ESPN NFL Football - "crib"

[Xbox Owner]

News by: Fennec Fox
21-JUL-03
Following up on their "First Person Football" announcement two weeks ago, Sega and VIsual Concepts unveiled the second major new feature they have in the works for ESPN NFL Football, due out for the PS2 and Xbox in early September. The name of this feature? "The Crib". The MTV flashbacks are coming back already.

Described by project leader Greg Thomas as Sega's "answer to unlockables," The Crib is an apartment that starts out empty but gradually fills up with furniture, games and other knickknacks as you play the game. Whenever you earn a new Crib item—whether it be by scoring touchdowns, making clutch plays or simply being lucky—you'll be alerted to the fact by an in-game overlay; once the game's over you can tour your place to check out the item.

The unlockables in Crib mode run the gamut—everything from trophies for your trophy case to rich-boy toys like jukeboxes, air hockey tables, flat-screen TVs, and framed player jerseys can be earned with smooth moves on the football field. Some of the Crib stuff can actually be played as mini-games, too, including the air-hockey table, a paper football setup, and a bar sports-trivia machine.

"We already knew that our sports gamers were ultra-competitive, so we wanted to keep challenging them to be on their game when they play," said Thomas in a release. "This is one of the many ways that we are raising the bar in ESPN NFL Football this year with innovative features that keep the game not only challenging, but also fun."

More info on ESPN NFL will come as the release date nears. Will Sega catch up a bit to Madden this year? Well, they're certainly trying...

source






Ha..if you ask me, this seems pretty awesome, actually. Just another reason why ESPN NFL Football > Madden!

[borka105]

i don't know about this.


it seems really cool, but on the other hand, it seems pretty pointless..........



*they should concentrate on improving the game of football a bit more. It seems like Sega is saying that they have such a perfect football game, that we can concentrate on other football related things..... BIG MISTAKE!!

*can't wait to see the review scores for all 3 football titles......... going to be a very interesting year.


-borka105

[Duke]

No one would ever buy a giant Browns rug.

Looks kinda cool though. Just wish this one was coming out sooner.

[Casper]

Originally posted by DukeBuckhorn
No one would ever buy a giant Browns rug.

Looks kinda cool though. Just wish this one was coming out sooner.

What's even worse is the Laveraneus Coles - Redskins' poster in the background....riiiight..hehe

To me, this is a much needed add-on to the season mode, and something that will definitely spice things up a bit in the flavor mode. Btw, I said I would rent Fever and maybe get it, but ya know, screw it, I'm sticking with ESPN...I never liked MS' sports games anyways......

[AlBoogy]

Originally posted by casper


What's even worse is the Laveraneus Coles - Redskins' poster in the background....riiiight..hehe

To me, this is a much needed add-on to the season mode, and something that will definitely spice things up a bit in the flavor mode. Btw, I said I would rent Fever and maybe get it, but ya know, screw it, I'm sticking with ESPN...I never liked MS' sports games anyways......

I agree casper. This looks a whole lot better then getting some stupid madden card. I heard about this feature but was a bit skeptical. But looking at the pics makes me look forward to it even more!

[SkoalMint]

So in other words this is going to be DOA:XBV without the hot chicks and bikinis??? Come on guys, this is obviously a gimmick and I would hate to see someone basing their decision on which football game to pick up on something that is not football related <cough>Casper<cough>.

Regardless, to me there are only two choices, ESPN or Fever, as they are the only ones on XBL. However, I will base that choice on how the game plays, looks, and the overall XBL experience.

[Casper]

Skoal, you also called the First Person view a gimmick too, shouldn't it be a new featuer instead? I mean, with Fever, the players feet looked like balloons the last 2 years, while the players on ESPN looked crisp and very sharp. So I'll go with it for a few reasons besides these new features: looks, playability, my love for this Sega series, and my ability to beat the living snot out of you in every game

[borka105]

Originally posted by casper
Skoal, you also called the First Person view a gimmick too, shouldn't it be a new featuer instead? I mean, with Fever, the players feet looked like balloons the last 2 years, while the players on ESPN looked crisp and very sharp. So I'll go with it for a few reasons besides these new features: looks, playability, my love for this Sega series, and my ability to beat the living snot out of you in every game

lmao, first person mode is a gimmick and so is this.......


pretty sad how you can be so gaga about this feature.

