CHEESE
June 26th, 2007, 11:03 AM
I read this a couple of times. it seems real to me. its from a guy on ign. you be the judge.
"I had the opportunity to attend a demonstration of All-Pro Football 2K8 with Operation Sports' own Aaron Holbert and 2K Sports’ Anthony Chau. The event lasted for about two hours Friday afternoon.
After firing up the game and watching the introduction, the game immediately presents the team creation screen. You start by choosing 11 legends - 2 gold, 3 silver, and 6 bronze - to form the foundation of your team; the rest of your squad consists of fictional players. After building your roster from the pool of approximately 240 historical players, you shape your team by selecting a team name, city, logo, and stadium. The game boasts an extensive selection of cities, team names, and logos to choose from. You find a home for your new team by picking one of the game's 30 beautifully rendered stadiums, many of which go to new lengths to immerse fans in the action. Wayne County Stadium, for example, hosts a giant firebird, whose wings make up the stadium's retractable roof. For those who prefer a more traditional place to play, have no fear: 8-10 contemporary stadium designs can also be called home. But while these options serve to give your team a unique identity, the game’s customization absolutely shines at the next screen. The team package editor allows you to modify your team's uniforms with an unprecedented level of control, permitting you to create an unlimited number of diverse uniforms. From shoulder designs, to stripes or designs running down the sides of the jerseys or pants, to tweaking the fonts for player names and numbers, you can customize your team's jerseys - and helmets, and pants, and socks, and shoes, and equipment - to your liking.
Once you jump in to play with your new team - or if you opt to just select players for one of the pre-built teams - you will quickly realize that this game is a step in a different direction from NFL 2K5 in the presentation department. Joining the familiar announcing team of Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe in boosting the immersion is the new Field Pass, which brings players closer to the action. Field level camera angles put you on the field and in the huddle; player chatter and (frequent) taunting put you in the game. You will be standing there with the referee and team captains for the coin toss, in the huddle when the quarterback calls the play, on the other side of the line of scrimmage when the defense prepares to make adjustments, and on the sidelines to take in all the action. The sidelines themselves have more personality this year, as these active sidelines possess their own artificial intelligence. Ball carriers forced hard out of bounds near the own sideline will have their teammates come to their aid, helpfully slowing the runner down if his momentum is too great. Players running headlong into their opponents' sideline should not expect the same kind of assistance. Referees and other officials are also willing – and sometimes unwilling – participants, as they too have their own AI and can accidentally interfere with the play. These additions help give you the sensation that you are on the field and a part of the action, which is crucial because the game now lacks much of the front-end presentation that endeared NFL 2K5 to its fans. The pre-game and post-game shows have vanished while the half-time show now occupies a reduced role. The aforementioned additions attempt to help you forget about the departure of these pieces; how well it succeeds at this purpose will depend on how soon these innovations grow stale. From what I’ve seen, there’s something good here, and it would be more accurate to say that they have shifted focus from the broadcast to the field, as opposed to just drastically scaling back presentation overall.
The new kicking system will strike you first as a change from the last iteration in the series. The moving yellow arrow returns from previous games, but the right analog stick now controls the kick itself. Pulling back on the right stick starts the kick; how you push the stick forward determines the power and direction of the kick. On a similar note, keep in mind the tremendous gap in ability between legend kickers (and punters) and their generic counterparts. The game's new player ability system, which replaces the commonly used numeric attributes, differentiates legends both from themselves and the generic players. You will quickly notice the difference between a generic punter and Ray Guy, who possesses the Coffin Corner ability. Some player abilities derive from traditional player attributes, such as Jerry Rice's Route God ability, while other abilities give the players more personality, like Walter Payton's trademark Scissor Kick and Steve Young's Tough As Nails ability. Joe Montana holds the Sign Stealer ability; when activated before the play by pressing ‘X’, the offense has a slight chance of seeing the defense’s plan of attack. Generic players do not have these abilities, but you choose a style of play to tailor their talents for (usually pass-oriented, run-oriented, or balanced).
