2K Sport’s 10th Anniversary edition of NBA 2K10 is huge, and I’m not exaggerating by any means, as it may well be the biggest bundle for a limited-edition game ever.

Unveiled today, the $99.99 10th Anniversary package comes with the game (duh), an exclusive Kobe Bryant figurine by McFarlane Toys, a Kobe Bryant poster, a video about the NBA 2K series, and an account to a special VIP online lobby for the game called the “Gold Room”.

Oh, don’t let me forget to mention that the package also comes with a storage locker that stores 20 games. Nope, you didn’t read that wrong. The game actually comes with storage locker fit to hold 20 games. Now do you believe me when I say this anniversary package is huge?

Source: Joystiq via Team Xbox

I had the privilege of participating in a conference call yesterday where the producers of NHL 2K9 fielded questions submitted by the gaming media. The whole thing has been recorded for your listening pleasure, with the exception of about 20 seconds in the middle where the call dropped out, most likely due to all this hurricane action we’ve been getting.

Producer Ben Bishop and online producer Jay Iwahashi gave some candid and interesting answers to our questions. The big concept for this year’s game is that it’s “different” from last year’s game and is supposed to be a lot easier to just pick up and play. They also lay claim to the first and, so far, only hockey title for the Wii, which they give the impression is their favorite version of the game. I’ll let the men speak for themselves:

The most recent foray into simulated ball-smacking is 2K Sports’ Top Spin 3. Claiming to be an evolution over Top Spin 2 (a game that I played and enjoyed for about a month straight), Top Spin 3 has some pretty big tennis shoes to fill.

Before I continue, let me first give you some background information: I don’t like sports games. On top of that, I find tennis itself to be especially boring. I played tennis a bit in high school gym class and during “sports day” in the army, but only because the only other option was baseball which I find to be even lamer.

Given my feelings on the subject, it was an absolute triumph in game design that I could not only play Top Spin 2 without falling asleep, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. The only other time I enjoyed tennis this much was playing the aptly named Tennis on my Game Boy when I was nine and always yelling at that lying bitch line judge Mario for calling my shots out.

That being said, how does Top Spin 3 compare?

The first thing I noticed when I started playing the game was the absolutely horrible soundtrack. Who picks these songs? It felt like a poor man’s EA Trax, and I hate EA Trax, which makes this soundtrack, uh, pretty bad. I mean, it features the song from Napoleon Dynamite when he dances at the presidential speech — it makes me want to load up my Blood Elf in World of WarCraft just to make him bust a move (which also means it doesn’t compel me to play any tennis), and then it makes me want to stab myself in the ear.

For anyone that didn’t know, the Blood Elf dance was inspired by this scene.

Aside from that, the graphics are pretty nice, and will likely be the next thing you notice. All of the pro players look pretty much like themselves, albeit with a few discrepancies like boob placement, ass thickness, and overly perfect posture. Unlike their real-life counterparts, none of the in-game women give me a boner, so points off for that.

Adding to the realism of the visuals is sweat. As a match goes on, the players start sweating, even to the point that my character’s tracksuit was drenched in the pits with a huge ring around the collar. This was a nice little addition over Top Spin 2, but not really all that innovative since players have been sweating in sports videogames since 2005.

Also along the lines of realism is the “signature style” of the pros. All of the athletes are modeled wearing their signature outfits and using the gear they use in real life, and the swing styles were even meticulously recreated… at least, that’s what they say. I haven’t studied the side-by-side video of the players and their in-game likenesses to verify whether or not they really swing the same, and likely not very many other people have either. The animations are decent, however, and the game could possibly be mistaken for an actual televised tennis match during the back-and-forth.

A few things are missing, however, like any kind of announcer. When the players enter the court, the loudspeaker doesn’t even say their names. I thought at first it was because my amateur player was facing some no-name, but this holds true even at a Grand Slam finals match. The only announcements that are ever made are ones related to the score.

Also, when a match is loading up, the music hangs for a few seconds like a scratched CD, and then as it pans around the venue, the camera itself stutters while more loading occurs. At this point in videogame history, we should be past the point of this kind of thing happening, or at least 2K could have done something to better cover up these deficiencies.

Once you get into a match, you will likely notice the change in controls from Top Spin 2 (if you’ve played it). The big difference here is that instead of holding your swing type button to power through your shot, you now don’t swing at all until you release said button. A much greater emphasis has been placed on timing, again for the sake of realism. They have even incorporated a Tiger Woods-style right analog swing for serves and lobs.

