All Pro Football 2k8 impressions

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 12:56 pm

Okay, I've got the game and managed to put in a little time with it. I then went and checked out the NCAA demo again, just to get a little contrast. I can't comment much on graphics, as I'm stuck with a standard definition television at the moment. Suffice to say that it looks a lot like 2K5, with everything from the player models to the animations to the halftime show having a very familiar look to it. (For the record, I don't think that's a bad thing.) What is immediately noticeable is that the game speed is slow. It's slow enough to make the NCAA demo feel fast, and that demo felt pretty slow itself the first time I played it. A few random impressions:

-The kicking game is really tough to get a hang of. So far, I've flubbed every kick I've tried, including an extra point, and my kickoffs and punts have been atrocious.

-The ball physics on passes is much, much better than NCAA. You can throw flat, hard throws, but it's simple to put air under the ball and drop it over the linebackers. Also, you see both nice spirals and ducks, depending on how the ball came out of the QB's hands. Throwing on the move with a non-mobile QB is a recipe for disaster.

-Throwing to backs in the flat is still a problem, as they'll stop and wait for the ball. I'll mess around with leading the pass to see if that corrects it. (Update- it does.)

-The player interaction along the lines and during gang tackles looks more organic than the NCAA demo.

-The animations for the receivers are simply suburb. They really plant and cut. The whole WR/DB interaction looks terrific.

-The basic playbooks are a little generic, but it looks like there is an editing function that allows you to pick and choose what offensive and defensive formations you want to include, and then what individual plays you want out of those formations.

I'll add more as I play more.

WillHunting · Post by **WillHunting** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:07 pm

seanmac31 wrote: -The animations for the receivers are simply suburb. They really plant and cut. The whole WR/DB interaction looks terrific.

So the receivers aren't city dwellers?

Thanks for the impressions, keep'em coming!

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:22 pm

Good catch.

Team creation mode is pretty addictive. I've already made three times. The first stars Reggie White and Lester Hayes on defense, along with Chris Spielman and Refrigerator Perry, while the offense is built around Archie Manning, Don Maynard, Wesley Walker and Hugh McElheney. The second is built around offense, with Johnny Unitas and Barry Sanders as the gold tiers, along with Drew Pearson and Ricky Sanders at wideout. The third is my favorite so far- Elway and Jack Lambert as the golds, and then an offense built around a nasty two tight end attack with Ben Coates and Todd Christiansen. I'm having a great time running out of ace sets.

-The more you play, the more you can feel the importance of the legends. On my third team, I've got Chris Doleman at one end, and he just came tearing around the corner for a blindside sack in a way that I've never seen properly portrayed in a video game.

-I'm struggling with the presnap control options, having adjusted myself to NCAA, but it looks like there are some cool features. On offense you can pick a formation to come out of the huddle with before shifting out into the actual formation you picked your play from. On defense you can shift into different coverage shells. Still trying to figure out how to do it, though.

A nice little touch- Lou Groza kicks in the pre-soccer style, straight on.

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:28 pm

Thanks for the impressions seanmac, keep them coming!

This is the most pumped I have been for a sports game release in quite some time. I loved NFL 2K5, and it sounds like this game doesn't disappoint on the field. The lack of franchise mode doesn't bother me at all, half the fun of this game is going to be playing with different teams and trying out different styles of play. I think that will give me more long term replay value than a standard franchise mode would. I can't wait to pick this up tonight!

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:45 pm

-I'm playing a game in rain, and the kicker just slipped as he went to kick off after halftime, causing the ball to barely get past midfield. That's something I've never seen before.

-Another interesting gameplay mechanic is that a QB can charge up his throws. Playing with Elway, I held down A before throwing a deep corner and the ball absolutely took off. Very noticeable difference from a standard throw. (It turned into a touchdown, as the DB tipped the ball but Christiansen adjusted, took the ball out of the air and then broke a tackle to high step into the end zone.)

-For those who are wondering, it looks like the CPU autodrafts for all the teams at the moment when you make your first team, and after that each AI team has a standard roster. I think you would need to erase the settings to get the AI teams reshuffled, but I'm not sure.

-An addendum. Doleman is a pash rush specialist, but he pretty much ignores the run. On a weakside handoff, he took off for the QB and ignored the back completely, allowing a big hole to open up on the left side. Very nicely modeled.

MizzouRah · Post by **MizzouRah** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:48 pm

damn you seanmac!

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:55 pm

I said I wouldnt get it but I can feel myself
breaking down...

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:58 pm

Just played a quick quarter of football. The game played pretty well, much slower than NCAA. Animations are SUBLIME there's really no comparision to NCAA/Madden.

Stupid 2k only allows you to have 3 attributes per created player. That are a bunch of dumbfucks over there. I'm really pissed about this. You've limited the user so much why not let them create players with 5 attributes. We'll have to wait until next year to see it. Thanks 2k Sports.

Update...

Gold can have 3 abilities
Silver 2 abilities
Bronze 1.

f*** that 2k. You are bunch of dumb fucks.