Familiarity with NFL 2K5's play calling will serve you well here, as the system retains the same look and mechanics. The play calling screen has undergone only slight changes, with features such as defensive line stunts and on-the-fly substitutions making their return. From what I could tell, audibles and hot routes, on both sides of the ball, remain unchanged in terms of mechanics; pre-snap play underwent few alterations as a whole. New on offense, however, is the ability to select plays based on which player the play is designed to run for. Want to throw Jerry Rice the ball? Just choose him at the play calling screen and up pops every play in your playbook designed to get Jerry the ball. On defense, the capacity to choose plays by type is now available. On the lookout for a short pass? Just pick a short zone and you'll have all such zone coverage plays at your disposal.
From a purely graphical standpoint, the game does not set a new standard, but it more than holds its own against the competition. The stadiums' creative designs add a substantial amount of flare to the experience without becoming intrusive. The player models in the 80% build we played have improved a great deal since the versions displayed in the trailer; Chau told us that the trailer actually featured separate builds that were approximately 2 weeks apart. In the build we played, linemen have an appropriate amount of bulk and look well-proportioned. Most people will be pleased with how the player models turn out, especially the textures. Player faces – for the legends, at least – look great and the jerseys are simply phenomenal up close. We’ve already seen the stitching in screenshots, but the jerseys seemed to crease and fold as the players contort. The weather effects in the one rainy game we played looked great, with rain bouncing off players’ helmets. You’ll be able to see lightning in games played during thunderstorms for the first time in a football game, as Chau pointed out. He let us know that the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions will look nearly identical. The Sixaxis controls (for special moves such as jukes and spins) in the Playstation 3 version serve as the only major difference between the releases.
While the visuals alone won’t blow you away, the animations and player interaction that this game brings to the table certainly will. Chau revealed the new real-time injuries, in which a player can be hurt during a play and yet still make an effort to finish out the play. Although we did not see any injuries in our limited time with the game, we saw plenty of potentially injury-inducing hits. Gang tackling has not changed significantly since NFL 2K5, but we soon discovered new animations in this area and noticed that it was much easier to initiate gang tackles. Running back animations have taken a step forward, with more seamless transition between different animations and a greater variety in style between running backs that made every carry a fresh experience. Overall, the animations and player interaction have improved greatly, and these improvements made themselves most evident in the secondary and in the trenches.
"I had the opportunity to attend a demonstration of All-Pro Football 2K8 with Operation Sports' own Aaron Holbert and 2K Sports’ Anthony Chau. The event lasted for about two hours Friday afternoon.
After firing up the game and watching the introduction, the game immediately presents the team creation screen. You start by choosing 11 legends - 2 gold, 3 silver, and 6 bronze - to form the foundation of your team; the rest of your squad consists of fictional players. After building your roster from the pool of approximately 240 historical players, you shape your team by selecting a team name, city, logo, and stadium. The game boasts an extensive selection of cities, team names, and logos to choose from. You find a home for your new team by picking one of the game's 30 beautifully rendered stadiums, many of which go to new lengths to immerse fans in the action. Wayne County Stadium, for example, hosts a giant firebird, whose wings make up the stadium's retractable roof. For those who prefer a more traditional place to play, have no fear: 8-10 contemporary stadium designs can also be called home. But while these options serve to give your team a unique identity, the game’s customization absolutely shines at the next screen. The team package editor allows you to modify your team's uniforms with an unprecedented level of control, permitting you to create an unlimited number of diverse uniforms. From shoulder designs, to stripes or designs running down the sides of the jerseys or pants, to tweaking the fonts for player names and numbers, you can customize your team's jerseys - and helmets, and pants, and socks, and shoes, and equipment - to your liking.
