PlayStation 3
Released in 2007 by 2K Sports
Grade: A+
Building on the ESPN NFL 2K5 engine, this game oozes football goodness. The action has distinct qualities that make you feel like you’re in a living, breathing football game. It has some imperfections and lacks an NFL license, but it’s an absolute joy to play.
Where it falls in the series
The NFL 2K series had six yearly editions, starting on Dreamcast and ending on Xbox and PS2 with the beloved ESPN NFL 2K5. Big bad EA Sports purchased the exclusive NFL license, stalling poor 2K for three years. All-Pro is great, but it didn’t sell well, and that was all she wrote for 2K football.
Praises and gripes
This game makes you create your own team before even stepping on the field, and I bet most people try recreating their favorite NFL team. The uniform editor is great, but you’ll have to settle for a replacement logo, and there’s no way to fake the unique helmet designs of the Rams, Bengals, Seahawks, or Eagles.
The really good news is that there are a whopping 248 retired NFL players, placed in gold, silver, and bronze categories. You select 2 gold, 3 silver, and 6 bronze players. This restraint forces you to make tough decisions that shape the style of your team. I like it, but you can make the argument that it’s a total travesty. This game could potentially allow you fill the field with Hall of Famers, but chooses not to.
For example, Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, and Ronnie Lott played together with the 49ers, but you can’t have them all at once because they’re all gold-level players. In fact, the friggin’ box art depicts Jerry Rice, Dan Marino, and Barry Sanders in matching uniforms, yet you can’t team them up either. A few of your made-up opponents bypass this formula, by the way, making this more frustrating. An online community of determined gamers cracked into the game’s code to make customized current rosters, but mere mortals will stick with the out-of-the-box options.
You fill the rest of the roster with generic players, making style choices for each position group. Do you want an O-line that’s heavy on run blocking, pass blocking, or balanced? Do you want a secondary that’s good in coverage, good at tackling, or decent at both?
Another weird limitation, the game doesn’t want you playing against another created team. You need to fool the disc by starting a two-player game, then switching control to the CPU once the game starts.
Got all that? Let’s get to the gameplay.
Wait, what? You’re still bummed out?! Man, come on. Get over it. It’s not Madden. It’s something different. Pick a team and let’s go!
Like ESPN NFL 2K5, this game is beloved for lifelike line play. Lineman clash organically, forming the pocket or running lanes differently each time. You can choose D-line techniques independently of the rest of the play, and offenses can counter with line shifts and extra protection.
Playing quarterback requires fine control and smart moves in the pocket, and the running game feels as realistic as ever. The controls are responsive and intuitive, but they can be extremely touchy at times. There’s definitely a steep learning curve. Players have weight and momentum in a way unseen in other video games. The dynamic running control from early 2K games is back: You can tap the speed burst to sprint, or hold it down for a moment, which will give your next move an extra burst. These added challenges give the game more intensity.
There’s solid AI happening, and tackles look and feel natural. Plays often end with several players dragging the runner down and collapsing into a heap. Other times, a single defender can make a shoestring tackle. The range of outcomes in the game is impressive. Plays unfurl realistically, but also unpredictably. You’ll see receivers pushed off their routes, safeties getting confused, and lineman pulling hamstrings. It spices up the action just enough. The playbooks are as huge as you want them to be. The slight criticism I have is that the defensive plays don’t have some of the nuanced assignments seen in Madden.
The kicking system is unusual and challenging, and you may want adjust the sliders to ease it up. Speaking of which, there’s a set of sliders for various aspects of the game, the same as in 2K5. It sure helps tune the difficulty to your skills, but unfortunately there’s no slider or setting for the CPU’s strategy and coaching sense (and yes, just like in Madden, the CPU makes some bonehead decisions). You may get too good for the CPU opponent and have to supercharge their physical skills, so you’re playing against faster, stronger players.
There are some big gameplay blemishes worth noting. The QB sneak play is so reliable that online leagues banned it. Screen passes are so dependable I took them out of my playbook because I felt like I was cheating. The playbooks are mysteriously missing rushing plays that attack the “B gap” between the guard and tackle. When playing against the CPU, they wait 6 or 7 seconds to reveal their personnel package, which slows the pace of the game.
There are other little sloppy issues with team management. I tried like hell to move my left guard to the right side of the line, and it only worked for a few formations. Some of my generic players had the same uniform number. I assigned my best cornerback to match up against a star wide receiver, and it only worked sometimes.
There’s no full franchise mode, just a single season using the NFL format. With retired players from different eras, I guess it’s a logistical nightmare to do year-to-year progression, or perhaps it’s just the developer’s preference. I actually don’t mind this one too much, but it’s a common complaint among other gamers.
You add up all these gripes, and this is the most generous A+ grade I’ve given on this website. Ideally, 2K would have released a polished version the following year, and THAT game would be the one you need to own. But whatever, this is the game we’ve got.
If you’re still on the fence, I’ve got good news: This game is cheap. The last college football game (NCAA Football 14) and last college basketball game (NCAA Basketball 10) sell for over $40 these days, yet the last 2K football game won’t cost you more than $5. That’s a hell of a bargain for perhaps the best football game on the planet. So go buy it now.
Last thing: If you want to read more about this game, check out the exhaustive retrospective of the game written by Jayson Young on the Operation Sports forum.