The NFL is unpredictable. Anything can happen, and you are constantly surprised. Any given Sunday, any given play, etc. The reason I still play and enjoy ESPN NFL 2K5 is because its gameplay mirrors the NFL: it's organic, and will often catch you by surprise.
In comparison, Madden/CFB's gameplay is extremely predictable (and unfortunately repetitive). Every player follows a scripted assignment on every play. You know exactly what's going to happen when you run offensive play X against defensive play Y (unless there's a drop or a block is insta-shed and you get sacked). The closest it gets to real football is motioning a WR to check if the defense is in man, noticing single press coverage on a speedy wideout, and lobbing it to them if the safety doesn't follow.
Outside of that, it's a meta of drags, ins, and outs. Crossing routes are the cheese. Get fast players, and wait for them to outrun defenders. You don't throw with anticipation, you throw literally where a receiver is once he's open.
In 2K5, you'll often miss throws you'd make in Madden because the quarterback throws where the receiver should be based on the route, and he throws with anticipation. So if your receiver gets bumped right before you throw, the pass will be inaccurate. Some mistake this as "difficult" or "bad", but I believe this is vastly superior passing system.
You read the defense pre-snap, watch the safeties, and if you see two high safeties and man coverage elsewhere (cover 2 man), you can split the safeties up the middle, and you'll throw the pass before the receiver is even open. It's all about running a genuine playbook and scheme. You can throw passes with the exact trajectory you could in real life, rather than the lower trajectory passes of EA's games. You won't see a defender magnetize towards the ball or glitch towards a player because animations aren't dictating the underlying physics model. Which is, of course, my biggest issue with EA's football gameplay.
But also, on any given play in 2K5, the individual player AI can make a ton of decisions on the fly. They aren't forced to a scripted assignment, and this adds that layer of unpredictability that mirrors actual football. The same play against the same defense can end in so many different results. It's like real life: you can practice a play against a defense over and over, but in the actual game things can unfold unexpectedly. So many coaches mention they "had a great week of practice" right after a loss.
It feels like CFB/Madden are being developed backwards. The core gameplay foundation is a mess, and they've honestly done a great job trying to mask this, but the end result is frustrating, repetitive, and I feel that, despite having limited & outdated playbooks, in 2K5 I have more freedom and more possible outcomes on a passing play. And that just feels REAL...
There are plenty of issues with 2K5's gameplay. It's not perfect. But its foundation feels more sound, more polished, and the game gives you an easier canvas to replicate plays you see on TV, despite its age. I felt that way as a kid going from Madden 08 (sixth gen) to 2K5. And I still feel that way today, only I can articulate it better now.
I will add, I could be making too many assumptions here about Madden/CFB, but the more I play 2K5 and the newer EA games, the more I have these thoughts.
UPDATE: My NBA 2K26 review will release later than I'd like because I'm currently in the process of moving. Once I'm done unpacking and I'm settled in I'll get to work on that review. After that video you can expect more retrospectives on a variety of sports games as well as my NBA 2K documentary. Stay tuned, and enjoy the NFL's return tonight!
My Madden NFL 26 Review will release on Wednesday. What score do you guys think I'll give it out of 10?
Also: I unlisted my video on @vHollywoodZay- plagiarizing my work. He changed the thumbnail and took his Madden videos down. As long as he makes original content from here on out, I have no issue with him!
Ian Cummings, former creative director at EA for Madden and CFB from the PS2 and PS3 era, has agreed to chat with me in depth on the issues with Madden and CFB 26, as well as explain the core gameplay logic problems and why ESPN NFL 2K5 is still relevant today. Should be a crazy video. We'll be talking next week and the video would go out just before Madden NFL 26 releases. Stay tuned...
My College Football 26 Review will drop next week, Wednesday at the latest but probably sooner. If you're waiting on my review to make a purchasing decision, the short answer is: stick with CFB 25...
SOFTDRINKTV
The NFL is unpredictable. Anything can happen, and you are constantly surprised. Any given Sunday, any given play, etc. The reason I still play and enjoy ESPN NFL 2K5 is because its gameplay mirrors the NFL: it's organic, and will often catch you by surprise.
In comparison, Madden/CFB's gameplay is extremely predictable (and unfortunately repetitive). Every player follows a scripted assignment on every play. You know exactly what's going to happen when you run offensive play X against defensive play Y (unless there's a drop or a block is insta-shed and you get sacked). The closest it gets to real football is motioning a WR to check if the defense is in man, noticing single press coverage on a speedy wideout, and lobbing it to them if the safety doesn't follow.
