The Most Underrated NFL Game of All Time
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- čas přidán 5. 05. 2022
- ESPN NFL Football, also known as ESPN NFL 2K4, or simply NFL 2K4, was a great game, and there’s an argument that it might just be better than its younger brother, the revered ESPN NFL 2K5. It has better AI and faster gameplay, which might be enough for some to prefer it. Regardless, the game is rarely talked about today, making it easily the most underrated NFL video game of all time. Honorable mention would probably go to NFL Gameday 04.
#retrospective #SOFTDRINKTV #game #review #sdtv - Hry
Let's just admit that 2004-05 was the peak of gaming humanity
Fact 🎯
We had ESPN NFL 2K4 AND 2K5, plus my personal favorite game, Burnout Revenge come out during that period
All the way til 09 jus like everything else lol
Facts nascar thunder 2003 and 2004 where fire as well when ea actually made good games
You're god damn right
Hard to believe we’d be gearing up for NFL 2k23 if EA hadn’t got that license💔 I get heartbroken just thinking of all of the years of NFL 2k we missed out on between 2005-2022.
2K is making a arcade game for the NFL, the nfl gave them the arcade license and madden the sim license again
2k6 to around 2k13 would’ve been fun
Modern iterations would be absolute shit like all sports games are today
@@SeanRileyTalksMovies yes but that was said to release this year March still isn’t out yet and we don’t have any further information
I wish 2k could just release an up to date Pro Football game again TBH
@@brandonjohnson3797 yes same
Its crazy how iv been playing 2k4 2k5 and allpro 2k8 literally for over 10 years now.
What console you playing it on?
@@Retro_Gamer_89 2k5 and allprofootball 2k8 on the xbox 360 and nfl 2k4 i run on a emulator
Not crazy at all
You not crazy bro. You are playing authentic simulation football. I've been playing those games for many many years myself. I get it
Not crazy at all
Day 2 of asking SDTV to make NCAA 2005 retrospective
Now that was one hell of a game
I waiting for espn nhl 2k5 and nhl 06 retrospective
@@Badboyjimmybob I love those two
@@Badboyjimmybob I'm not a real big hockey fan but NHL 06 was fun!
I think Ncaa 2006 was better.
2K5 nailed the presentation of real NFL football but it did sacrifice a lot from the gameplay perspective of 2K4. 2K5 was kind of stiff and had a lot of canned animations and 2k4 played smoother and player movement looked more natural. Both games blow Madden away still.
Facts gameplay wise 2K4 is the G.O.A.T 🐐 👑 🎮
True but when you look back even if you where a teenager to borderline adult age. None of that mattered about 2k5. It was still the type of game that could make a die hard Madden lover drop their series for a season to play 2k. Those things that you mentioned only apply now that we're all much older and can either look back on through memories or CZcams content to compare. Great analysis of why 2k4>2k5 though lol. Say that shit during 2006-09 era and I don't think you make it out of the school yard without emotional damage.
No they don’t.
@@JayBuccola Yeah they do. Madden fucking blows hot ass.
2K4 was flawed defensively. The amount of kick returns for touchdowns was ridiculous.
I bought 2k5 solely because it was 19.99. I couldnt believe a new game that looked so cool was so incredibly cheap.. I was blown away by the realism and all of the ESPN animations with Chris. still better than the newest madden.
Yea that price point was insane and pissed EA off 🤣 They were forced to lower theirs and madden was still dog shit. Didn't get good til 06 lol
I grew up with this era of sports games.
NFL2k4 and 2k5 are awesome football games. They played more like real football than Madden.
Madden, between 2003-2005 had a deep and fun franchise mode. More arcade gameplay, but I will argue, a better and deeper franchise.
Add the great college football and basketball games. What an era to be a sports and video game fan.
Madden 08 Franchise mode was way deeper. All the things you mentioned & liked, plus some. Madden 05-08 was their best run gameplay wise imho. EA Sports really had some great sports games back in the day.
2K5 is great. I have that on 360. Nice to know I have a real NFL sim to go back to if I wanna rock some football.
Nobody can argue w/ ps2 Madden Fran Mode being better than 2K. Gameplay wise, its 2K, Fran wise, it WAS Madden.