At first, this change in swing mechanics really threw me off. Going through the Top Spin School was an absolute nightmare and further confirmed to me that I hate tennis. Of all the heads I’ve sliced off and hookers I’ve said mean things to in other games, never before has a videogame driven me to want to actually murder some people. Who would’ve guessed that tennis of all things would be the game that made me snap…

Top Spin School basically tries to hammer home the difference between this new swing mechanic and the way it worked in Top Spin 2 by having specific timing and power requirements in the individual challenges. For example: You may be tasked with hitting the ball into the far right corner while using the Slice shot type and getting at least 2 out of 3 stars on the power meter. Not really as difficult as it sounds, but most of the time I would accomplish this task and instead of completing it and moving on, the motherfucker tells me I swung too late!

Even more infuriating is that sometimes this matters and I fail and other times the game doesn’t give a shit and lets me continue. I honestly don’t see why it ever matters — I put the ball where you wanted and how you wanted, so why are you being a pain in the dick about the timing of my swing?

So Top Spin School is overly anal about the whole timing thing to make it desperately obvious to me that the swing mechanic is different. Funny thing is that once I started my career and actually got into the game, I really didn’t notice that much of a change. It felt pretty much like the Top Spin I already know. I ignored the right analog stick usage because it’s pointless and more complicated than it has to be, so the only difference I ever noticed was when I forgot to let go of the swing button and ended up just watching the ball bounce past me.

I really don’t understand why anyone felt the controls needed to change for this game. It’s been repeated over and over that it’s supposed to make the game a more accurate depiction of tennis — more realistic, more intuitive. Perhaps the Wii was a major influence, and 2K was trying to give people the same experience on a regular controller as they get with a Wiimote, even if they didn’t realize that’s what they were doing.

That is really the big thing here with Top Spin 3: realism. Even though you can facially deform your created character in ways that make them look like no real human being outside the Jackson family ever could, realism is still the name of the game… and tennis, also the name of the game.

Ultimately, that is the major selling-point and biggest disappointment of Top Spin 3. 2K has taken great strides towards making videogame tennis feel like real tennis, but in doing so, they’ve also made it less fun. There is a certain breed of person out there that would welcome these changes, but I’m not one of them.  Top Spin 3 seems to be missing some things that would have made it feel like a more complete package, though it does feature a more robust online tournament mode and more character creation options than previous iterations.

The character creator actually kind of sucks, with the sole exception of the free-form facial deformation tool. Picking a “character type”, which is basically your ethnicity, gives you a separate set of options to choose from, yet it seems convoluted and completely unnecessary. Just give me all the options!

Scrolling through different facial features usually takes two to five seconds to load up the part, which is extremely annoying when you have to flip through a set of 30 different options.  I guess maybe that’s why they make you pick your character type to begin with so you don’t have to scroll through so much shit (though you probably will anyway if you care what your character looks like).

And all of the female create-a-characters gross me out. They’re all sticking their poochy pelvises forward and have low, saggy, non-bra-wearing boobs with no ass, even with the ass and hips settings cranked up to 11. They actually remind me of trolls from EverQuest 2, and that’s really not what tennis chicks should be compared to.

Regardless, Top Spin 3 is not a bad game. It is the ultimate videogame version of real tennis and has done a good job reminding me just how much I don’t really care for real tennis. The Top Spin series of games would be my recommendation for anyone looking for a tennis videogame, with Top Spin 3 being the ideal choice for the hardcore tennisphile out there. If, however, you are looking for a fun time with a semi-sports game, you should save yourself some cash and try to score a copy of Top Spin 2 instead.  In the end, it’s really a question of how real you want your games to be.

Justin Blankenship, a former FTC lawyer, expresses concern regarding the potential EA and Take-Two merger. Specifically, he believes that the merger may violate antitrust laws due to the hold the company would have on the videogame sports sector. Justin states:

I wouldn’t consider this [EA/Take-Two deal] inevitable quite yet,” … “Although you’ve yet to see antitrust law rear its head in a videogame merger, this is the best case I’ve seen where it could happen. Don’t be surprised if this gets more interesting than anyone expects.”