Once you jump in to play with your new team - or if you opt to just select players for one of the pre-built teams - you will quickly realize that this game is a step in a different direction from NFL 2K5 in the presentation department. Joining the familiar announcing team of Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe in boosting the immersion is the new Field Pass, which brings players closer to the action. Field level camera angles put you on the field and in the huddle; player chatter and (frequent) taunting put you in the game. You will be standing there with the referee and team captains for the coin toss, in the huddle when the quarterback calls the play, on the other side of the line of scrimmage when the defense prepares to make adjustments, and on the sidelines to take in all the action. The sidelines themselves have more personality this year, as these active sidelines possess their own artificial intelligence. Ball carriers forced hard out of bounds near the own sideline will have their teammates come to their aid, helpfully slowing the runner down if his momentum is too great. Players running headlong into their opponents' sideline should not expect the same kind of assistance. Referees and other officials are also willing – and sometimes unwilling – participants, as they too have their own AI and can accidentally interfere with the play. These additions help give you the sensation that you are on the field and a part of the action, which is crucial because the game now lacks much of the front-end presentation that endeared NFL 2K5 to its fans. The pre-game and post-game shows have vanished while the half-time show now occupies a reduced role. The aforementioned additions attempt to help you forget about the departure of these pieces; how well it succeeds at this purpose will depend on how soon these innovations grow stale. From what I’ve seen, there’s something good here, and it would be more accurate to say that they have shifted focus from the broadcast to the field, as opposed to just drastically scaling back presentation overall.
The new kicking system will strike you first as a change from the last iteration in the series. The moving yellow arrow returns from previous games, but the right analog stick now controls the kick itself. Pulling back on the right stick starts the kick; how you push the stick forward determines the power and direction of the kick. On a similar note, keep in mind the tremendous gap in ability between legend kickers (and punters) and their generic counterparts. The game's new player ability system, which replaces the commonly used numeric attributes, differentiates legends both from themselves and the generic players. You will quickly notice the difference between a generic punter and Ray Guy, who possesses the Coffin Corner ability. Some player abilities derive from traditional player attributes, such as Jerry Rice's Route God ability, while other abilities give the players more personality, like Walter Payton's trademark Scissor Kick and Steve Young's Tough As Nails ability. Joe Montana holds the Sign Stealer ability; when activated before the play by pressing ‘X’, the offense has a slight chance of seeing the defense’s plan of attack. Generic players do not have these abilities, but you choose a style of play to tailor their talents for (usually pass-oriented, run-oriented, or balanced).
Familiarity with NFL 2K5's play calling will serve you well here, as the system retains the same look and mechanics. The play calling screen has undergone only slight changes, with features such as defensive line stunts and on-the-fly substitutions making their return. From what I could tell, audibles and hot routes, on both sides of the ball, remain unchanged in terms of mechanics; pre-snap play underwent few alterations as a whole. New on offense, however, is the ability to select plays based on which player the play is designed to run for. Want to throw Jerry Rice the ball? Just choose him at the play calling screen and up pops every play in your playbook designed to get Jerry the ball. On defense, the capacity to choose plays by type is now available. On the lookout for a short pass? Just pick a short zone and you'll have all such zone coverage plays at your disposal.
From a purely graphical standpoint, the game does not set a new standard, but it more than holds its own against the competition. The stadiums' creative designs add a substantial amount of flare to the experience without becoming intrusive. The player models in the 80% build we played have improved a great deal since the versions displayed in the trailer; Chau told us that the trailer actually featured separate builds that were approximately 2 weeks apart. In the build we played, linemen have an appropriate amount of bulk and look well-proportioned. Most people will be pleased with how the player models turn out, especially the textures. Player faces – for the legends, at least – look great and the jerseys are simply phenomenal up close. We’ve already seen the stitching in screenshots, but the jerseys seemed to crease and fold as the players contort. The weather effects in the one rainy game we played looked great, with rain bouncing off players’ helmets. You’ll be able to see lightning in games played during thunderstorms for the first time in a football game, as Chau pointed out. He let us know that the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 versions will look nearly identical. The Sixaxis controls (for special moves such as jukes and spins) in the Playstation 3 version serve as the only major difference between the releases.
While the visuals alone won’t blow you away, the animations and player interaction that this game brings to the table certainly will. Chau revealed the new real-time injuries, in which a player can be hurt during a play and yet still make an effort to finish out the play. Although we did not see any injuries in our limited time with the game, we saw plenty of potentially injury-inducing hits. Gang tackling has not changed significantly since NFL 2K5, but we soon discovered new animations in this area and noticed that it was much easier to initiate gang tackles. Running back animations have taken a step forward, with more seamless transition between different animations and a greater variety in style between running backs that made every carry a fresh experience. Overall, the animations and player interaction have improved greatly, and these improvements made themselves most evident in the secondary and in the trenches.