Preview of 2k8 on 1up.com

[Dirymac73]

Electronic Arts locked up the NFL license, but that doesn't mean its Madden NFL franchise owns everything football. On July 16, 2K Sports and Visual Concepts roll out All-Pro Football 2K8, a game that combines ESPN 2K5's superb engine with a bunch of NFL legends. It looks decent, but whether or not it can grab a piece of the pigskin pie remains to be seen.


Upon starting the game, players must create a team comprised of generic dudes no one cares about and NFL legends, such names as Joe Montana, John Elway, Barry Sanders, Jerry Rice, Steve Young, Dan Marino and a host of others. In a unique twist, none of them feature individual ratings, so players won't see numbers attached to speed, strength, or running ability. Instead, each legend has a series of special abilities (the game contains 80 of them). Steve Young, for example, benefits from Quick Feet (runs fast) and Tough as Nails (performs better the more he gets hit). Montana burns opponents, thanks to Clutch (comes through when it matters most), Scrambler (can evade defenders) and Laser Arm (makes accurate throws).


In addition, some players have signature abilities. Walter Payton, for instance, mystifies opponents with his Scissor Kick (he doesn't actually kick them). Other abilities include Mr. 3rd Down (completes third down plays), Break Away Burst (dodges defenders using an extra burst of energy), Leadership Bonus (commands a team's attention) and Deception (pump fakes).


After creating a team, players customize it. All-Pro excels in this area, allowing gamers to tinker with away and home uniforms. They select decals, socks, helmets, jerseys and then apply color combinations. If they want pink jerseys with purple stars, they can make it happen.


Players can't create team/player names (the NFL would lay the smack down). Instead, they select from 300-400 logos, such names as the Atoms, Bandits, Bisons and Carnivores, then choose where they're from. Visual Concepts grabbed hundreds of locations, going well beyond the typical markets New York, San Francisco and Indianapolis), making the Rochester Bandits a reality.


Gamers then choose a stadium. All-Pro contains 30 venues, some of which feature outlandish architecture. Fire Bird stadium contains this enormous red bird with wings that make up the dome. The Native American inspired Beerski Field showcases totem poles and a giant eagle spirit brandishing arrows, and The Pit, located in Las Vegas, sports lots of neon and a roulette inspired upper deck, complete with numbers and a rolling ball.


Finally, the Celebration Manager lets players select from over 40 different celebrations (offensive and defensive).

On the field, the game plays almost exactly like ESPN 2K5. Players will recognize controls, plays and menus. However, All-Pro contains several features that set it apart from its predecessor. Players taunt each other through cut scenes sprinkled between plays. A Reach Tackle system enables gamers to make a grab for an opponent after getting juked or hit by another player. The game also contains active sidelines, where players run in and out of the game as well as brace themselves whenever someone strays out of bounds at full speed; players can even knock over the refs and line judges. They can also call plays for specific legends by tapping Y and then X.


Visual Concepts did an excellent job with the cloth physics, as jerseys wrinkle and conform to players' bodies. The crowd looks equally amazing. Whereas EA programs a bunch of crazed fans that perform the same animations no matter the situation, All-Pro's mob features varying color schemes to make them seem like thousands of individuals.


Thanks to Xbox Live, players can take their teams online, showing off their crew and challenging gamers the world over. A unique VIP option lets them download a computer-controlled version of someone's team to see how they stack up.


The concept of creating a team and taking it online sounds great, but we're not happy with the game's price. $59.99 seems excessive, especially without a Franchise mode and the Crib (a popular feature in the ESPN series that lets players customize a room). All-Pro includes a 16-person season mode, but that's standard fare. It also comes out a day before EA's NCAA Football 08, a game destined to sell hundreds of thousands of copies. Forcing gamers to choose between the latest EA football game and a bunch of crusty legends may spell All-Pro's doom.


Nevertheless, we're looking forward to playing the final version, and will review it as soon as 2K drops a copy into our sweaty paws.