EA already holds several exclusive licenses across the professional and collegiate levels and a merger with Take-Two would mean the end of 2K Sports, the largest competitor for EA when it comes to sports related videogame content. It doesn’t take a degree in rocket science to figure this one out.

The main argument regarding this merger has been one focused on price, however the bigger picture that we believe concerns gamers even more, is choice and quality of product. We would love to hear your thoughts on this.

It’s turning out to be a pretty big day for sports related gaming announcements. In what could be taken as a response to EA’s “All your NFL belong to us” press release, 2K Sports releases a list containing some new features for their MLB exclusive licensed title, Major League Baseball 2K8.

The list below is courtesy of the 2K Sports press release (available in full after our post).

- Total Pitch Control: A new, innovative pitching interface that allows players to emulate the realistic motion of pitching a live baseball. Execution of speed and precise accuracy involves matching specific gestures and release with the right analog stick, simulating the arm and wrist action involved in throwing that particular type of pitch.

- Swing Stick 2.0: Improved batting controls that offer players unparalleled ball-to-bat contact that will be determined by timing, direction and pitch location for a greater variety of realistic hits, including grounders, blooper singles, dribblers, gappers, long home runs and more using the right analog stick.

- All-New Baserunning: Simplified controls that allow fans to easily select players with the left analog stick and guide them toward specified bases with ease.

- Precision Throw Control: Provides unprecedented control over throw accuracy using the right analog stick, bringing a new level of realism to playing defense.

- Full Minor Leagues: Fans will be treated to 90 authentic minor league teams, along with 18 minor league stadiums in franchise and exhibition modes.

- Two of the best Commentators in the Business: 2K Sports proudly brings back to the broadcast booth the popular duo of Jon Miller and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, delivering the most entertaining and deepest commentary available in any baseball franchise.

The list above came with a vague footnote stating that “certain features will vary between platforms”, so it appears that certain features (which ones are unclear) may be excluded on certain systems. Press release below.

2K Sports Swings For The Fences With New Features In Major League Baseball® 2K8

Intuitive pitching, batting, fielding and throwing mechanics provide for most realistic baseball simulation experience yet

New York, NY – February 12, 2008 – While dedicated baseball fans eagerly anticipate the start of Spring Training™, the next installment of the wildly popular Major League Baseball 2K franchise steps up to the plate and swings for the fences. 2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), today unveiled a host of exciting new gameplay features and added content for Major League Baseball 2K8, as fans will have the opportunity this season to play the most enjoyable and authentic baseball simulation experience available.

“With Major League Baseball 2K8, our goal was to bring fans of the Major League Baseball 2K series closer to the exciting baseball action than ever before,” said Ben Brinkman, Executive Producer of the Major League Baseball 2K franchise. “We read the message boards and forums, and spoke to MLB® players in an effort to deliver realism and tap into what the fans want in a baseball video game. From the new pitching system, and fielding and baserunning controls, to a completely overhauled batting interface, and addition of a robust Minor League™ system, Major League Baseball 2K8 will deliver players a fun experience they will want to play year round.”

Some of the exciting new features and added content in Major League Baseball 2K8 include:

- Total Pitch Control — A new, innovative pitching interface that allows players to emulate the realistic motion of pitching a live baseball. Execution of speed and precise accuracy involves matching specific gestures and release with the right analog stick, simulating the arm and wrist action involved in throwing that particular type of pitch.

- Swing Stick 2.0 — Improved batting controls that offer players unparalleled ball-to-bat contact that will be determined by timing, direction and pitch location for a greater variety of realistic hits, including grounders, blooper singles, dribblers, gappers, long home runs and more using the right analog stick.

- All-New Baserunning — Simplified controls that allow fans to easily select players with the left analog stick and guide them toward specified bases with ease.

- Precision Throw Control — Provides unprecedented control over throw accuracy using the right analog stick, bringing a new level of realism to playing defense.

- Full Minor Leagues — Fans will be treated to 90 authentic minor league teams, along with 18 minor league stadiums in franchise and exhibition modes.

- Two of the best Commentators in the Business — 2K Sports proudly brings back to the broadcast booth the popular duo of Jon Miller and Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, delivering the most entertaining and deepest commentary available in any baseball franchise.