@@PontFlair facts. Madden is better for ppl like me who prefer to do sim franchises, and 2K is better for those who prefer to play every single game. Either way, you simply cannot go wrong
can't forget the college baseball games or especially the arena football game. multiple classics among those
Oh my gosh Soft drink you're gonna bring back a wave of nostalgia for this Aussie fella!!! This game was my introduction to what is the masterpiece of 2K Football and as fate would have it make me a Philadelphia Eagles fan! I started off on NFL Fever 2003 on Xbox and sometime later picked up this game not knowing what I was getting into!.. But wow was it something magical. The player models took me a bit of getting used to, coming from Fever 2003. But the realism was unreal. The replay camera zooming into the holes in players jerseys etc. Man thank you for covering this and all your other videos..
Pretty cool to see an Aussie who loves American Football! Can't think of too many who do. Lol.
softdrink you release videos at the most perfect times, they always calm me down, thank you so much
The 2k4 demo sold me on 2k4 and I played it religiously so yeah I agree. The game was a masterpiece.
Thank you for another video man. Been missing your content!
Talk about an under rated CZcamsr, love you sdtv! Keep it up!
Some of the animations that you see see for either the tackle or the brake tackle that you see later on in the video are actually really nice animations that I wish would have made their way into 2K5 and all pro football
This
You gotta do GameDay 04 now that you mentioned it dude. That game and gamebreaker 04 are hugely underrated.
Soft Drink, your the channel is the ish man!!! We need that NFL Blitz 99/2000 retrospective!!!
Get a cabinet with a friend and turn on tournament mode, and behold a beautifully fun but seriously competitive game.
Yessss. You finally made a video on the TRU most underrated football game of all time
Facts
Excited to end my day watching this!
Great Vid Like always
My favorite part of this game? The fact that if you complete specific milestones, you can unlock Sega characters and even some football icons for the free agent pool. You can put Axel from Crazy Taxi and Michael Irvin on the same wide receiver core. LT can be set behind Jeffrey McWild on the defense. Ryo from Shenmue, Kage from Virtua Fighter and Ronnie Lott can become the prototype for the Legion of Boom. It's stuff like this that I miss and it's a shame it wasn't in 2K5.
No way didn’t know that
"Coach; you can't replace me with a blue hedgehog!"
"I can when that blue hedgehog runs a two point one forty."
NFL gameday 2002. Idk why this game sticks out so much in my mind, possibly because it was the game that got me into football. But a retrospective on that would be funny as hell
Is that the one with Brady on the cover?
@@joebaker2311 no it was donovan McNabb
NFL Gameday. Shout out 989 Sports, they do MLB - The Show & have since PS1.
I wonder, would 989 have eventually figured out football sims too?
@@PontFlair they already were industry leaders in the 90s. Heights most never reach
This was my first nfl video game! I had blast playing against my brother in this. Very cheesy game but still very fun haha
Always siked when I see you put out a new video!! You should do a video on the lack of Sports Games on PC.
Due to new branding and where I was in life when ESPN NFL Football, I never was drawn to it when it released. I remember the commercial ads being pretty bizarre and it was the 1st time I really gotten into Madden with Madden 2004.
My buddy though Loved this game and I just kinda brushed it off and he was always a GameDay and Madden player.
I hadn't realized that it was 2K making the games still. I play so much of NFL 2K through 2K2 on the Dreamcast, but didn't really know what had happened with the franchise as much as I did not yet have an Xbox, PS2, or Gamecube.
When ESPN NFL 2K5 released, I had realized what it was, how good it looked, how much enjoyment I had gotten out of some of the really cheesy GameSpot videos, plus the cheap price for this kind of game? Sign me up, Day 1 must buy. I loved it, was it awe and still play it now and love it. So awesome to see the support it gets with community roster updates and the updates that the community has applied to PC for the PS2 version.
My buddy though was just not the fan of 2K5 like he was corner box 2K4. Mainly for the reasons stated in the video. To slow and sluggish. I think he liked just being able to turn on a dime, just like how you can in Madden.
2K was evolving for better or worse depending on the player. I love playing both in their own way. You really cannot go wrong. There is something there for someone in one of these games. Gameplay is the most important thing and it will all be in personal preference. Cheers 🍻
Can’t wait to watch this one! Been a minute!
Thank you! Someone else recognizes how under the radar this game is! I also liked this more than 2k5! It's sad that Microsoft left it off the backwards compatibility list for Xbox 360!
DAMNIT!! 2K4 isn't on the list?!?
@@PontFlair nope but you can emulate it on the Xbox Series X I have videos on my channel please like and subscribe
I like how in 2k4 when doing a franchise draft players like Ray Lewis and Derrick Brooks go 1 and 2. And there are a select few players like Warren Sapp that can go anywhere from round 1 til round 3 making the draft different every time.