[BIGSTEELMAN07]

That's all good to know but 1up hasn't played the game yet, far as i know so until the game really comes out and shows it's true colors then they can review the game. As long as it plays like nfl 2k5 i'm probably going to love it.

[BIGSTEELMAN07]

Oh yeah i was watching that Madden 08 video and it made me sick infact it looked worse than madden 07, That's another 1up for APF2k8. I probaly won't decide on getting Madden until it comes out then i'll decide but I already have APF2K8 RESERVED.

[twsn88]

its amazing how 2k is always destined to be around just so you can tell the difference between quanity and quality. this game will provide.

[theshiznetno1]

I'm reading in one place you choose your stadium and another that you design your stadium.

[BlueHefner]

Article sounds good. The 16th just wont come fast enough.

[Technique83]

Oh yeah i was watching that Madden 08 video and it made me sick infact it looked worse than madden 07, That's another 1up for APF2k8. I probaly won't decide on getting Madden until it comes out then i'll decide but I already have APF2K8 RESERVED.


I actually think this year's Madden is better than last years. Seriously. NCAA too. The only gripe, a major one, I've had with Madden since online play became big was the absence of Leagues. This is the year they should have had it and 2K came through once again. That being said I'm still gettin' all three. How long they last in my library is a different question. Last year I returned Madden the same week.

[OGGamer777]

Same ****...nothing new...

[Kornnickel]

Forcing gamers to choose between the latest EA football game and a bunch of crusty legends may spell All-Pro's doom.

Maybe it's me but why are jabs being thrown at this game.


Technique83 wrote: Last year I returned Madden the same week.

I won't waste my money like that....I did the same thing with madden 06' ......but I learned my lesson and I just rented 07'. I'm glad I did because from 06 to 07 was an improvment; I rented it 3 times ($24) and by week 6 (blockbuster gives you 2 week rentals in MD) I wasn't play'in it anymore. I say rent it and save some money!

Besides 2k8 will be in your 360 or PS3 anyway!:thumbsup:

[Lacarious]

i don't know why... but why is it common practice too not preview anything about online functions in games? I'm not talking just about APF but every time there are early previews of games... getting online info always gets left out or briefly discussed.

[ScottyP]

Perhaps it's because not everyone plays online like some people on here would have you believe. Perhaps there is still some worth to having single player stories or features in games. Perhaps there is replayability in modes other than online. Perhaps its all those features that get reviewed that make a COMPLETE game.

Perhaps..... perhaps....

[MorningGlory]

^^^ Or perhaps when 2k and various other companies give people their demo, they don't include an online aspect of it. Everyone previews/reviews the same demo. Online just isn't usually part of it. And I also think they also do offline stuff and single-player stuff because EVERYONE who buys the game will have that option. With online, not everyone will have that option.

[chestnutz6]

HAHA deja vu! This morning I was wondering if they'd have Rochester (my hometown) on the list, and whaddya know, they say "making the Rochester Bandits a reality"

[omerta07]

[QUOTE=Kornnickel]Forcing gamers to choose between the latest EA football game and a bunch of crusty legends may spell All-Pro's doom.

Maybe it's me but why are jabs being thrown at this game.


:/QUOTE]
kornnickel my friend i am with you , you are not the only that sees that bull ****.

[Oldkingsman]

Did they say 300-400 logos?or did i just dream that up?hmmm...That cant be right.:eek:

[Excaliber]

I dont think this is from 1up this is from gamedaily.

[omerta07]

im getting so sick of these biased mutha****as with their subliminal shots i dont know what to do . its really getting ridiculous. why the **** would these nobody *******s disrespect some of the best ****ing players of all time by calling them crusty ? on top of that why in the ****ing hell should 2k sell their ****ing game for less than ANY ******* BODY ELSE ? yeah great ****ing idea guys , sign all these legends for god knows how much , then turn around and sell the game for $2.99. but at the same time these *******s dont complain about the $60 madden roster update. im getting sick of this ****ing biased ******* ****.