** Certain features will vary between platforms.

Along with a host of other new features, Major League Baseball 2K8 includes added Signature Style™ animations such as new and improved player walk-ups, batting stances, home run celebrations, steps-ins and step-outs to make each unique player true to life. For competitive players, Major League Baseball 2K8 allows fans to have fun while competing against each other online, testing their skills in a single game, tournament or full league season against more than one million elite online gamers in the 2K community. New online lobbies have been added to help users match up with others who want to play with a similar style, including a “Strikes Only” lobby, where pitchers can only throw in the strike zone, and lobbies where players use the advanced analog stick controls or the controls from previous iterations of the Major League Baseball 2K series.

Major League Baseball 2K8, rated E for Everyone by the ESRB, will be available in retail stores on March 4, 2008 for Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system, PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) system, and Wii™ home video game system from Nintendo.

If there’s one word that defines this generation of sports games, it is complication.

I grew up during the advent of 8 bit gaming and the explosion of 16-bit. For hockey fans, this was a fabulous time to lace up pixelated skates. Between Nintendo’s Ice Hockey and Konami’s cult-classic Blades of Steel, the seeds of simple but fun hockey had been planted. In 8 and 16 bits the hockey games kept evolving, but the basics were what kept fans returning every year.

Hockey games went on to become a household activity that would even penetrate popular culture, like in the movie Swingers. Over time, the N64, Saturn, and Playstation brought NHL games to new heights. EA, Midway, Sega– there was no end in sight to the options available on the market for hockey fans.

But now, things have gotten complicated. The power of the PS3 and Xbox 360 allow nearly unlimited options for designers. Superior graphics are to be expected, and NHL 2K8 looks fantastic, with subtle and improved animation.

I won’t harp on the graphics too much, because there’s nowhere to go but up and developer Kush Games has done this. Every seam is visible on uniforms. The faces look like living action figures. Equipment is authentic. Sweat pours down faces. Again, there’s no surprise here– just improvements and satisfaction.

What is drastically different and complicated in NHL 2K8 are the sheer amount of options, controls, and simulations. It’s actually intimidating to review this game. I was surprised at how much change there was in this year’s edition, and I have to wonder if it’s what we need, or for that matter, what we want.

Last year, EA added a new control scheme to their NHL series that placed more emphasis on the sticks of your joypad. It has been “borrowed” and adapted by 2K, under the moniker of Prostick. From dekes to slapshots, you crank the stick back and shove it forward as opposed to the classic format of pressing buttons.

I won’t get into more detail here, because to be honest, it bores me to tears. It’s not bad– it’s the natural evolution for Kush Games. But when it comes to video games I want to know one thing– is it fun? Making the experience more authentic isn’t the same as making it more entertaining.

I hate saying this– it is setting my soul ablaze as a Canadian and a hockey fan to do so. I don’t want to turn anyone off of this title, or hockey in general. Yet I found that by making this year’s NHL incarnations more realistic I am not having fun.

There, I said it. God help me, it’s out there now. I don’t want realistic. I am not a simulation guy. The difficulty and speed has been amped up to a point where goals are as rare as my Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse T-bone.

You can convert back to the 2K classic controls, but against the AI it makes things even more challenging and frustrating. Sure, there are minigames where the action is arcade-like, but that’s not why you plunk down $50 or $60.

Even die-hard fans may have a difficult time adjusting to this year’s revamp. Like in my recent review of Forza 2, I am left to wonder if designers are forgetting the word “game” in “videogames”.

Developers also seem to forget what made the NHL series popular on the Genesis and in arcades: Skate, check, shoot. Between Prostick and the insomnia-curing Franchise mode, I wonder why we can’t get another Hitz game (Ah, Hitz 2003– Fast, fun, pick up and play. Wouldn’t Hitz be the perfect sports game for the Wii? You want realism, 2K? Then let me slap the puck with my Wii-mote or make a replay-worthy save with my nunchuck).

The poisonous icing on the cake of NHL 2K8 is the soundtrack. I don’t mind ‘real’ music in video games. Sometimes it adds to the experience, if it suits the title. For instance, Halo 2 had a fantastic song by Breaking Benjamin called “Blow Me Away”. Even NHL Hitz 2002 had Limp Bizkit’s “Rolling” and it was truly adrenaline-pumping.

EA and similar ilk have turned annoying eardrum-piercing licensed tunes into a craptacular art form. Seriously, this is terrible music. For all my back and forth concerning other aspects of the game (controls, boredom) there is no disputing the uninspired and awful choices this soundtrack contains.

