NFL GameDay 2004
- September 30, 2003 00:00 AM PST
NFL GameDay 2004 has work to do, but it�s looking pretty good.
NFL GameDay takes another big stride along the comeback trail. The 2004 edition will even trade punches with heavyweights Madden NFL 2004 and ESPN NFL Football in some categories. Additionally, GameDay is making a run at the online arena with some impressive features, including downloading updated rosters, live sports scores, and even real-time weather conditions. Moreover, you get player-to-player chat, too. In fact, a USB headset enables you to call 50 voice-recognition commands. This takes practice and maybe it�s a little more interesting than practical, but it�s a cool feature nonetheless.The controls in general demonstrate some great off-season work. The playbooks have a more sophisticated, tri-windowed design similar to other games, and the diagrams (though generic) are easier to follow than before. On offense, GameDay has topnotch pre-snap looks enabling you to scan the defense and quickly display a play diagram. Player-movement controls sport a nice pressure-sensitive touch that presents veterans with a good challenge toward perfecting their skills. But the gameplay stills feels a tad slow.
The visuals overall are good but uneven. Player models look great, and there are some slick individual animations that give players life-like personality. However, the animation still has robotic feel to it with player groups duplicating stances and moving in unison a little too much. Sometimes after a tackle, for instance, the offensive player and the tackling defender perform a ballet, picking themselves off the ground with the exact same movement.
Watch out for GameDay. This is a team on the rise that may even score big with some gamers this season.