WillHunting · Post by **WillHunting** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 1:59 pm

XXXIV wrote:I said I wouldnt get it but I can feel myself
breaking down...

My resolve.... is weakening.....

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:08 pm

Jrod...you got something against 2k??

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:09 pm

Zlax45 wrote:Jrod...you got something against 2k??

No I'm just pissed about the editing abilites. Really pissed. The way the set it up makes player creation pretty much worthless.

Zlax45 · Post by **Zlax45** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:11 pm

JRod wrote:
Zlax45 wrote:Jrod...you got something against 2k??
No I'm just pissed about the editing abilites. Really pissed. The way the set it up makes player creation pretty much worthless.

Just wondering...I think I am going to get NCAA and APF

Bill_Abner · Post by **Bill_Abner** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:14 pm

JRod wrote:
Zlax45 wrote:Jrod...you got something against 2k??
No I'm just pissed about the editing abilites. Really pissed. The way the set it up makes player creation pretty much worthless.

This is a complaint I can definitely understand. Why limit the player editing abilities? Not only can you only add a small number of skills, can't you only make like 8 guys? Why in the world would you only be allowed to create 8 players? And why not let them create players with as many skills as some of the gold star guys? I don't get it. The only thing I can think of are online balance issues...but even that seems like a stretch.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:26 pm

I'll get mine after work and I'll also have NCAA so I can compare it to the retail game vs the demo.

No offense intended, but I kind of expected positive impressions out of you two. I really want to see it myself.

Have you notcied any odd DB play yet? That is my most pressing concern.

Did you set the speed to fast and is it still playing slower then NCAA?

EDITED for being a dumb ass.

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:45 pm

Danimal wrote:I'll get mine after work and I'll also have NCAA so I can compare it to the retail game vs the demo.

No offense intended, but I kind of expected positive impressions out of you two.

Have you notcied any odd DB play yet? That is my most pressing concern.

Did you set the speed to fast and is it still playing slower then NCAA?

I haven't messed with the speed, I just settled in.

I just finished getting worked online to the tune of 31-7. (It probably would have helped if I hadn't been reading impressions while I played.) Dude loaded up on both lines and used Christian Okoye like a battering ram, while having Alvin Harper as his #1 receiver to go deep if I came up in the box. I played...terribly. I'm still having some trouble with the layout-my biggest issue is actually that speed burst is no longer on the right trigger.

DB play has been excellent so far. A gold DB like Woodson is able to press and manhandle a lesser receiver. Even generic DBs have basically kept in good position, and I didn't see any of the safety overbiting that plagued 2K5 (and was in some of the videos). The DB play doesn't feel as organic as in NCAA 08- the catch button kind of locks into an animation and you don't have quite the same feeling of user control-but in terms of results, it's been just fine.

Sully · Post by **Sully** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:53 pm

Some quick notes after a online game with DookieMowf from OS. I won 27-2.

It's just one game, so take it for what it's worth...

- Clyde Simmons, a bronze star legend, absolutely dominated Dookie's offensive line full of scrubs. Not once did I control Clyde, and he racked up 4 sacks and about 5 hurries. He was unstoppable.

- Barry Sanders finished with 190 or so yards and 4 TDs.

- My punt returner, Ricky Sanders, ran up to field a punt and just let the ball sail right over his head. I don't think he was letting it go since he was standing around the 30 yard line.

- I wasn't all that impressed with the graphics. They aren't bad, but Madden and NCAA look better. The gameplay is exactly identical to 2k5. I detest slamming the A button for a speed burst. Stupid.

- Animations are smooth, and we had no lag.

- Playing on defense, I could see the adjustments Dookie was making along his offensive line.

- I had a S jump on a slant. He had it picked. All he had to do was stop and open up his hands...but he kept running for the sideline.

- Online challenges. Love these. EA still doesn't have them.

- I'm a little worried that the legends may be slightly too good for the scrubs you use to fill your teams out. It was just one game, but my front 7 consisted of gold star Singletary, silver star Jerome Brown, and bronze star Clyde Simmons. I finished with about 8 sacks, and Dookie only ran for 20 yards. We dominated his offensive line that featured no "legends".

- I rolled out to the right, planted with Randall Cunningham, and threw back to the middle of the field. The pass was way off mark. Very nice.

- The kicking system takes some getting used to. I was shanking everything, as well as kicking it short.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 2:56 pm

way to kick the s*** outta the OS f***ers.

does the game have longevity as a 1player game?

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:08 pm

Okay right now it plays a great football game right out of the box.

It's 2k5 and we knew that part was going to be solid.

The editing parts it pretty bad. They were talking about how you could just enter a code to create a new uniform. That code is more than 50 characters long. More like 65.

The editing features are pretty weak in my opinon so I'm just going to leave those alone for now. They are enough to completely ruin the game for me. It's not that I need to recreate the NFL but I wanted to add Terrell Davis and I couldn't even come close to doing that. I can get a look-a-like that plays no where near TD.

Another point is about your teams. You can only play the pre-set teams. I have not found a way to play against your other created teams.