[Excaliber]

im getting so sick of these biased mutha****as with their subliminal shots i dont know what to do . its really getting ridiculous. why the **** would these nobody *******s disrespect some of the best ****ing players of all time by calling them crusty ? on top of that why in the ****ing hell should 2k sell their ****ing game for less than ANY ******* BODY ELSE ? yeah great ****ing idea guys , sign all these legends for god knows how much , then turn around and sell the game for $2.99. but at the same time these *******s dont complain about the $60 madden roster update. im getting sick of this ****ing biased ******* ****.

LoL, nice read. Couldnt really put it all together with all the BLEEPS! Reminds me of Happy Gilmore - "**** you play it where it lies!"

[omerta07]

;) LoL, nice read. Couldnt really put it all together with all the BLEEPS! Reminds me of Happy Gilmore - "**** you play it where it lies!"
:) , but seriously man these people be killing me with that crap .

[projectskillz]

im getting so sick of these biased mutha****as with their subliminal shots i dont know what to do . its really getting ridiculous. why the **** would these nobody *******s disrespect some of the best ****ing players of all time by calling them crusty ? on top of that why in the ****ing hell should 2k sell their ****ing game for less than ANY ******* BODY ELSE ? yeah great ****ing idea guys , sign all these legends for god knows how much , then turn around and sell the game for $2.99. but at the same time these *******s dont complain about the $60 madden roster update. im getting sick of this ****ing biased ******* ****.

I really do agree with everything he just said i wish I would have said it first

[omerta07]

I really do agree with everything he just said i wish I would have said it first
thanks man , i didnt mean to get heated like that but it just wears on your nerves , know what i mean ? they throw in a comment to seem not biased but then turn around and sneak in a little jab , its one thing to comment on something about THE GAME that they dont like , but a reviewer calling legendary players crusty ? what purpose does that serve ? the legends are a HUGE SELLING point for this game and waddayaknow the reviewers TRY to make a complete mockery of it. well news for ya : i dont care if these guys were 150 yrs old , STARS like steve young , joe montana , unitas , elway , barry , the fridge , rice , and on and on will NEVER be crusty , but they WILL ALWAYS be LEGENDS , something that 93% of the current nfl will NEVER be. so , back to your crusty *** website that no ones ever heard of.

[Kornnickel]

thanks man , i didnt mean to get heated like that but it just wears on your nerves , know what i mean ? they throw in a comment to seem not biased but then turn around and sneak in a little jab , its one thing to comment on something about THE GAME that they dont like , but a reviewer calling legendary players crusty ? what purpose does that serve ? the legends are a HUGE SELLING point for this game and waddayaknow the reviewers TRY to make a complete mockery of it. well news for ya : i dont care if these guys were 150 yrs old , STARS like steve young , joe montana , unitas , elway , barry , the fridge , rice , and on and on will NEVER be crusty , but they WILL ALWAYS be LEGENDS , something that 93% of the current nfl will NEVER be. so , back to your crusty *** website that no ones ever heard of.


EA has these companies by the balls sacks. If they can buy out ESPN and the NFL....then I'm sure 1up and IGN are a piece of cake.

Long live 2k Sports.......videogames need U!

[oubobcat]

That is one of the best reviews/previews I have read about 2k8...

It covers the worries many of us have as well as giving good reasons to be excited.

Personally, I think this game is a rent first option to determine if the gameplay is worth $60 or if the lacking modifications and limits in general make it a $20-30 game...

[Kornnickel]

Crusty Legends....1up should be ashamed of themselves.....I'm calling this one right now.

Madden will get the higher score on both major sites (IGN & 1up). The only site that will give this game it's just due is Gamespot. WATCH!!

Bunch of cardboard crowd cheering, magnetic catching, hit stick having, ice skate sliding, no commentary talking, lame presentating, 80 yard passing, rocket jump playing, no pass interference calling, same run animating, retarded route running out of bounds stepping, same create a player optioning......take a breathe..........light year spin move providing, copy cat stealing, wrong attribute labeling, late roster update promising, pay for retro jersey money eating, same cut scene showing, 3 new animation a year creating, lazy *** company

60 dollar charging ....................what more can I say man...frustration is real!