I'm pissed we didn't get NCAA Football 2k5. Now that would've been fire 🔥
NCAA College Football
I had this game as a kid, I played it all the time and loved it. Nobody else I knew at the time had ever played or even heard of it, everyone defaulted to madden. But I enjoyed 2k a lot more, although I have to say I ended up playing madden's franchise more back then. First person football was crazy too, such an unexpected and cool feature.
also on the customization side, you were able to add elbow bands and turf tape on players manually in 2k4 but couldn't in 2k5 without an editor
This was my childhood glad to see it being resurrected I was 12 in 2005 the NBA ballers series & NFL 2K 5 so so underrated now I got to pick up 2K4 totally missed that one
4:02 actually Franchise mode in 2k4 DOES have the weekly wrapup show. It's ESPN NFL Primetime, which actually fits better than just SportsCenter.
Fact 🎯
Man I loved these old 2k NFL games so much.
Growing up with the Sega/Dreamcast playstation days was so great.
Kids now a days don't get it. The wait at the video game store because tecmo bowl was ALWAYS out 🤣
I played this game so much online back in the day on PS2. When you had to screw the Network Adapter onto the back of the console lol. Loved this game so much though
Great job! Love that series ! My favorite. 10x better then madden. I loved the bengals. I would move Peter warrick as 3rd wr n he would torch the 3rd DB. Still have that series on my Dreamcast.
These older games have such good openings/intros
This is literally my second favorite NFL Game right behind 2K5, I mean they are pretty much near identical it's just 2K5 has so much more to offer, that doesn't discredit this game one bit though, as it's also one of the deepest NFL Games ever made
2K did amazing on the ESPN Series on all their games
2k5 is so classic took like Madden 2010 to beat it
@@jeffrey7737 and even then, they didn't do it.
@@PontFlair right hahaha
Hey brother I’ve been watching your content for a while and wanted to say thank you I’m a little older so some of these retrospectives have a nostalgic vibe when sports games were great before pay to play
I was disappointed that the special character unlocks from 2k4 were removed from 2k5. The first time I noticed I unlocked characters from virtua fighter, I was extremely amazed and found out there were more unlocks
While this game unlockables, I think that 2k5 had the best unlockable *system*. I much preferred the currency system to the one here, as there were plenty of characters I wanted, but couldn't get since I wasn't able to get 500 yards with one player (How is this possible? How?).
I'm gonna check this one out. I played 2K5 for a while and then later became an avid player of APF 2K8, which made going back to 2K5 near impossible for me. I got to a point where, while I adored the franchise mode, I found the gameplay not to my liking... at all. Interestingly enough, a while back I picked up College Football 2K3 and was pleased with how that game played. The actual gameplay of 2K4 sounds highly appealing to me. Combine that with a slightly less in depth franchise mode (which from what it sounds like the features that 2K4 are missing are features that I won't miss much anyway) and 2K4 is a game I'll pick up. Thanks for the great recommendation SDtv!
Give me an honest review of NCAA Football 2K3. Its got Eric Crouch on the cover, right?
I've thought about getting it. Is it worth it?
@@PontFlair yes! They all worth it. 1080i on the ps2 looks fantastic
@@realone3602 gimme the NCAA College Football 2K3 review. Not in depth, just some notes
I have a video on it
@@SOFTDRINKTV I watched it. I don't miss much from you. If anything. Just trying to get as many takes as possible to see if its worth the investment
You should do a retrospective on the NFL arcade games and what happened to them
Still would like a NFL GameDay retrospective or NFL Quarterback Club or the rise and fall of 989 studios
What "Rise"? Lmao. The Fall and Fall of 989 Studios
i’d like to see a video series on the NFL QB Club games especially the final one from 02 which was the first/last to be featured on ps2/GC
Your character jus moved so much smoother everything felt more responsive back in the day all my friends agreed 2k was by far superior
one of the greatest videos ive ever watched
This was the reason I never bought a Madden game again. I didn’t even know the word boycott at the time but boy did I live by it. I wish more folks would just not give them money. Patience young grasshopper.
The one with Antonio Brown on the cover was the last straw for me. Haven't bought or played Madden since.
Man, this game was great. Loved the gameplay.
