ESPN NFL 2K5
Encyclopedia
ESPN NFL 2K5 is an American football
video game developed
by Visual Concepts
and published
by 2K Sports
and the Sega Corporation. It is a part of the NFL 2K series. The game was originally released on July 20, 2004, for both the PlayStation 2
and Xbox
video game consoles.
feature hosted by Chris Berman. He outlines the games of the current week with his co-host Trey Wingo
who talks about the latest injuries and free agent deals and trades during the season. Mel Kiper hosts the draft portion of the segment while Suzy Kolber
reports from the sidelines There is also weekly preparation for the coming week which allows the player to make decisions on training and preparation. The player can also create his or her own team deciding the team logos (over 10 are available), team name, the teams city, the teams stadium look and build, jersey's and how good the team is. It also has a feature called first-person football, which gives the player the experience on the field looking from the eyes of the players. There is also the traditional create-a-player mode.
The competitive pricing eventually led EA Sports to reduce Madden 2005's price to a mere $29.95, a 40 percent reduction of the series usual rate at the time of $49.99. Following 2005 editions of both games, EA Sports acquired an exclusive rights agreement with the NFL and Player's Association to be the sole creator of NFL video games. The deal terminated 2K Sports production of any further NFL games. The ensuing season, Madden 2006, saw pricing returned to the $49.99 MSRP.
In December 2010, A U.S. district court judge certified a class action anti-trust lawsuit against Electronic Arts for anti-competitive practices to proceed. Pending the outcome of the suit, 2K Sports could be granted NFL rights again which would permit the series to continue.
But in February 2011, EA dealt yet another blow to 2K Sports' hopes of making NFL licensed games. They extended the exclusive contract until the year 2013. This latest deal came to fruition only a few weeks before the NFL began locking out players.
Die-hard Players still edit the game's rosters to the current present day rosters adding to more replayability, and many football fans prefer its engine to the current Madden NFL engine.
, Steve-O
, David Arquette
, Funkmaster Flex
, or Carmen Electra
which is initiated by a phone call from one of the aforementioned "celebrities" in the player's custom crib. The player plays against a celebrity with his or her own custom team of Pro Bowlers. The teams the celebrities use are The Buartville Funkmasters, Cincinnati Electra Shock, LA Dreamteam, Los Angeles Locos, and the Upper Darby Cheesesteaks. During the game the celebrities appear in a small box and use trash-talk. If the player wins the game, they receive the team's stadium as a playable venue.
)
Peter O'Keefe - Color Commentator (voiced by Jay Styne)
Suzy Kolber
- Sideline Reporter
Chris Berman as Himself
Trey Wingo
as Himself
Mel Kiper as Himself
Interactive Achievement Award for Sports Simulation Game of the Year.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
video game developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Visual Concepts
Visual Concepts
Visual Concepts is a California-based video game developer best known for developing Sega Sports' 2K series of sports games. After the success of the series, they were picked up by Sega and became a wholly owned studio with Sega, usually termed a first-party developer...
and published
Video game publisher
A video game publisher is a company that publishes video games that they have either developed internally or have had developed by a video game developer....
by 2K Sports
2K Sports
2K Sports is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. It comprises a single development studio, Visual Concepts, which was purchased from Sega in the year 2005. 2K Sports mainly develops and publishes American sports video games such as NBA 2K series...
and the Sega Corporation. It is a part of the NFL 2K series. The game was originally released on July 20, 2004, for both the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
video game consoles.
Features
The game features a franchise mode with a SportsCenterSportsCenter
SportsCenter is a daily sports news television show, and the flagship program of American cable network ESPN since the network launched on September 7, 1979. Originally broadcast only daily, SportsCenter is now shown up to twelve times a day, replaying the day's scores and highlights from major...
feature hosted by Chris Berman. He outlines the games of the current week with his co-host Trey Wingo
Trey Wingo
Hal Chapman Wingo III or Trey Wingo is the co-host of ESPN's SportsCenter from time to time but is best known as host of NFL Live alongside football analysts Mark Schlereth, Merrill Hoge, Mike Golic, and Tom Jackson, among others...
who talks about the latest injuries and free agent deals and trades during the season. Mel Kiper hosts the draft portion of the segment while Suzy Kolber
Suzy Kolber
Suzanne Lisa "Suzy" Kolber is a football sideline reporter, co-producer, and sportscaster for ESPN. She was one of the original anchors of ESPN2 when it launched in 1993. Three years later, she left ESPN2 to join Fox Sports, but rejoined ESPN in late 1999....
reports from the sidelines There is also weekly preparation for the coming week which allows the player to make decisions on training and preparation. The player can also create his or her own team deciding the team logos (over 10 are available), team name, the teams city, the teams stadium look and build, jersey's and how good the team is. It also has a feature called first-person football, which gives the player the experience on the field looking from the eyes of the players. There is also the traditional create-a-player mode.