Outside of that, it's a meta of drags, ins, and outs. Crossing routes are the cheese. Get fast players, and wait for them to outrun defenders. You don't throw with anticipation, you throw literally where a receiver is once he's open.
In 2K5, you'll often miss throws you'd make in Madden because the quarterback throws where the receiver should be based on the route, and he throws with anticipation. So if your receiver gets bumped right before you throw, the pass will be inaccurate. Some mistake this as "difficult" or "bad", but I believe this is vastly superior passing system.
You read the defense pre-snap, watch the safeties, and if you see two high safeties and man coverage elsewhere (cover 2 man), you can split the safeties up the middle, and you'll throw the pass before the receiver is even open. It's all about running a genuine playbook and scheme. You can throw passes with the exact trajectory you could in real life, rather than the lower trajectory passes of EA's games. You won't see a defender magnetize towards the ball or glitch towards a player because animations aren't dictating the underlying physics model. Which is, of course, my biggest issue with EA's football gameplay.
But also, on any given play in 2K5, the individual player AI can make a ton of decisions on the fly. They aren't forced to a scripted assignment, and this adds that layer of unpredictability that mirrors actual football. The same play against the same defense can end in so many different results. It's like real life: you can practice a play against a defense over and over, but in the actual game things can unfold unexpectedly. So many coaches mention they "had a great week of practice" right after a loss.
It feels like CFB/Madden are being developed backwards. The core gameplay foundation is a mess, and they've honestly done a great job trying to mask this, but the end result is frustrating, repetitive, and I feel that, despite having limited & outdated playbooks, in 2K5 I have more freedom and more possible outcomes on a passing play. And that just feels REAL...
There are plenty of issues with 2K5's gameplay. It's not perfect. But its foundation feels more sound, more polished, and the game gives you an easier canvas to replicate plays you see on TV, despite its age. I felt that way as a kid going from Madden 08 (sixth gen) to 2K5. And I still feel that way today, only I can articulate it better now.
I will add, I could be making too many assumptions here about Madden/CFB, but the more I play 2K5 and the newer EA games, the more I have these thoughts.
1 month ago | [YT] | 824
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SOFTDRINKTV
My NBA 2K26 review drops tomorrow! Hit that bell to get notified if you're a real one
4 months ago | [YT] | 612
View 59 replies
SOFTDRINKTV
As I finish up my NBA 2K26 review, guess the final score out of 10!
4 months ago | [YT] | 147
View 79 replies
SOFTDRINKTV
UPDATE: My NBA 2K26 review will release later than I'd like because I'm currently in the process of moving. Once I'm done unpacking and I'm settled in I'll get to work on that review. After that video you can expect more retrospectives on a variety of sports games as well as my NBA 2K documentary. Stay tuned, and enjoy the NFL's return tonight!
5 months ago | [YT] | 887
View 134 replies
SOFTDRINKTV
My Madden NFL 26 Review will release on Wednesday. What score do you guys think I'll give it out of 10?
Also: I unlisted my video on @vHollywoodZay- plagiarizing my work. He changed the thumbnail and took his Madden videos down. As long as he makes original content from here on out, I have no issue with him!
6 months ago | [YT] | 1,081
View 383 replies
SOFTDRINKTV
Ian Cummings, former creative director at EA for Madden and CFB from the PS2 and PS3 era, has agreed to chat with me in depth on the issues with Madden and CFB 26, as well as explain the core gameplay logic problems and why ESPN NFL 2K5 is still relevant today. Should be a crazy video. We'll be talking next week and the video would go out just before Madden NFL 26 releases. Stay tuned...
6 months ago | [YT] | 3,654
View 200 replies
SOFTDRINKTV
My College Football 26 Review will drop next week, Wednesday at the latest but probably sooner. If you're waiting on my review to make a purchasing decision, the short answer is: stick with CFB 25...
7 months ago | [YT] | 741
View 211 replies
SOFTDRINKTV
The Sad Decline of NBA 2K, a massive documentary coming soon!
9 months ago | [YT] | 1,383
View 117 replies
SOFTDRINKTV
Got a retrospective on NFL 2K3 dropping soon. This game was more important than you might think!
9 months ago | [YT] | 625
View 42 replies
SOFTDRINKTV
My next retrospective will be on this game, NFL Blitz Pro! Have you ever played this game?
10 months ago | [YT] | 670
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