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Platform: Xbox Genre: Sports Publisher: Konami Developer: FarSight Studios ESRB: E (Everyone) Released: Q1 2002
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ESPN NFL Primetime 2002
Score:
5.0 / 10 |
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Pros: -
Has familiar ESPN statistic display, giving it television-production
feel - Strong amount of statistical tracking for season and franchise
play - Has franchise mode for 15 seasons
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Cons: -
Graphics are shameful considering other Xbox football game’s visuals - Lackluster A.I. on both sides of
the ball -
A.I. CPU defense given too much of an advantage during pass plays - Boring announcing and overall sound presentation
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"...has the ugliest-appearing graphical football players in a next-generation videogame out there."
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One
of the saddest things to see in sports is when someone obviously past
their prime is trying to play just that one extra game or season when
they really know deep down in their heart they should hang it up. A
childhood idol of mine was the Philadelphia Phillies’ left-handed
pitching ace Steve Carlton. It wasn’t a pretty sight seeing him get
lit up like a Christmas tree every time he pitched his last season in
the majors. He didn’t know when it was time to toss in the towel and
leave the pitching to those hurlers better than he was. This is the case
with the late entry into the Xbox football game field, ESPN NFL
Primetime 2002 (PT2002). This series should have given up the ghost
after its pathetic attempt appeared on the PS2 last year, actually
thinking it could challenge Madden or any other title for football
videogame dominance simply by capitalizing on the popularity of ESPN.
But instead, Konami gave it another go this year, and the results are
exactly what you would expect in its first (and hopefully last) Xbox
showing: largely dreadful.
There
are many problems with the overall makeup of PT2002. The worst is the
apathetic and downright lousy artificial intelligence both on defense
and offense. It reacts unrealistically on both sides of the ball. While
on offense, the A.I. always has an unfair advantage, plugging running
lanes regularly and playing a mean defensive backfield, picking off your
medium-to-long range passes so much that you will quickly lose
confidence in the passing game. In one game, I had the Philadelphia
Eagles as my team with Donovan McNabb at the quarterback helm. The real
McNabb is a steady passer who rarely throws interceptions. I had seven
passes taken away in one game. Whenever you attempt to throw long, the
ball always comes up short of the receiver unless he is wide open. The
defensive player always finds a way to deflect or pick off your passes
unless you stick to screens or five-to-ten-yard passes. On defense, the
game rarely helps you out in coverage by providing some of the
dumbest-reacting defensive work I’ve seen in a while. If an opposing
receiver gets just a step on you, forget about getting any assistance
from other CPU-assisted defenders. Without smart defensive A.I. helping
out on coverage, your opposition catches long passes and goes for
touchdowns on a regular basis.
FarSight
should have been able to conjure up a much better visual performance
with a hardware system capable of superior graphics (like the Xbox). I
can’t find a plausible excuse as to why the game is visually not up to
the standards of any other Xbox football title. Player animations
aren’t as numerous as PT2002’s Xbox competition. This results in
awkward-looking and unrealistic running animations by offensive and
defensive players alike. Kickers and quarterbacks suffer the worst
graphical humiliation of all players. They look like lobster-boys with
their grossly disproportionate arms and hands that have a claw-like
appearance. Easily PT2002, has the ugliest-appearing graphical football
players in a next-generation videogame out there. Crowds and stadium
visuals aren’t as bad as the players, actually having a realistic
appeal to them. But they aren’t any better than PT2002’s competing
titles of Madden 2002, NFL Fever 2002, and NFL2K2. While acceptable,
they are bland compared to the excellence of the above-mentioned others.
If
any part of the game passes as adequate, it’s the special player moves
under your control. Stiff-arms, hurdles, spins, and dives are relatively
easy to operate. But that’s where the control ease stops cold. Passing
plays on offense are much more difficult to learn than running the ball.
Too many receivers drop balls right in their hands, even if there
isn’t tight defense covering them. And it’s almost a crapshoot when
passing anyway. As you chuck it to one of your receivers or are playing
defense on the thrown ball, the pigskin almost seems to disappear for a
split second. It’s as if the game needs to decide if it should give
the player the catch or not before the ball suddenly seems to reappear
and either turns into a catch or is intercepted at an insane percentage
when you are on offense or is batted away. You don’t ever get a
comfort level of trust for a successful pass play.
Running
works better from a control standpoint, but there is only a slightly
higher comfort or success level achieved running the ball. The problem
here is that running backs, even super-fast backs (like the incomparable
All-Pro Marshall Faulk of the Rams) don’t hit open holes quickly, and
too many times the defense stuffs runs that should produce more yards.
All backs seemingly run at the same velocity, and this just shouldn’t
be the case. Unfortunately, the speed-burst really doesn’t provide a
noticeable increase in swiftness, and that hurts most when in
short-yardage running situations. It’s almost impossible to launch a
huge run over 15 yards, let alone burst through for a long touchdown.
The A.I. overcompensates too much for gameplay balance’s sake, which
leads to frustration as you play offense, and this is definitely not fun
at all. The only good running aspect of PT2002 is when you control the
quarterback after deciding to take off on a scramble. It plays out
comparable to the excellence of NFL2K2, much better than either
Chris
Berman and Tom Jackson know a lot about football. They do a great job on
ESPN during the season providing insightful post-game analysis of NFL
football. But their performance as the announcing tandem for PT2002
comes nowhere close to their work on ESPN. There’s an episode of The
Simpsons where Krusty the Clown has to do some voice recordings for a
line of Krusty the Clown toys. He rushes in the studio, grabs the flash
cards with the required phrases, records them in a uninspired fashion
and leaves within 20 seconds with check in hand, nary a second thought
to how good his voice work turned out. You almost get that same feeling
here with Berman and Jackson. There is no emotion or enthusiasm in the
play-by-play or color commentary, making for a boring gameplay
experience. The crowd noise isn’t done well either. There’s no
audible difference from the cheering fans if the home team is making
good plays or throwing interceptions. The crowd always sounds the same.
The crunching sound of good tackles is the game’s best audio feature.
One
thing that is developed well is the franchise mode, which allows you to
manage and play up to 15 seasons in the quest for the Super Bowl
championship. PT2002 has a strong amount of statistical tracking for
season and franchise play. Even exhibition games can help develop rating
points for players based on their performances. It has that familiar
ESPN statistical display that gives it a television-production feel and
keeps track of an overwhelming number of statistics, just as you would
expect from an ESPN game. But the high quality of the franchise mode
becomes a moot point considering the low quality of PT2002’s other
areas, particularly the gameplay itself.
There’s
a reason Konami tried to sneak this game onto store shelves near the
very end of the past NFL season. It is truly the worst football game you
could possibly buy for the Xbox. Every aspect of the game is essentially
weak compared to the other Xbox football games available save its
franchise mode. PT2002 doesn’t even warrant rental attention. Consider
this the Carolina Panthers of gridiron gaming that I doubt even a Hall
of Fame development team could turn into a contender for your football
game-purchasing dollars. Look at Madden 2002, NFL Fever 2002, or NFL2K2
if you need an Xbox football fix and stay far away from PT2002.
(April 27, 2002) |
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