Xbox ESPN NFL Prime Time 2002
by Konami

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Category: Video Games
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Product Summary

Video Game Reviews of Xbox ESPN NFL Prime Time 2002

Customer Review: Could have been better but, could have been much worse
Summary: 3 Stars

The game play is fast and efficient, almost to the point where you catch yourself rushing through play selection to keep up the pace. It graphics are good overall but, the replays lack any cinematography and the player celebrations are repetitive. And that symbolizes the game: lots of pros and cons.

Cons:

1. Defenders can tackle you from 5 yards away so, you can put away your fancy moves.
2. You can also put away the spin move for defensive linemen. Use a power move or plan on never crossing the line of scrimmage.
3. No high or low kicks or punts. You control the distance and the angle, that's it.
4. I don't notice any subtlety in passing. The distance of the receiver dictates the angle and velocity. No lofting short passes or rifling long ones.

Pros:
1. You haven't had play calling selection until you've seen this. You've got a play book the size of Donald Trump's next pre-nup.
2. Uniforms get dirty. Sounds stupid until you think about playing a full game on a rainy Soldier Field and you still have uniforms as clean as the Pope's little black book.
3. You won't want to rip your speakers apart getting Madden to "shut the hell up!" Subtract Madden, add Boomer and TJ.
4. Kicking format is excellent. Finds a nice medium between pin-point precision with no effort and kicking that requires more groping than a room full of prom dates.

All in all, it gets a three star rating. Two for giving us an alternative to Madden (not that I don't still love Madden) and another star for Primetime 2003. I bet it kicks a wee more ...

Description of Xbox ESPN NFL Prime Time 2002

The graphics are quite good. Although not as flashy as NFL 2K2 or Madden NFL 2002, they at least offer a great deal of speed. All the animations are performed quickly and with little of the slowdown that's plagued many a first-time sports game franchise. The result is slightly faster-than-normal gameplay that's quite exhilarating, but makes the game somewhat more difficult to get into. It doesn't help that tackles are performed from a bit too far away, and too many tacklers seem capable of stretched out 5-yard leaps.

The running game is a bit frustrating at first. Basically, only the best backs in the business can gain even 2 to 3 yards per carry; the rest get stopped in the backfield by the defense. Passing isn't much more realistic as long bombs are a bit too easy to catch, even in traffic, but that same complaint can be leveled at every football game this year.

Primetime's extensive franchise play is as deep as the competition's, but offers a hard-core NFL fan's attention to detail when it comes to stat and scouting reports. Stats even include such real-life minutiae as a player's 40-yard-dash time and how much he can bench press. Combine that with the excellent use of ESPN's visual style and commentary from Chris "Boomer" Berman and Tom Jackson, and the game really does look and feel like a Sunday night broadcast. This one is recommendable to true football fans--even if they're already playing with the competition. --Andrew S. Bub

Pros:

• Excellent presentation and stats tracking
• Probably the best franchise mode available

• The running game isn't perfect
• Neither is the passing game

Manage your team for up to 15 seasons, create free agents or edit existing players with an in-depth player editor, and sign, retire, draft, and trade players. Trade for future draft picks and field computer-initiated trades. Watch as players improve their abilities over time with game experience, and set corresponding game plans, matchups, and depth charts for simulated games. The completely customizable scenario mode lets you create any game situation imaginable. Playing fields are degraded and uniforms dirtied based on weather conditions, further enhancing realism. ESPN NFL Primetime also includes animated sidelines, realistic crowd attendance, visible breath and steam from players during cold-weather games, and variable weather conditions and severities for snow, rain, and more.

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