[YellowBelly]

Crusty Legends....1up should be ashamed of themselves.....I'm calling this one right now.

Madden will get the higher score on both major sites (IGN & 1up). The only site that will give this game it's just due is Gamespot. WATCH!!

Bunch of cardboard crowd cheering, magnetic catching, hit stick having, ice skate sliding, no commentary talking, lame presentating, 80 yard passing, rocket jump playing, no pass interference calling, same run animating, retarded route running out of bounds stepping, same create a player optioning......take a breathe..........light year spin move providing, copy cat stealing, wrong attribute labeling, late roster update promising, pay for retro jersey money eating, same cut scene showing, 3 new animation a year creating, lazy *** company

60 dollar charging ....................what can I say man...frustration is real!

Fanboy!:rotfl:

[twsn88]

the more they praise madden the less respect they give to APF 2k8 . they are just biased to the umph degree and they use to hide it but they are reallly letting it hit the fans now with it.

[pjpants]

well i am glad that to see that some of the idiots who have been bashing this game tending to drift away from posting here and now we dont have to deal with them, but we still have the biased reviewers. if you are a struggling game review site do you bash madden? nope because if you **** ea off then say good by to a ton of other games not just madden

[Kornnickel]

Fanboy!:rotfl:

JERK!.....BUTT HOLE!.....I bet your face resembles a donkey's a s s :lol:

[Kornnickel]

well i am glad that to see that some of the idiots who have been bashing this game tending to drift away from posting here and now we dont have to deal with them, but we still have the biased reviewers. if you are a struggling game review site do you bash madden? nope because if you **** ea off then say good by to a ton of other games not just madden

I hear that....all the money we gave them coming up.....they use against us.
Mo Money Mo Power

[Excaliber]

[COLOR="Red"]

Bunch of cardboard crowd cheering, magnetic catching, hit stick having, ice skate sliding, no commentary talking, lame presentating, 80 yard passing, rocket jump playing, no pass interference calling, same run animating, retarded route running out of bounds stepping, same create a player optioning......take a breathe..........light year spin move providing, copy cat stealing, wrong attribute labeling, late roster update promising, pay for retro jersey money eating, same cut scene showing, 3 new animation a year creating, lazy *** company

60 dollar charging ....................what more can I say man...frustration is real!

:lol: LoL! :rotfl:
One of the funniest - but Truer things Ive read in a long time, thanks for the read! :thumbsup:

[Lacarious]

well i am glad that to see that some of the idiots who have been bashing this game tending to drift away from posting here and now we dont have to deal with them, but we still have the biased reviewers. if you are a struggling game review site do you bash madden? nope because if you **** ea off then say good by to a ton of other games not just madden

now if we can just get rid of all the idiots hopefully the mods will hook it up soon enough.

[omerta07]

Crusty Legends....1up should be ashamed of themselves.....I'm calling this one right now.

Madden will get the higher score on both major sites (IGN & 1up). The only site that will give this game it's just due is Gamespot. WATCH!!

Bunch of cardboard crowd cheering, magnetic catching, hit stick having, ice skate sliding, no commentary talking, lame presentating, 80 yard passing, rocket jump playing, no pass interference calling, same run animating, retarded route running out of bounds stepping, same create a player optioning......take a breathe..........light year spin move providing, copy cat stealing, wrong attribute labeling, late roster update promising, pay for retro jersey money eating, same cut scene showing, 3 new animation a year creating, lazy *** company

60 dollar charging ....................what more can I say man...frustration is real!
preach my friend , PREACH !!! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :clap: :clap: :rotfl:

[sportsgeist]

i don't know why... but why is it common practice too not preview anything about online functions in games? I'm not talking just about APF but every time there are early previews of games... getting online info always gets left out or briefly discussed.

They don't get to test the online part of these games early on. Most of the time its after its released. More times than not thats the last part of the game they're working on.

[ohjtbehaaave]

Is there a Link to this preview on 1Up? I want to see who did the preview if possible.