Like Bill said, this game is geared completely towards online play. A huge mistake by 2k Sports. By focusing on online play that forgot the larger market that doesn't play online all that much.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:15 pm

Sudz wrote:way to kick the s*** outta the OS f***ers.

does the game have longevity as a 1player game?

Little.

Here's why. The pre-set teams are just that. The CPU doesn't draft new teams and you can't edit the pre-set teams. So you are stuck playing the same teams over and over again. Since this is a game about legends and not the NFL that's a huge problem. Let's say I want to play against a team with Montana and Rice then play with Montana and Barry Sanders that can't happen right now. You can select different teams but the CPU teams are set.

I could live with a franchise mode but I can't live with the single player mode being this static in a game that is supposed to excel and give the user a ton of choices.

It's all about online play. 2k really missed the mark with this game. Don't get me wrong the game plays great. If it was an NFL game, we all would be happy because most of these complaints go out the window. You don't want to have Vick, Moss, Champ all on one team. Nor do you care if they are.

But in a legends game what 2k sports has bet on, is Madden with the NFL has locked up the single player market, so we are going after those that play online. While leaving a single player game that isn't even worthy of an initial release game.

Danimal · Post by **Danimal** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:42 pm

JRod wrote: Here's why. The pre-set teams are just that. The CPU doesn't draft new teams and you can't edit the pre-set teams. So you are stuck playing the same teams over and over again. Since this is a game about legends and not the NFL that's a huge problem. Let's say I want to play against a team with Montana and Rice then play with Montana and Barry Sanders that can't happen right now. You can select different teams but the CPU teams are set.

I'm confused. I thought the teams were pre-set, but if you're created team had a legend on it that a preset team did, then it would fill that spot with another legend. Is that not the case?

Also can either of you tell me, can you create multiple teams and play them against each other in exhibition mode? We have 4 guys in the office, can we create 4 teams and then just play exhibition matches? Or do you draft your team at the start of a 2 player exhibition match?

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:07 pm

Danimal wrote:
JRod wrote: Here's why. The pre-set teams are just that. The CPU doesn't draft new teams and you can't edit the pre-set teams. So you are stuck playing the same teams over and over again. Since this is a game about legends and not the NFL that's a huge problem. Let's say I want to play against a team with Montana and Rice then play with Montana and Barry Sanders that can't happen right now. You can select different teams but the CPU teams are set.
I'm confused. I thought the teams were pre-set, but if you're created team had a legend on it that a preset team did, then it would fill that spot with another legend. Is that not the case?

Also can either of you tell me, can you create multiple teams and play them against each other in exhibition mode? We have 4 guys in the office, can we create 4 teams and then just play exhibition matches? Or do you draft your team at the start of a 2 player exhibition match?

2nd question. I can't find a way how right now. I suppose if you have a second controller plugged in it might let you select your other created teams. I'll try that in a bit.

No the pre-set teams are just that pre-set. The way 2k set this up is like this. You don't draft 11 players when you play an exibition game. All the teams CPU teams are pre-set and the user teams are pre-created. Meaning you created this team and now you select them in exibition mode.

There's no drafting anyone in this game. You don't get a pool of legends right before the exibition mode and select 11 while the CPU does the same.

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:33 pm

Yes, you can make multiple teams and play against them in exhibition mode. You just need to have a second controller plugged in.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:56 pm

In an effort to dominate this thread, let me talk about the good of APF.

The gameplay is still better than NCAA(demo) Madden (07 because I don't know how good 08 will be).

APF is on the right track. I wish they would update their game to allow for better player creation and the ability to create CPU season-mode teams.

APF on the field is just a flat-out good game. I forgot just how good 2k5 was. Two-man tackles, varied animations, good AI, is all there.

The legends is a great idea and on the field it is pulled off extremely well.

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:44 pm

I'm playing my first game on the PS3 (also bought the 360 version but haven't opened it yet), and am so glad to have 2k football back. I've got a team of all old Steelers (plus Ray Guy) playing in uniforms that look somewhat like Pittsburgh's going up against a team led by Earl Campbell and Otto Gramm. Gameplay just feels like real football to me. I'm looking forward to playing some of you guys online after a few days of shaking the rust off.

Edit: Rod Woodson just got toasted by the CPU's Herman Moore on a long ball, so I guess the deep ball isn't a concern in this game. Even more interesting is that one of my generic db's came up with a clean interception earlier in the half. So much for the Legends being too good/the generics being too bad.

Another edit: Just threw my first wounded duck with Neil O'Donnell...love the look of the wobbly throws in the game.

Another edit: The same generic db just had his 2nd interception of the game for me. Sign him up!

Another edit: I guess this was going to be a given, but I'm glad all the old legends have their right numbers out of the box (Merrill Hoge is #33, Lambert is #58, Barry Foster is #29, etc.).

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Tue Jul 17, 2007 5:57 pm

So Far I dont like the box.

Im just about to put it in(Been playing NCAA). I kept saying dont dont dont do it but freaked out at the store and bought it.