NHL 2K8 adds more to almost every aspect of the series– more reality, more control, more difficulty, and more complexity. More is not equivalent to better, though, and I am just not sure I care anymore.

The news is in regarding All-Pro Football 2K8’s initial sales, and the numbers don’t look good. From a business standpoint, the numbers are very important to Take-Two and 2K Sports. The company has come out and said that they realize they are in competition with Madden. This caused many individuals to laugh at the remark, however we ask you this, if you thought you had a superior product that you had busted your butt working on, would you not stand up for it?

We know this may be asking a lot, but if you stripped away the John Madden name, and “heck” why not … the icon is barely in the game these days anyway. Then take away the All-Pro angle 2K is using and the NFL license powering Madden. What would you have left? What would you be comparing? The answer is you would be comparing the gameplay.

Gamers like to play dress up and pretend that they are their football hero. While we understand and can relate to that to an extent, there is an excessive amount of weight put on the words “and Tom Brady drops back, he looks, he throws and finds Randy Moss open in the end zone.” The power of the exclusive NFL license alone effects Madden sales enormously, however for the team at EA Sports to breeze by each year essentially selling us a roster update is just wrong.

We are not saying that Madden has not made progress over the years, that would be a lie. What we are saying is that after acquiring the NFL license it appears to us that EA Sports became content for the most part and saw no problem in not only taking their time, but also overlooking the minor details that made them who they are today. That said, it is pathetic to watch mindless fans follow them year in and year out.

A company that once claimed to have every detail in the game could not even answer us directly as to why they left nets and referees out of the game again for the third year in a row. If that wasn’t bad enough they announced recently that they would be shutting down their 2006 game servers soon essentially forcing gamers to buy the next release of the game.

When a person does these sorts of things people refer to them as an individual who is calling out of help. Is EA calling out for help or are they calling our bluff? Think about it. They know they are a Monopoly when it comes to Pro Football, but this year you finally have a choice as a gamer. You don’t owe it to 2K Sports, you owe it to yourself to give All-Pro Football a chance.

Forget the tasteless videos that were created by Gametrailers.com showcasing their version of Mike Vick and then following that up by taking OJ Simpson and putting him on a team called the Assassins. That was poor judgment on their part, beyond that who are we to determine any other motives they may or may not have had. What we do know is that those clips had nothing to do with Take-Two or 2K Sports directly.

At the end of the day you have a choice. EA Sports has had a choice for 3 years now, and each year they have come to the table with an excuse. This year they were too focused on gameplay to throw in a net behind the goalposts. Too focused on gameplay to bring back the referees. To say to us that they focused so much on gameplay this year, leaves us asking “what did you focus on the other years?”

Look, we don’t have it out for EA, in-fact we are big supporters of some of their games on this site. We grew up playing Madden and we would love nothing more than to see EA Sports give us the game we deserve, yet after three years of marketing hype and disappointing gameplay, it is hard to not feel as if the only control we have over that outcome lies in our decision to purchase the game or not. This is not to say that All-Pro Football is anywhere near perfect, as it has its share of flaws as well.

There is a saying that goes, if someone enters your space and knocks you onto the floor, shame on them … but if they come back in an hour, and you are still laying on the floor, shame on you. In other words, complaint without action gives the appearance of foolishness, and a company will not change when they believe that the majority of their customer base is foolish enough to continue to buy their product as is.

Fans of Major League Baseball will have yet another change up thrown their way this Fall from 2K Sports.

If The BIGS didn’t offer up enough variety in your Marjor Leauge Baseball craving life, Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. and Take-Two announced today a new Major League Baseball title – MLB Power Pros.

The original game “Power Pro” developed by Konami has been the best selling baseball series in Japan for years. MLB Power Pros will be making its way to North America this Fall courtesy of 2K Sports and their exclusive MLB license.

“For years, Konami’s Power Pro Baseball has been Japan’s No. 1 baseball game, in sales and fan ratings,” said Kazumi Kitaue, Chairman and CEO of Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. “Now, in an excellent partnership with 2K Sports, it is with great pleasure that we bring Power Pro Baseball to the North American market as MLB Power Pros, where this great sport was born.”

2K is definitely making use of their exclusive license. While they may not hit a homerun everytime at bat, they appear prepared to go down swinging. Check out the video as well as the game details via the press release below.

