Never mind the fight for console supremacy between the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, or the upcoming battle that will see the Nintendo DS and the PlayStation Portable go head to head for the hearts, minds and wallets of gamers.
One of the biggest, fiercest and most high-profile competitions in the world of next-gen video games is between EA and Sega's respective lines of sports titles, especially when it comes to their yearly NFL football offerings.
Always the underdog, Sega has tweaked and improved its 2K series since the debut of NFL 2K on the Dreamcast, but has never quite been able to match the overall polish and undeniable mass appeal of EA Sports' Madden NFL franchise.
But this year the house that Sonic built - along with developer Visual Concepts - has apparently decided they're not willing to put out another solid game of football and then sit by and watch it get steamrollered by the Madden machine. ESPN NFL 2K5 is not only the best sports game Sega and company have done for the next-gen consoles, it's poised to give the venerable Madden a run for its money.
Most significantly, and the clearest indication that Sega means business this year, NFL 2K5's release date was bumped up, putting it on shelves well ahead of EA's Madden NFL 2005. Even more surprising, it's been released at the budget price of $30, less than half what Madden is expected to sell for when it lands in stores on Aug. 11.
But none of that would matter if NFL 2K5 wasn't an excellent game of football. Luckily, it is. We won't know for a while how it stacks up to this year's Madden, but if Sega's scheme was to get pigskin pundits hooked on NFL 2K5 early in the hopes they might give Madden a miss, it may just work.
NFL 2K5's strongest suits are its ESPN-branded TV-style presentation and its brain-busting visuals. Announcers Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe (assisted by Suzy Kolber on the sidelines) do play-by-play and colour, which is the most accurate and least repetitive of any sports game in memory.
The graphics, for their part, are astounding. Visual Concepts has spent an incredible amount of time focusing on player animations, down to subtle nuances like quarterbacks whipping off a shovel pass to avoid the blitz, to personalized dance steps for post-touchdown celebrations. It's the single biggest improvement over last year's effort.
Also new and cool is the Virtual Identity Profile system, which monitors your play style over time and tracks how often you run to the right, how often you throw deep and a zillion other traits. After several games you'll have created an AI profile that you can save to a memory card and loan to a friend, who can then pit his own skills against an eerily accurate computer-controlled version of you.
Slicker still is the ESPN 25th anniversary mode, which recreates famous scenarios from classic games and challenges you to beat them. Think you can duplicate Terry Bradshaw's "immaculate reception" touchdown pass from that fateful 1972 championship game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Oakland Raiders? Best of luck!
NFL 2K4's almost game-wrecking issue of nearly unstoppable running backs has been fixed, and you now have more control when defending against passes and evading sacks, too. Extra touches and depth have been added to the game's already complex franchise mode, the online league modes are feature-rich and even the Crib - your home away from home, with literally hundreds of little unlockable goodies - has doubled in size.
NFL 2K5 remains a slightly more action-friendly game of football, and while the game isn't anywhere as arcade-y as NFL Blitz and its ilk, it's still less sim-like than Madden. Personally I prefer this style, though some Madden devotees will scoff at what they perceive as a less-realistic game of football.
Ultimately, for better or for worse, NFL 2K5 has virtually no chance of outselling the juggernaut that is Madden NFL 2005. But rather than do what Sony's 989 Sports and Microsoft's XSN Sports did this year and take some time off to lick its wounds, Sega has charged off the line with their most aggressive attempt yet to unseat the reigning champion of video game football.
Whether they succeed or not, ESPN NFL 2K5 is a game that should occupy a place of honour in any football fanatic's collection.
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BOTTOMLINE
Plain and simple, ESPN NFL 2K5 is Sega's best football game to date. And with a $30 price tag, it's a no-brainer purchase that even a concussion-prone linebacker could make.
