When I first began playing the game... I thought... This plays just like the last one but I am just glad that its finally here. After playing the game for a while, it began to trap my mental and trap it some more... It began to grab hold of me and before I knew it... TIME... TIME had passed... You know why? The player movements are so realistically rendered, you sort of don't need any turbo button... Its like once Walter Payton turned the corner, he knew to speed up on his own and when I tapped the turbo button, he did this thing that Walter Payton used to do once he was about to kick the burners on. Gentlemen, we have been ran by turbo buttons and little gimmicks that EA has made necessary for sports games but 2k, they really take things to a new level in which once you play the game, you began to realize that knowledge of what to do in a situation become necessary, not video game strategy... If you use the turbo button in this game and think that you can stop and turn back to knock the ball down in a splut second- you will be burned... If you think that going for the big hit on every possession is key... You will be burnt!! If you drop back with your QB and a defensive lineman who is being blocked makes contact with you- you simply move your shoulder and avoid him because realistically, making contact with him is not going to throw you back and sack you. If a defender is committing to the right and you drop back left, they don't magically shift with you and hunt you down... NO.. they have to regain balance and switch momentum which (as it should) gives you the necessary time to adjust and look your recievers down which in turn, makes having a Pocket Passer QB like Montana, actually worth using in a game... I have grown used to scrambling out of pocket because slow QBs are pretty unfun (new word!!) to use in Video games.. Now, I see the joy of using a poised QB. The sidelines are alive and moving... Your sideline will brace your RB as he dashes to the sidelines.. Look at the crowd and see some interesting things going on... Adjust the camara to your liking. No more restrictions to just one view... Make your own players and really dig deep in uniform customization... For some reason, I hate white home team jerseys... Change the stripes and colors of everything.. Helmets and all... I wish 2K would cut it out with the different body structures and let us do the arms and such like old times but it still works though... Its actually worth switching up players because every player in the game has different styles and some of the players you may never have heard of may become favorites... I have a new love for Johnny Unitas... great player... The negatives... well, to be honest... After playing 10 games... I can't help but wish they added things like a mini-camp or maybe a few mini game type things to run when you make a player (madden 95) or something else to make it interesting... Maybe school yard football or street football on the side or something... I figure, why have all these greats and not be able to take it to the street or the school yard... I love the new kicking method of using the analog in a true sense... It actually makes you wanna kick field goals... Nothing like dealing with a meter once you bake out with your homies and now you have to have a steady eye... The commentary is what it is... Not horrible but Chris B. will always have a piece of my heart on the 2K talk. Here's to "WELL DRESSED AMANI TOOMER!!" and MIKE AFTER DINNER MINTOR!!!!" You can't help but want to have a career mode and management options. Its almost hurtful to know that these guys were working in the lab on this kind of mastery but couldn't put in a few things to make us smile... Like fan email or rude trade rejection emails from other teams... But the feeling of a late hit or a drag tackle from the back make feel good knowing that I will spend many hours learning new ways to hurt people on the grid iron... Why, because any of us that every had the blessing of stepping on the field know, you play for sport and honor, but if you see a opposing reciever go for the catch on a slant and the ball is in reach, that is the glorious moment in alpha-male existence because at that second, YOU control that next mans destiny... Do you hit for the hands and knock the ball out, or do you test the team to see if their second string is deep enough to go on... IN 2K8, you just feel like you have the control to decide...
The best aspect of this game is easily the gameplay. It feels great in every aspect. Game pace changes with the teams, meaning that if your playing against a defensive specific team, the game will be slower paced, wher... Read Full Review
For the football game fans out there, remember the year of ESPN NFL 2K5? Remember how it had you critically making a decision of whether to buy it or Madden NFL 2005? Then again, you may have bought both like many others... Read Full Review
