Review of All-Pro Football 2k8
My favorite football game of all time was (and still is) NFL 2k5, so I had high hopes when I rented 2k8. With NCAA and Madden out soon, I didn't want to drop $60 on 2k8 and be disappointed, and I didn't really want to buy 2 football games.
I'm glad I didn't waste the money. I do really like what 2k tried to do with the legends. Having Gayle Sayers and Dick Butkus on your team is really cool. The lack of NFL franchising really doesn't bother me since the legends have big name recognition, although some are head-scratchers (Andre Ware? Really?). But I find the graphics and animation to be pretty poor, even compared to last year's Madden. The players' arms look like they are anorexic and are out of proportion with the rest of their body. They tried to do a good job with the legend's faces, but in most cases they look like trolls. I know Butkus wasn't Zoolander-model material, but he looks like something out of my nightmares in this game. In HD, he's even scarier. The stadium graphics are ok, but I wouldn't call them "next-gen".
As far as gameplay, it just hasn't been that much fun to play. I've found myself going back to play the NCAA demo more, where I actually find myself trash-talking to the computer opponents (it's a problem I'm working on). Typically I'll use Sayers on a run, he'll break a couple of tackles and go for 10 yards.
The Passing mechanics are also kind of weird. I've noticed on several occasions that I'll hold the button to pass, and he'll start going into the throwing animation, just to stop and stand there until I get sacked. I can't really find any consistency to this problem. One thing I did like was the realism when your scrambling. In Madden you can be running around and still throw an accurate bullet pass from your back foot. 2k8 is more realistic in that if you're falling backwards your pass, the pass will be terrible. Or if you are scrambling, they will stop to set their feet before throwing a bomb. It's a nice touch.
Lastly, there's not allot of depth there compared to Madden, in terms of franchise options. It does have a season option, but there's not allot to it.
A good first try, but I won't be buying 2k8. I found the NCAA demo allot more fun to play, but I'll probably wait and pick up Madden. I do hope the series continues though. If they can get some bugs worked out, ramp up the graphics and include deeper gameplay modes, this could be a Madden contender in the future.