Game Details

MLB Power Pros delivers an original visual style to America’s favorite pastime. Every MLB player will be represented in the “Power Pro” character style – a miniature toy-like figurine model. Gamers will recognize their favorite baseball stars through comic usage of facial expressions, facial hair, and hair styles. Every MLB ballpark has been faithfully replicated with their respective famous landmarks, bringing astounding authenticity to every game. This visual combination is certain to delight baseball fans of all ages.

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Solid gameplay features and responsive controls provide an exciting baseball experience in MLB Power Pros. The easy pick-up-and-play mechanics in both pitching and batting allow for instant fun. Amazing animations will be seen in the field with incredible double plays, diving catches, and even home-run-robbing wall catches.

Featuring over a dozen different game modes, MLB Power Pros offers great long-term playability highlighted by the detailed Season Mode and popular Success Mode. With Season Mode, players become an MLB team general manager with the goal of winning the World Series™ by controlling all aspects of the team including training players, purchasing better equipment, making trades, and much more. Success Mode combines traditional role-playing elements with baseball scenarios to create one of the most unique and compelling game modes in any sports title. This story-based mode puts the user in the role of a college baseball player with the goal of becoming a Major League player – gamers will train the player in numerous games while dealing with real-world situations of academics, part-time jobs, and other social situations.

MLB Power Pros will be available on the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system and the Wii home video game system from Nintendo in Fall 2007.

When skating around in the NHL, every bit of extra control finesse can help. Attempting to add a new layer of realism, this year’s NHL from 2k Sports introduces the ProStick. Registered trademark? You bet.

Stick controls are now mapped to the second analog stick, which 2k claims will make the gameplay feel more authentic. Not that there’s anything authentic in hockey about twiddling a joystick, but it should be enough for most gamers.

So it’s a step forward for sports game controls. Now if they can just get the license, gameplay, graphics, and audio up to the same level of innovation, they might have a complete game here. Otherwise, it’s just a slap-dash attempt at slap-shots.

If you own a copy of 2K Sports All-Pro Football 2K8 then you are probably among the many who are happy with the purchase. However, one owner wants to know if he can sue the company for misleading information on the back of the box.

The poster on 2K Sports message board is upset with the game stating…

“The back of the box says game includes over 240 HALL of FAME legends.”

His post is titled “Can I sue 2K for false advertising?” … now, while the game does include over 240 former NFL players, not all of them are Hall of Fame material.

Yes, the list of “all-pros” was announced well before the game hit store shelves, however he could claim that he never saw it, but the fact that he is savvy enough to post on the companies message board wouldn’t do much to help his case, as he obviously knows how to work a computer and browse the internet.

Would our little lawsuit happy poster stand a chance in court? Well, you can sue anyone for pretty much anything these days, so if has the money and the time then he probably does. The rest of us would most likely suck it up, take some responsibility for not doing more research ahead of time, and trade the game in for something else.

You take the snap and look up. A quick check to your first receiver, a glance at your second, and before you can release the ball you are picking chucks of turf out of your helmet.

Like to drop back, scramble for half a minute, toss one up through the clouds, over the sun, and back down into the hands of your money receiver who always seems to be open? Eh, well then maybe this game isn’t for you, but if you want to learn the game of football and are willing to take your lumps along the way in doing so then read on.

When you first crack open the game, you MAY see a bright light shine down from the heavens … it’s quick though, so pay close attention. Start up the game and you are greeted by the 2k Sports All-Pro Football Logo. Once you press the button to continue you will notice that before you can really do anything at all you must first first create a team.

CREATE TEAM – SELECT ALL PROS
The team create option is loaded with customization and can be a lot of fun. First things first, you need to fill your roster of eleven pros. You will notice that you have three tiers of skill. You are allowed two gold level players, three silver level players, and six bronze for a total of eleven. Take your time here and browse them all thoroughly. If you are careful and do your research you can find some great value in the bronze and silver tiers.

If you don’t want to pick the pros for yourself there is a button that allows the computer to randomly generate them for you. Once your pros are all set the rest of your team will be filled out with random players by position and based on the type of criteria you set. For example you can set your receivers to be balanced, speed, or possession receivers.