I have videos on my channel of 2K4 and 2K5 on the XSX please like and subscribe to my channel.
classic game and i loved the espn format that made it feel like nfl game day
I played ESPN NFL Football on the original Xbox for the 2013 NFL season and it was fun. I played as the eventual Super Bowl Champions New England Patriots and the Carolina Panthers in season mode.
Whenever you play as The Ravens & you score a td, Gary Glitter's Rock & Roll Part 2 played. FAM, I LOVED THAT especially in FPF (First Person Football)
I played 2k4 way more growing up as a kid cause it had my favorite player from my favorite team, 99 Sapp on my Tampa bay bucs…good times
To play this game with superb graphics I play it on my Android tablet and through the PS2 emulator for Android called Aether sx2. Which can also be done not just on a tablet but on a mobile phone. It's just brilliant if you get a tablet with an 8 series processor. Runs smooth as a nut.
I still have my 2K5 for PS2, I Remember getting it. 8th grade, just moved to Kapolei...
Can you do a career retrospective of the forgotten Manning brother, Nick Manning?
I got into this game before 2K5 actually. Which yeah I know it released before it, but I didn't play either back when they came out. I got both of them a few years ago when I was looking for alternatives to Madden, I did try 2K5 first but felt like 2K4 felt slightly easier to get used to. I eventually moved on to 2K5 which is my now my favorite NFL game to play.
I remember sitting on Madden and nfl 2k and just messing with rosters with the friends for hours.
We need one of these for NFL 2K3 aswell!!
I used to get So many Picks With
Bob Sanders, on That 05.
When u goin to review Legend Bowl and Sunday Rivals' updating to v1.0?
Currently playing and just had a play where there were OFFSETTING PENALTIES! I don’t think I’ve ever seen that even in 2k5!
had a great time with this game... great memories
Just got NCAA14 and I really like it. Next up will be 2K5 to check out the difference in gameplay to Madden.
This video has shaken me to my core. 2K5 was gospel, but now with 2k4...
Never played 2k4. Interesting outlook. I'll have to check it out.
I also don’t have 2k4 but I should pick up because it sounds fire
@@Badboyjimmybob It is 🔥 gameplay it's better than 2K5 and presentation just as good now if this had 2K5 presentation it would make this game 10x better
This video earn my subscribe click.The 2k series I loved it was affordable compared to EA and captured the game differently.I owned every one of the 2k5 line NBA,NHL,NFL and enjoyed those better.the vip concept is fun as well.my first 2k experience with 2k was 2k3 as a budget choice when I was a kid rather then madden but enjoyed that just as much.Plus Urlacher as the cover athlete is a plus.
Nice video for sure
I'm getting flashbacks from First Person Football. Somehow it worked enough for me.
Junior year of high school 2k4 dropped. It's been a loooooooooonnng time boys and girls. Here we are about to enter 2023 and the world of football gaming is being held hostage by EA and an army of tots buying MUT cards.
I like the one on dreamcast were u can modify the players n equipment.
NFL 2k2 and 2k3 were some of the best football games I’ve ever played
Just bought 2k5. Awesome game
The halftime show and the franchise mode was sooooooooo intense!!!!!!!!!
I started buying every madden game in 2000. The only reason i bought 2k5 was because T.O. was on the cover, being an eagles fan. Wow my mind was blown. back then madden franchise was amazing but this felt and presented so much better. Its such a shame all they care about is MUT. They showed a little love to franchise this year, but wtf how is a game almost 20 years old still better...
I've been playing 2K5 for the last year and a half straight. I just put Madden 05 in my PS2 and I have COMPLETELY FORGOTTEN HOW TO PLAY IT. I keep hitting the square button when I want to throw to the X receiver LOL
It’s 2022, and a game that released in ‘04 is still GOATED. 🐐
I think one reason 2K5 is still so beloved is because is was half the price of Madden when is came out
Didn’t even touch on first person football, which was supposed to be the major selling point of this game. As a safety, I found first person to be severely broken. Either I’d get burned deep cause I’d try and see anything behind the line of scrimmage, or I couldn’t see what was going on with the QB cause I didn’t want to get burned.
I do remember, this game freezing all the time on my original Xbox. I remember getting mad and hitting my Xbox and the game unfroze. From then on, if it froze, I’d hit it and it would work lol
I feel AP2k8 is the best feeling football game ever. It's so fluid in motion as well as gameplay. 2k really should've stuck with that until EA took the simulation rights like they did
EA also took the legends. Not just the license. Plus, 2K was deterred based on sales bc it did poorly in 2007. They didn't know it would become a cult classic.
