ESPN NFL Football

Game Info

Publisher: Sega

Developer: Visual Concepts

Genre(s): Sports, Football

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: September 2, 2003

Summary

ESPN NFL Football brings the complete NFL experience. Whether it's by making an opponent lose his shorts from a stop-and-go juke, by scraping your toes down as you make an acrobatic first-down catch along the sideline, or by piling on top of a swarming gang tackle on fourth and short -- you will truly feel everything that makes the National Football League so intense. Don't look. Don't listen. Feel.

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: ESPN NFL 2K5 NFL 2K2 NFL 2K3

Cheat Codes & Hints: 1UP Strategy Guide Cheat Code Central Game Revolution

Also On The Web: GameSpot Preview GameSpy Preview IGN Preview Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

What Our Users Said

Vote Now! The average user rating for this game is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ryan C. gave it a 10:
Best football game period, Madden has got too much competition this year cuz this is the best football game i have ever played. there is even a "crib" that you can deck out with cool stuff u earn its a sweet game and even better only $20 so screw madden.

Ryan T. gave it a 10:
Even though the first person mode needs work, it's one of the coolest ideas in football video games. So I give it a 10. And it's not like you have to use it, but it's fun on kick returns! Has anybody listened to Madden lately? It's a difficult task. I don't care for the announcing on video games as it is, but to have to deal w/ Madden!? Come on, shame on all that buy Madden.

Keith F. gave it a 10:
I used to be a madden fan, but after playing this game and comparing how sloppy the gameplay physics really are in the EA sports game, I wonder how I thought it could have been better. The ESPN animations are incrdible, the only bad one is the cheerleaders. Static bodies + Bouncy boobs does not = good looking animation.

Big Rev D gave it a 3:
Andrew and John C. each of you should be sh#@% for saying that this poor man's version of Madden is better. I find this game to borish and if being able to put up 10,000 total yards makes a game good then you suck. With this game I am unstopable I score at will on all-pro if I dont score it because I want more yards to pad my stats. The Ai does not compensate and once a teams weakness has been exploited they will never recover. I like the first person even though the controls need a little work and the Crib where you earn things, but I have never played a game where the defensive ends can not be blocked by ant team. If you rush using 5 down lineman from the end position you should have at least 5 sacks at the end of the game. Sega it's a little better, but keep trying.

Biko G. gave it a 9:
The reality is... this game is real. I have yet to see any football game's gameplay compare to Espn football, and the AI and defenses are truly more challenging. The only major setback is the first person mode. There are too many minor inconsistencies within this mode to make it a plus for the game, but the game makes up for this mistake by including an all-star franchise mode which lets the player truly control every coaching aspect from email to gameplans to scouting reports. It also includes an all new Crib mode which records all records and unlocks cheats, as oppoosed to the Madden cards feature which wasn't too good. overall, this game is truly the trademark of all Visual Concepts 2K football games.

G. H. gave it a 10:
If franchise mode is all you care about.....get Madden. If you can live with the fact that ESPN's franchise is very good, but not as good as Madden's....then get ESPN 2k4. ESPN 2k4 kills Madden in every other catagory. The AI for offense, defense, and special teams are more intelligent and react more like they do in real life compared to Madden which means you better bring a gameplan and also be prepared to change your gameplan....like chess. Sometimes (not always) it's better to play the safe move than the aggressive move....use strategy....pick your spots. Don't plan on picking up the controller and throwing to your superstar in triple coverage too much and expect to win....because you will lose badly and break a few controllers. Another good thing about 2k4 is player ratings. A player rated in his 90's doesn't make them unbeatable. At the same time, a player rated in their 70's or lower doesn't mean they suck. Certain stats are more important depending on the role or position the player plays. A CB with an overall rating in his 70's could have better coverage skills than another CB with an overall rating in his 80's or 90's. Don't judge players based on overall stats because they will kill you if you underestimate their abilities. My point is, some players are more rounded than others, but anybody can make a play and anything can happen....just like the real NFL. The gameplay of 2k4 just flat out rules and I haven't even mentioned the graphics and presentation yet. Simming a realtime game (cpu vs. cpu), just looks so real and believable. If you want the best franchise mode, get madden. If you want the best, get ESPN 2k4. This game is an absolute 10 and the best football game ever made.

B. D. gave it a 10:
This game is SWEET! Nice change of pace from Madden!

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