APF2K8

All Pro Football 2K8 marks the return of the long absent 2K sports franchise from the gridiron. People have been dying for 2K to make some kind of a return, but realized it would have to be without the NFL license. Die hard fans are gonna flock to this game(unless they have been brainwashed into joining the Maddenites). All Pro picks up where 2K5 left off. What people don't realize when they say that All Pro is just a rehash of 2K5, is that 2K5 was a game ahead of it's time. Great presentation and stunning graphics are what made 2K5 such a great football experience. Now with 2K8, those same qualities return for an even better experience. Sub par graphics? Sure the players without their helmets, look like they just came from "Oblivion", but have you ever went to and instant replay and zoomed all the way in and examined the player models? I don't think you can put anymore detail into the uniforms. Helmet scuffs and dirt stains make it even more realistic. Gameplay is as solid as ever. The new player animations are great and show you just how much effort they put into making the action on field look as good as it plays. The all new Field Pass is nice, but some of the lines these guys spit out are kinda cheesy. The halftime and post game shows are awesome. Dan Stevens and Peter Okeef make a comeback and even though the commentary is straight from 2K5, there are times where you'll hear something new out of the blue. Where this game lacks, and this is what the majority of the people are complaining about, are the game modes. Where, in APF2K8, there are only 2. Season and Online. No franchise here. Season is your basic 16 game format with a tournament playoff bracket system just like the NFL. I was really disappointed in the fact that they didn't really put much emphasis on the championship game. They treated it like it was any other game. You don't even get to see anyone celebrating at the end. I even like the logo that they made for the league. Where you will probably spend most of your time is online, which is by far the best component of the game. The leagues and tournaments are probably the best out there. That thrown in with the fact that Madden doesn't even have online leagues. All in all, APF2K8 is a solid game that die hard football fans can enjoy even without the NFL teams. If you can get past the fact that there is no franchise mode, it's really not that bad.