twsn88
June 19th, 2007, 06:35 AM
All-Pro Football 2K8 Preview
By Adam Rosenberg
"...vast pool of legendary real-life players which gamers will be able to draw from as they assemble their customized teams."
Publisher Take-Two Interactive released the last of the NFL 2K series of football games back at the end of 2004, after which Electronic Arts entered into exclusive licensing deals with both the NFL and ESPN. EA's move secured their Madden series as the only option for authentic video football, effectively eliminating Take-Two as a competitor. Now, thanks to some hard work from Visual Concepts, the NFL 2K series has returned with All-Pro Football 2K8 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, carrying a twist that the developer hopes will allow players to overlook the lack of up-to-date licensed content.
Turn Back the Clock in All-Pro Football 2K8
The key feature in All-Pro Football 2K8 meant to draw in fans of the sport is the vast pool of legendary real-life players which gamers will be able to draw from as they assemble their customized teams. There are 240 "legends" in all - from Bob St. Clair to Ickey Woods to Joe Theisman to William "The Refrigerator" Perry - and you'll select up to 11 of them (everyone is unlocked from the beginning) as you use the game's deep customization interface to design your team. You also have the option of selecting a lesser number of legends in your 11 and having the game fill out your roster by auto-selecting the rest. Any positions which don't have an assigned legend are filled with generic players.
Legends are divided into one of three tiers - Gold, Silver or Bronze - and each has one or more special abilities which define the areas in which the given player excels. The system stands in for the more complex array of stats seen in realistic football games, such as EA's Madden series. It's very user-friendly, particularly for those players who are unfamiliar with either the sport or the legends featured within it. Abilities such as scrambler, clutch, signal stealer, leadership bonus and laser arm help define in concrete terms just how one player excels over another. These special abilities also appear in the game's "create-a-player" mode. The possibility of roster updates in the form of downloadable content has not been ruled out, but for now the included legends cap out at 240. Also, since the focus is on the players rather than the teams, All-Pro Football features no franchise mode.
In designing your team (there's room for up to 20 custom squads), you'll pick not only the hometown and stadium (many of which are themed to ridiculous proportions), but also design the look of the team's uniforms. You have complete control over the color layouts on your uniforms and equipment. Although team names are pre-determined, you can easily take some extra time to model exact replicas of NFL team uniforms. Your team will further stand out on the field as you watch your legends do their thing with signature moves (Walter Payton's scissor kick) and end zone celebrations (Ickey Woods, for example, does the Ickey Shuffle).
Are You Ready for Some All-Pro Football 2K8?
If you have previous experience with NFL 2k5, the controls in 2K8 - which are relatively unchanged - will be a snap to pick up. There are a few new features, such as a reach tackle system (which allows you to have your lineman reach for a tackle while on the line). But the basic game interface is largely unchanged.
Team playbooks can be edited by the player, but they are automatically customized to suit who you've selected for your team. More than that, you don't necessarily need to know the difference between a shotgun formation and an I formation. Plays can be selected according to the legend you want to have participating in the action. You simply select the legend's portrait during the play selection process and then choose from a number of plays which will feature him.
The game is roughly 85% complete right now, and it shows. Close-up animations of the players reveal the game's amazing cloth physics. Jerseys realistically crease and fold to conform to the movements of the players. The in-game animations are not nearly as solid yet. The ball carrier moves as though he's floating and some of the play animations - particularly with tackles - are rather jerky. In addition, some of the legend's faces could use some work. But the game's presentation is solid overall and, assuming and graphical bugs are worked out before the mid-July release, players can expect a polished football game out of 2K8.
All-Pro Football 2K8 changes up the pace of football video games with its novice-friendly stat system and focus on the talent. The decision to focus on real-life legends was a masterstroke. NFL fans and non-fans alike can understand the idea of "legendary" players; Take-Two and Visual Concepts smartly avoid their lack of an NFL license by populating their game with these recognizable faces. And with the game's July 16 release less than a month away, 2K8 owners will be staging football tourneys among friends long before Madden enthusiasts have their shot at this year's edition. Football games have grown increasingly stale since the 2004 licensing agreement; 2K8 is all set to raise the bar by repositioning what exactly makes a football game "great."