Pricing Controversy & Exclusivity
Notably, ESPN NFL 2K5 was the first in the 2K series priced at $19.99 the day it shipped.The competitive pricing eventually led EA Sports to reduce Madden 2005's price to a mere $29.95, a 40 percent reduction of the series usual rate at the time of $49.99. Following 2005 editions of both games, EA Sports acquired an exclusive rights agreement with the NFL and Player's Association to be the sole creator of NFL video games. The deal terminated 2K Sports production of any further NFL games. The ensuing season, Madden 2006, saw pricing returned to the $49.99 MSRP.
In December 2010, A U.S. district court judge certified a class action anti-trust lawsuit against Electronic Arts for anti-competitive practices to proceed. Pending the outcome of the suit, 2K Sports could be granted NFL rights again which would permit the series to continue.
But in February 2011, EA dealt yet another blow to 2K Sports' hopes of making NFL licensed games. They extended the exclusive contract until the year 2013. This latest deal came to fruition only a few weeks before the NFL began locking out players.
Die-hard Players still edit the game's rosters to the current present day rosters adding to more replayability, and many football fans prefer its engine to the current Madden NFL engine.
Celebrity game
One of the features in the game is a celebrity game involving Jamie KennedyJamie Kennedy
James Harvey "Jamie" Kennedy is an American comedian, rapper, and actor.-Early life:Kennedy, the youngest of six children, was born in Upper Darby Township, a suburb of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His family is of Irish descent and he was raised Roman Catholic. He attended and graduated from...
, Steve-O
Steve-O
Steve-O is an American stunt performer and television personality. His entertainment career is mostly centered around his performance stunts on the American TV series Jackass and accompanying movies....
, David Arquette
David Arquette
David Arquette is an American actor, film director, producer, screenwriter, fashion designer, and occasional professional wrestler. A member of the Arquette acting family, he first became known during the mid 1990s after starring in several Hollywood films, such as the Scream series, Wild Bill and...
, Funkmaster Flex
Funkmaster Flex
Aston George Taylor, Jr. better known as Funkmaster Flex is an American hip hop DJ, rapper, musician and producer on New York City's Hot 97 radio station and host of the hit MTV show Funk Flex Full Throttle....
, or Carmen Electra
Carmen Electra
Tara Leigh Patrick , professionally known as Carmen Electra, is an American glamour model, actress, television personality, singer, and dancer...
which is initiated by a phone call from one of the aforementioned "celebrities" in the player's custom crib. The player plays against a celebrity with his or her own custom team of Pro Bowlers. The teams the celebrities use are The Buartville Funkmasters, Cincinnati Electra Shock, LA Dreamteam, Los Angeles Locos, and the Upper Darby Cheesesteaks. During the game the celebrities appear in a small box and use trash-talk. If the player wins the game, they receive the team's stadium as a playable venue.
Voice Talent
Dan Stevens - Play-by-Play Announcer (voiced by Terry McGovernTerry McGovern (actor)
Terence "Terry" McGovern is an American film actor, television broadcaster, radio personality, voice-over specialist, and acting instructor.-Personal life:...
)
Peter O'Keefe - Color Commentator (voiced by Jay Styne)
Suzy Kolber
Suzy Kolber
Suzanne Lisa "Suzy" Kolber is a football sideline reporter, co-producer, and sportscaster for ESPN. She was one of the original anchors of ESPN2 when it launched in 1993. Three years later, she left ESPN2 to join Fox Sports, but rejoined ESPN in late 1999....
- Sideline Reporter
Chris Berman as Himself
Trey Wingo
Trey Wingo
Hal Chapman Wingo III or Trey Wingo is the co-host of ESPN's SportsCenter from time to time but is best known as host of NFL Live alongside football analysts Mark Schlereth, Merrill Hoge, Mike Golic, and Tom Jackson, among others...
as Himself
Mel Kiper as Himself
Awards
In 2005, the game won the Academy of Interactive Arts & SciencesAcademy of Interactive Arts & Sciences
The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
Interactive Achievement Award for Sports Simulation Game of the Year.