Frankly, I'm a little impressed with all 4 of the football games that came out this year. I add NFL Gameday 2004 to this list and drop NCAA 2004. NCAA from EA has been the best college game for many years; no question.
Now, NFL Fever 2004 is a good game. I didn't think so at first. but I gave it a chance. The playcalling is not the usual eg. Madden/ESPN style. It takes a bit of practice. After a few games where you don't care what the score is, you can watch the way the game plays. You will get beat on veteran level; but you will improve. Offensive plays are wonderful if you learn all the options. Hot routes are there; motion; audibles; just like the others, albiet not set up as well as Madden I admit. Plus Read and Lead passing is great. One thing, you MUST know what you are doing, or you will get picked off. I dislike the defensive play somewhat. After playing hundreds of games of Madden my index fingers are anxious every play; it's a no-no in NFL Fever because that's how you switch players. Takes some getting used to also and not as many options defensively. The player models are the best out there; ESPN is next with Madden close behind. Commentary never gets repetitive like Madden; however i would say Fever is 2nd overall in sound. I am beginning to play this game more and more as the season progresses. 8 of 10.
ESPN Football jumped leaps from previous years opting for a more Madden-like playcalling screen. I've always had a dislike for the seemingly too tall and thin player models Sega uses. Gameplay is quick(maybe too quick); offensively there many options and overall the presentation is the best out there. There are some quirks I have; players always seem to trot happily back to huddle; and pardon me but players while running look like they have a shoe in thier butt. First person mode is unique, however it gets old quick IF you aren't prepared to work at it. Lineman will destroy you if you aren't careful. I think it's more of a gimmick option than anything else. A good gimmick though. Animations are plentiful and enhance an already good game. It's just not great yet. Maybe next year. 7.5 of 10.
Here's my one line for NFL Gameday 2004. Major improvements! Having said that, anyone who loved the PS1 989 days will not be dissapointed; everyone else will laugh uncontrollably. Kudos to 989 for trying though. Keep at it boys!
Now Madden. We all know its a great game overall. Even diehard Sega and Xbox Fever users should admit that. Playmaker and owner mode are the big things this year. First playmaker is a "good" addition. It's not a milestone. I think the guys at EA said oh btw the right stick isn't being used; lets add a option. Playmaker does help both offensively and defensively(less though on defense I think). And defense is where Madden has fallen short for years. Running Backs spin for way too many yards. I know Ricky Williams is a great runner, but he doesn't break tackles that well. Same said for pass defense. Sometimes you can be sticking to a guy like glue and he will still catch it. Bombs mostly. A little unrealistic. The flip-side of this is on offense the long bombs are the achilles heel; making even a blow-out possible to come back from. Everyone loves to listen to John Madden talk football. At first you'll love hearing him in this game; but quickly, as with past years, the commentary gets old and repetitive. As for Owner Mode, it's like the First person mode in ESPN Football, a gimmick; also equally good though. Just not my cup of tea. Don't misunderstand me, Madden is highly anticipated by me every year; and it is a great game. 9 of 10 .There are still some bugs though. And for that reason I will not say any of this years NFL games are the best overall; my thoughts are everyone has thier preference and they are all correct. it boils down to what YOU like, and except for NFL Gameday, I like ALL the above games. Maybe as the season progresses, A favorite will emerge.
Author
Topic: Football Game Reviews (Read 610 times)