By Adam Rosenberg
"...vast pool of legendary real-life players which gamers will be able to draw from as they assemble their customized teams."
Publisher Take-Two Interactive released the last of the NFL 2K series of football games back at the end of 2004, after which Electronic Arts entered into exclusive licensing deals with both the NFL and ESPN. EA's move secured their Madden series as the only option for authentic video football, effectively eliminating Take-Two as a competitor. Now, thanks to some hard work from Visual Concepts, the NFL 2K series has returned with All-Pro Football 2K8 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, carrying a twist that the developer hopes will allow players to overlook the lack of up-to-date licensed content.
Turn Back the Clock in All-Pro Football 2K8
The key feature in All-Pro Football 2K8 meant to draw in fans of the sport is the vast pool of legendary real-life players which gamers will be able to draw from as they assemble their customized teams. There are 240 "legends" in all - from Bob St. Clair to Ickey Woods to Joe Theisman to William "The Refrigerator" Perry - and you'll select up to 11 of them (everyone is unlocked from the beginning) as you use the game's deep customization interface to design your team. You also have the option of selecting a lesser number of legends in your 11 and having the game fill out your roster by auto-selecting the rest. Any positions which don't have an assigned legend are filled with generic players.
Legends are divided into one of three tiers - Gold, Silver or Bronze - and each has one or more special abilities which define the areas in which the given player excels. The system stands in for the more complex array of stats seen in realistic football games, such as EA's Madden series. It's very user-friendly, particularly for those players who are unfamiliar with either the sport or the legends featured within it. Abilities such as scrambler, clutch, signal stealer, leadership bonus and laser arm help define in concrete terms just how one player excels over another. These special abilities also appear in the game's "create-a-player" mode. The possibility of roster updates in the form of downloadable content has not been ruled out, but for now the included legends cap out at 240. Also, since the focus is on the players rather than the teams, All-Pro Football features no franchise mode.
In designing your team (there's room for up to 20 custom squads), you'll pick not only the hometown and stadium (many of which are themed to ridiculous proportions), but also design the look of the team's uniforms. You have complete control over the color layouts on your uniforms and equipment. Although team names are pre-determined, you can easily take some extra time to model exact replicas of NFL team uniforms. Your team will further stand out on the field as you watch your legends do their thing with signature moves (Walter Payton's scissor kick) and end zone celebrations (Ickey Woods, for example, does the Ickey Shuffle).
Are You Ready for Some All-Pro Football 2K8?
If you have previous experience with NFL 2k5, the controls in 2K8 - which are relatively unchanged - will be a snap to pick up. There are a few new features, such as a reach tackle system (which allows you to have your lineman reach for a tackle while on the line). But the basic game interface is largely unchanged.
Team playbooks can be edited by the player, but they are automatically customized to suit who you've selected for your team. More than that, you don't necessarily need to know the difference between a shotgun formation and an I formation. Plays can be selected according to the legend you want to have participating in the action. You simply select the legend's portrait during the play selection process and then choose from a number of plays which will feature him.
The game is roughly 85% complete right now, and it shows. Close-up animations of the players reveal the game's amazing cloth physics. Jerseys realistically crease and fold to conform to the movements of the players. The in-game animations are not nearly as solid yet. The ball carrier moves as though he's floating and some of the play animations - particularly with tackles - are rather jerky. In addition, some of the legend's faces could use some work. But the game's presentation is solid overall and, assuming and graphical bugs are worked out before the mid-July release, players can expect a polished football game out of 2K8.
All-Pro Football 2K8 changes up the pace of football video games with its novice-friendly stat system and focus on the talent. The decision to focus on real-life legends was a masterstroke. NFL fans and non-fans alike can understand the idea of "legendary" players; Take-Two and Visual Concepts smartly avoid their lack of an NFL license by populating their game with these recognizable faces. And with the game's July 16 release less than a month away, 2K8 owners will be staging football tourneys among friends long before Madden enthusiasts have their shot at this year's edition. Football games have grown increasingly stale since the 2004 licensing agreement; 2K8 is all set to raise the bar by repositioning what exactly makes a football game "great."