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Platform: Playstation 2 Genre: Sports Publisher: SCEA Developer: 989 Sports ETA: Q3 2003
Related Links: Review: NCAA Football 2003 (PS2) Review: NFL GameDay 2003 (PS2)
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NFL GameDay 2004
Although
baseball season is still in full swing and the sun is near its highest
point, NFL training camps aren’t too far away—and neither is the PS2
football season. 989 Studios is looking to improve on their showing this
year with NFL GameDay 2004. As with last year’s game, there will be an
online component for PS2 owners with a network adapter, leading to
seemingly endless competition. Here
are the keys to this year’s GameDay offering: The NFL Player Comes To Life – New player models recreate NFL stars in intricate, unparalleled detail, from head to toe. Each player is replicated to exact height, weight and body proportions including actual faces of 180 star players. Players even wear the accessories that make them look different than other players such as visor helmets, tattoos, and neck rolls.
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Feel
The Power Of The NFL – New pressure sensitive controls determine how
quickly a move, such as a stiff arm, is executed and how much
speed/momentum the ball carrier will lose.
“Motion blending” technology allows for seamless transitions
that translate into ultra-smooth animations that capture the speed and
athleticism of the NFL. When
defenders are pursuing the ball carrier from a specific angle, the
offensive player will perform a move on the defender based upon the
pursuit angle the defender is taking.
Special moves will now factor in these pursuit angles and the
result is the best NFL experience ever delivered. |
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Authentic
NFL Playbooks – Updated
2003 playbooks capture the latest trends on both offense and defense.
Pro style offensive formations and plays, including spread style
formations and wes-coast-style offenses, let players manage the game
like a real NFL coach. Defensive
formations and schemes include base 4/3 and 3/4 with variations of
combination coverages, bracket coverages, nickel, dime, and quarter
packages. Playbooks are
designed differently for each team so they play exactly like their real
life counterparts. Film
Room Artificial Intelligence – New offensive and defensive artificial
intelligence were created after endless hours of NFL film analysis to
deliver the ultimate NFL simulation.
The secondary will now drop into zones and “read” the threats
as they pass through their zone and make human types of decisions.
The defense will float and shift based upon the strength of the
offensive formation. Everything
that contributes to the success rate of a pass in the NFL is factored in
to each play. Deciding
factors include length of the pass, defender’s proximity to the ball,
strength of coverage, pass rush intensity, receiver’s catching ability
and quarterback’s accuracy rating.
Anything and everything that contributes to the outcome of a pass
play is factored into this year’s game. Control
the NFL Action - New
controls on defense include the ability to view player assignments on
the field, shift the defensive line, linebackers, and audible the
secondary from man and zone coverage.
Beat an offensive lineman with a spin move and “swim”
technique. Use a new
“Jump Start” button in an attempt to anticipate the snap and get a
jump on the offensive line. On
offense, a New Max Protect and Super Max Protect allow the user to keep
one or two extra blockers in for added pass protection.
New Hot Route functionality allows players to change any eligible
receiver’s pass route at the line of scrimmage.
Select from eight different pass routes including seam routes,
fade routes, in route, out route, slant, hitch, curl, and quick out.
Throw to all five eligible receivers using pressure sensitive
throws like lobs, “bullet” passes and sidearm tosses. The
Deepest Online Mode Ever Created - All-new online architecture
eliminates the lag associated with online gameplay.
New lobby features include 989 Sports or user-hosted
tournaments, message boards, user mail, buddy lists, large-scale stat
tracking and weekly online roster updates.
Innovative HTML interface allows the user to tap into the lobby
from a personal computer. A
live sports ticker provides all the current scores and sports news.
A centralized login for user mail and message boards allows
players to communicate with all 989 Sports gamers.
Use in-depth scouting reports on all players and experience real
time weather downloads for the
ultimate online football gaming experience.
You can even chat in the lobby or during the game.
The features certainly sound promising this year, and 989 has been gradually improving since GameDay 2001. Could this be 989’s breakout year? We’ll be watching.
- Peter J. Skerritt, Jr. (July 13, 2003) |
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