We were a little disappointed at first with the limitations set when it came to loading up on all-pros. With so many great gold level players it would have been nice if 2K allowed for a few more on each team, maybe two for each side of the ball? Now, we say “at first” for a reason, and that is because once you start playing with your team and get familiar with what they can and can not do, you get over this pretty quickly. That said, it still would have been nice to have an option that could turn the games “handcuffs” off allowing a bunch of friends to get together and conduct an off line draft to fill out their online league rosters.

One last thing to note here is that there are no numeric ratings for players, instead the game focuses on special abilities called out in the form of icons located in the players bio such as rocket arm, 4th quarter comeback, soft hands, and speed burst. Additionally, only the pro players have bio cards, the computer generated teammates do not.

All of this may sound a bit confusing at first, but step back for a minute and ask yourself this … in real life how do teammates familiarize themselves with each other and get on the “same page”? Thats right Allen, “we are talking about practice”. How effective is my QB’s rocket arm? Can my reciever catch the deep ball? Will my O-line be able to block a killer pass rush? The best, and most realistic way, to get answers to these questions is to hit up practice mode (which we will get into later) early and often.

CREATE TEAM – TEAM DETAILS
Once your team is filled it is time to pick a logo, team name, location, and design your uniform. Pretty much everything from your teams socks and shoes up to their helmet is customizable, and despite what was said by 2K, our group here has been able to create NFL like teams very easily with the resources available in the game.

The Miami Flippers can be transformed into the Dolphins with very little work and after a few minutes of swapping out colors the New England Red Coats will bare a striking resemblance to that team with three Superbowl rings from Foxborough Massachusetts.

All in all though, it is just as fun to create your own team, and once we got the “wow we can make our favorite NFL team” feeling out of our systems that is exactly what we did. When you wield that much power in your hands why stop at pretending to be something when you can create something of your own and show it off instead.

The level of customization in the game is amazing. You may not notice it at first, but outside of the obvious things like the team logo on the field, you will see that the seats in the stadium as well as the fans clothing all update to reflect your new team colors.

GAME MODES
Alright, you have your players and your team is decked out in the city and stadium of your choice … are you ready for some football? Game modes are everything you would expect, as long as you aren’t expecting a franchise mode. There is a pretty in-depth practice mode, head to head, season, and best of all online head to head and league play! If you have always wanted to create a player, throw him on to your custom team, and bring that team online then give yourself a hug because your wait is finally over.

All-Pro Football is about customization online and you are going to love every minute of it. League Mode is truly a gift and will make you forget all about the games lack of a franchise mode. Simply put, once you and your friends are locked in to the weekly grind you will be too busy trash talking to miss ten seasons of computer drafts and lopsided victories.

GAMEPLAY / GRAPHICS & ATTENTION TO DETAIL
The animations are fluid and more importantly are extremely responsive to your command. Want to stop on a dime, spin around and take off towards the end zone like you stole something? Consider it done. How about trucking over defenders like BIG FOOT at a monster truck rally? You can do that too. Defenders need not worry though, 2K has them covered as well. Dive for a player with 2K’s reach tackle system and shatter their dreams of scoring six. Experience gang tackling the way it was meant to be with some of the best gang tackling animations we have seen in a video game thus far. Run out of bounds and your teammates on the sidelines will brace you.

The kicking game requires that you pull back on the right analog to start the kicker in motion and push up quickly as he approaches the ball. This will take some time getting used to for most gamers, but once you get it down, you will find it very satisfying and it will be hard to go back to anything else.

The AI in this game is so unbelievably smart that it will make you sick at first. Best advice we can give you is to forget the plays that worked for you in the past and become a student of the game of football. Watch the defenders on offense and try to anticipate their next move, and when you are on defense pray that Jerry Rice breaks a leg … literally, because we have yet to see a defender stop the man from catching a ball.

Player models are a bit cartoonish in the face, but that is the look they were going for and it totally makes sense for a game that focuses heavily on so many big named athletes. They actually remind us a bit of caricatures which again make sense for a game of this nature. Players come in three body types each with the option of being either ripped, normal, or fat.

And in case you were wondering, yes the game has a net behind the goal posts and referees are on field as well. You will also notice things like players praying together at mid field. The cheesy player voices are back and there is no shame in admitting that you love them. Who can forget the sound of ghetto fabulous Tom Brady uttering the words “Yea yea, I would like to thank my O-Line” after a big victory in 2K5.