It really does get aggravating when these guys give low blows for no reason like that.

How about in a Madden preview someone says... can Madden 08 overcome the Black eye of M.Vick and his pit bull fighting crap... Pacman Jones shootings at Strip clubs and half the Bengals team that's been arrested etc... type stuff. The NFL and it's rampant amount of A-hole players is something you can take a legit shot at. But they won't... because it's EA's game. Instead... let's take a shot at Hall of Fame players and 2K!

One day maybe some of these idiot media guys will wake up and appreciate a company like 2K that stands up to a BULLY like EA is... and they challenge them head on... even without an NFL License. Now that's BALLS! And that's having faith in your Game! But all these media guys are EA fanboys. Sad but True.


PS- Great Madden Rant. Add in... a thousand excuses for No Online Leagues since 2001......

[Elway]

"Crusty Legends"?

So I suppose that playing with a bunch of no named numbers is any better? Because we all know that the NCAA license doesn't allow for names.

[twsn88]

"Crusty Legends"?

So I suppose that playing with a bunch of no named numbers is any better? Because we all know that the NCAA license doesn't allow for names.


you know what the irony is in that when EA people always say that? they forget that ncaa football games have nothing but "generic" players...

[ohjtbehaaave]

Where is the LINK to this PREVIEW? I've looked for it on 1UP and can't find it. I think this article is BS until I see the link.

[captainclutch2]

"Crusty Legends"?

So I suppose that playing with a bunch of no named numbers is any better? Because we all know that the NCAA license doesn't allow for names.
I get the rosters every year from various sites. The NCAA roster modeled after real people unlike APF roster outside the HOF's. Or is it a coincidence that HB # 5 on Arkansas is a 99

[realsports]

Wow, didn't even read this preview, must of slipped by me, well at least you can use more than one team..... Sounds like they have a 16 players season mode, which makes up for Franchise in some ways....... although I still agree 40 would have been a better price for something that doesn't have a franchise for a sports game.

[SGA360]

That's what I am waiting for. Some new info about Online play and Online Leagues. Where is it!?

[ohjtbehaaave]

Still waiting for this preview 1Up LINK? Where is it? Does it even exist? I doubt it.

[twsn88]

That's what I am waiting for. Some new info about Online play and Online Leagues. Where is it!?

check the 1up impressions and the OS fourms to check the impressions you can ask the mods there questions.

[realsports]

Still waiting for this preview 1Up LINK? Where is it? Does it even exist? I doubt it.


Yep, I agree, just went and search on 1up, nothing, nada..... dude got me for a little bit, well I guess DirtyMac is not named Dirty for nothing, lol

[Prince_RIP4eVa]

why are you guys mad? other than the "crusty legends" part they seemed to enjoy the game..

[twsn88]

Yep, I agree, just went and search on 1up, nothing, nada..... dude got me for a little bit, well I guess DirtyMac is not named Dirty for nothing, lol

haha good one there man

[Prince_RIP4eVa]

Sounds like they have a 16 players season mode, which makes up for Franchise in some ways.......

no, there's a 16 GAME season mode, not 16 player...

[realsports]

no, there's a 16 GAME season mode, not 16 player...


You're probably right, but from our "mysterious" preview from DirtyMac, 1up is quoted as saying

"All-Pro includes a 16-person season mode, but that's standard fare."

So i took that to 16 person to mean 16 player, not game mode, but i think the article/preview is BS

[Prince_RIP4eVa]

You're probably right, but from our "mysterious" preview from DirtyMac, 1up is quoted as saying

"All-Pro includes a 16-person season mode, but that's standard fare."

So i took that to 16 person to mean 16 player, not game mode, but i think the article/preview is BS

Well I never even considered that it might be fake..

anyways, i know for sure there's no 16 player season mode, so either it's a type-o or a fake

[twsn88]

Well I never even considered that it might be fake..

anyways, i know for sure there's no 16 player season mode, so either it's a type-o or a fake

dude all the info has to be taken with a grain of salt..