the only thing they managed to do was piss off its core fanbase.

Then I'll never forget the very arrogant and abrasive way Jeff Thomas handled the media. Reading some of his interviews you just hoped somebody popped him in the neck. This couldn't have helped reviews any.

2K is sitting over there thinking "We put a football game out and nobody bought it, that's their fault! So they have to prove to US that they want one!" But what 2K should be doing is thinking "We did everything wrong with APF as a product. We blew a golden opportunity. This was our fault for making a half-baked product. But the market is wide open right now. Why don't we do this thing right this time and see what ground we can gain?"

I don't want 2K to end up like Tecmo did where they let their style sit on the shelf forever and then come back rusty and weird like Tecmo did with Tecmo Bowl Throwback. But I fear that this is exactly what's going to happen. I send messages to 2K all the time for a new football game, and I am absolutely appalled and disgusted at some of the project choices 2K makes instead of football. But I realize that because of the now wild success of NBA 2K, 2K becomes less and less inclined to care about football, and clearly 2K has distanced itself from All-Pro Football since you can't even find it as a sold game on the 2K site anymore despite even older 2KSports games being available there.