But Tbh, I'd play an unlicensed 2K football sim RN. Just give us full customization, a Fran Mode & lets go
@@PontFlair factz I forgot about the sales
@@second2nonebut1 imho 2K KNEW they had the GOAT sim football engine on APF 2K8.
They just didn't have the sales to back it up, & NBA 2K wasn't King yet. Maybe they felt like contuining w/ APF would hurt their brand. Possibly cause bigger issues.
APF 2K8 is the standard for football sim. I've seen this said, and I agree, "no better football sim before APF, no better sim after APF"
@@PontFlair all factz. I agree 100%. Nothing came close before or since
It does have the weekly wrap up when Chris Berman covers every game of the week
Hey - what do you play on and how do you get proper widescreen?
The most underrated NBA Game and my favorite is NBA Live 2004.
The most underrated and my favorite Baseball ⚾️ video game is MLB Slugfest 2006
2k4 has WAY more competitive CPU and less exploitable salary cap, more organic blocking, I actually lost playoff games. Missing 2k5's presentation improvements and animations sucks.
Yu think I should by 2k4?
@@jawop6351 Yes gameplay wise it's better than 2K5 I have videos on my channel of 2K4 and 2K5 on the XSX please like and subscribe to my channel.
TBH animations to me are better in 2K4 only thing 1 don't like about 2K4 is that there are too many one hand catches.
@@jawop6351 it's fun, very playable
@@Retro_Gamer_89 youre right on the one handed catches, leads to many needless drops when they get hit. The other thing I hate is the QB throwing animations.
This is the relationship WWE SmackDown! Here Comes the Pain has with Shut Your Mouth (and even SD!2), it's just accepted that that's the best one, but not enough people who love that game spend enough time with the others to really understand what they did well/better and their unique qualities. Predetermined physicality isn't a sport, but wrestling games are often grouped with sports games in that way: the nuances of each year's version are lost on the general public but there's probably more changes (and pros/cons compared to the next year) than you'd think.
So true, SYM had some really great parts that to me were lost in HCTP.
@@morfiend2170 I liked the addition of being able to customize attributes on HCTP.
I gotta check out SYM again
I think SVR 2006 had the best presentation and realism but Here Comes the Pain and Shut Your Mouth had more depth and better rosters.
My favorite WWE games are Shut your mouth & SVR08. I know the second one most people won't agree on
smackdown! 2 was the shit no kizzy
Is there any way for the mods to put a hit stick in the revamped ones?
l love this channel
Will you cover NFL Fever ?
2K5 was the only Football game I’ve ever played, because for some reason, that football game out of the dozen I’ve tried just aggressively sank its hooks into me.
DAng Softdrink With the heat again no surprise....
Yes. SEGA got done kinda dirty by EA’s trashy, grubbing self. 2K has made some of the best football games iv played.
Pretty hyped for the community to try the NFL 4K23 Mod for this game. Coming soon ;)
I can't wait and is it going to be for the Series X/S?
@@Retro_Gamer_89 Yes of course. It’s actually preferred for those consoles. That’s what I’ve been doing all of my testing on.
Are you in our Discord? If so, DM me.
Can we play it on Playstation consoles
@@yeomane No only Xbox Series X/S and P.C 🖥
My mom bought this from Hollywood video and I put in so many hours as a kid on my Xbox cause I had madden on PS2 but this game was so much real miss these days
I was 13 when this game came out this game was 🔥🔥🔥 on old Xbox
Receivers dropping balls in 2k5 is my biggest gripe with that game. I’d have Randy Moss wide open down field, no defender within 5-10 yards of him, and it would just hit him in the hands and fall to the ground. Would happen at least 2-3 times a game in my franchise.
I literally just finished playing again and had this happen damn near everytime almost broke my computer
@@novanebula8004 fixing the sliders may help that. Click the catching slider for user up 2 or 3
@@PontFlair Also going in and editing the catch ratings and hold on to ball ratings helps too.
I need to play one of these 2K football games one day.
One of the greatest things about there being competition is pricing. 2K snagged new customers because it was literally less than half price of all EA titles.
This is the entry in the series where said series went from decent to godlike. And it was still godlike the next year.
do a NHL 2k retrospective
2k4 gameplay was much better than 2k5
I loved the NFL Prime time feature.
The best NFL 2K game of all time finally gets recognition
Not going to say under appreciated, most of us had this game on our shelves, but this was an awesome video to come back to
Hope we get a retrospective of NFL 2K3.