We initially thought the stadiums were going to be unrealistic and take away from the football experience but after playing in them all we admit we were wrong. They are works of art, animated, full of character, and very well thought out. Each stadium comes with its own signature celebration dance that members of the team calling it home can perform there.

COMMENTARY / MUSIC
Dan Stevens and Peter O’Keefe are back with a few oldies but goodies. You will notice a lot of the same audio from 2K5 mixed into the game but who cares. These guys are the best in the video game broadcasting business. Dare I say, you can’t coach that.

Music is repetitive and while there are a few tracks that make you want to strap on a helmet and hit someone, most will make you want to press mute and strangle someone. That said, video game soundtracks have become less about original music and more about marketing new bands. So if it’s music you want, load up your own and avoid subjecting your ear drums to the video game worlds equivalent of MTV.

REPLAY VALUE
If you like franchise mode then you are going to be a little let down, but if you are willing to give online league play a try then this game will keep you entertained for a very long time. The ability to create multiple teams and select the one you think matches up best with your opponent adds variety to the game as well.

CLOSING COMMENTS
If you long for authentic football simulation and consider yourself a gamer then All-Pro Football 2K8 should definitely be in your collection. It gives its all on the field, and leaves nothing out.

This is the second All-Pro Football video from 2K Sports and it features highlights of Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Walter Payton, Dick Butkus, and The Fridge. We definitely feel this one looks better then the first video so check it out.

Click here to view the embedded video.

We start things off with a close up of Mr. Happy Feet himself, John Elway as he scampers into the end zone. Many of us remember the run John made towards the end zone in the 1998 Superbowl against the Packers and the hit he took on the way which spun him up in the air sideways. The clip in the video that resembles the hit in the Superbowl also showed us something else. The thing we noticed here was that his feet do not collide with that of the lineman as the lineman gets muscled backwards by the defender into Elway. This impressed us and made us think, hey maybe there is some sort of on the fly aspect to this game engine.

That feeling was short lived though as we went through the film again and noticed that the introduction huddle features less than impressive collision detection when one of the players in the huddle decides to plant his hand about 6 inches into his thigh. See below.

Forget Stickum, this guy’s using Seeum. Now you see um, now you don’t.

Alright, so we have shown you the good and the bad. Now we are going to lay out a few screen grabs we have taken of the in game tackles and falls since that is all we really have to compare with the NaturalMotion video. While we have no idea if the game will or will not be using natural motion, we do know that the process was underway for an interview with the CEO of NaturalMotion when suddenly we were informed that it would have to be postponed due to the fact they would not be able to discuss any Euphoria related information at the present time. We also believe that the video showed a good amount of variation in the falls and tackles, as you can see below.

Now all of the variations we saw could mean they have a ton of canned animations loaded into this game or they in fact are using some sort of reaction based engine similar to Euphoria or even Euphoria itself. We want you to take a look at the information above and below and voice your opinions on this topic. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Jerry: They look scared John. John: What do you think Barry? Barry: Yep.

If this years Madden doesn’t bring significant change, if the marketing hype surrounding it ends up being nothing more than the same old same old, then we can’t help but agree with Jerry, John, and Barry. EA may have reason to break sweat again, and this time 2K will be doing it WITHOUT the NFL license. You have to admire people that are willing to stare down a giant and challenge them head on.

We recently got a hold of several All Pro Football 2K8 images and while we may be wrong, we think that at least one or two of them are ones you won’t see anywhere else right now. For example, check out the cool image of one player celebrating on the home field of the Beasts while an ominous black figure watches over him from above the end zone! I have been to quite a few NFL games and I have never seen anything as cool as that, well there was the time Randy Moss pretended to pull his … never mind. Enjoy.

Update: Thanks to Oldkingsman on the 2Ksports message board for the correction on the team name.

Take 2 Games is the parent company of both Rockstar and the 2kSports label. So what does all that mean? Well, in a recent interview regarding the application of NaturalMotion one of the employees was asked about technology and hinted that tests had been done using football situations such as tackling, catching, running, etc. When asked to elaborate he reinforced that both 2kSports and Rockstar are under the same umbrella company.

We followed up with them again last week via a telephone call to a sales rep. When asked about the possibility that 2kSports is using NaturalMotion in their soon to be released All-Pro Football he laughed and said “maybe”

Take from this what you will, but it sounds like 2kSports is ready to give the Madden franchise a run for its money … again.

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