I don't see how it in anyway improves the nfl2k4 game. Just like last years franchise mode where you would have your computer and other sh*t, this year there will be another room called "crib".....


yes, lets call this a revolutionary feature.......


OPen your eyes BUDDY!, have you checked out Fever's passing game? Now that Revolutionary. That's something that took months and months of planning. That's something that will improve the gameplay and game....

Fever is the only game to also use the whole coach system. In 2k4 the headcoach and assistand coach is useless, in Fever they play a big part of the game.......


it seems one game (2k4) is concentrating on bribing 10 year old kids with pointless features, while the other game (fever) is concentrating on improving adding features to the gameplay.......



Oh and lets not even forget XSN!



-borka105

[faceoff508]

What does it mean by trophies? MVP trophies? Vince Lombardie Trophys? or just some made up one? Also this should be a good ad on to the game since that I already think that the actual football game is superb. Its the most realiestic football game out there and this shoudl only help it.

[CrazyCougar]

Hey borka, dont toot Fever's horn yet because the game has yet to be releases for everyone to play. The same hype has been generated for the Fever games year in and year out. And what did we end up with? A suck ass football game. ESPN has most of the gameplay there, they were the one's who initiated the whole leading the reciever style of passing. So MS is just following in someone's footsteps to a degree.

I wont listen to any of this Fever hoopla until I play the game. Because its all been false before, whats to say its not a bunch of advertising to create hype again.

ESPN still has my $50 along with NCAA 2004. Those are the 2 titles i am defintely getting this year. As for Fever, it'll have to work hard to earn my willingness to shell out another 50 bux for a football game.

BTW, has anyone heard if XSN will eventually be a pay service. Dont overlook this porbability.

[Casper]

Originally posted by CrazyCougar-XBA
BTW, has anyone heard if XSN will eventually be a pay service. Dont overlook this porbability.

BINGO!

And borka, whatever you want to say about that dam game, feel free, but IMO, which is the one that counts, I hated the Fever series since Day 1 and unless they do a complete revamp from that bubblegum looking style of players, then I'm not going near it. And the gameplay is already there for ESPN, that's why I was so hooked on it last year. But go ahead and have fun with your XSN, then when I see you're threads about people cheating the system on there too, then I'll be sure to give you one of these - - it's a league, just like the rankings, there'll always be people out there looking to get their names in lights, any which way they can. For me, it's about gameplay first, bragging second, but if the game sucks, what am I going to want to boast for? Btw, XSN is a gimmick too junior.

[AlBoogy]

I cant believe casper, crazycougar and I are the only ones that think this is cool. Sorry to tell you Fever lovers, but Fever sucks. The only thing good about Fever is the graphics. How many different tackle animations does Fever have? 3? I think it had potential but there second game didnt improve on anything except for XBL.

And if you think these things are gimmics then what are Madden cards? Pennants? If youre going to say that First person football is a gimmick then I will say XSN is a gimmick. Dont be so close minded.

[RudedogX]

Let's see, would I want a game where not only can I get some of the craziest tackles, best plays, and best AI, in addition to all these little extras or Fever....hmmm...damn, that was easy...ESPN here I come!

[DZNUTZ]

1. borka hugs on MS's nutz regardless of the garbage they put out.
2. 1st person perspective i don't consider a gimmick, this i do.
3.regardless..MS has to prove the can beat the realisticness of sega's franchise..so far they haven't even came close.
4.their many other gameplay features that segas has supposedly improved upon , not to mention drawing you into the game even more like they did last year w/ the espn partnership
5. i'll be stomping mudholes in all ya'll asses come the release date of espn2k4 (or whatever its called). so get in line mufucas...and don't forget to pack a lunch.

6. RAIDERS!!!!!!!!!!

[SkoalMint]

First off, yes Casper, first-person view is a new feature. However, that doesn't necessarily mean it is not a gimmick as well. Once I have a chance to try it out, maybe I will change my mind, but I just can't envision playing the game that way for very long.

Now don't get me wrong. I agree that in the past, Fever has been garbage. However, I hardly consider some of the features they are talking about implementing with XSN a gimmick. And no, I'm not talking about getting your name in lights, I'll leave that for the guys with no lives. I'm talking about things that will add to my football playing experience (i.e., leagues, scouting reports on other players, etc.)

IMO, a card or a crib doesn't add much to a football game. The bottomline is that it comes down to actually playing the game. All of the XSN, crib, or card stuff isn't worth squat if the game doesn't play well and realistically.

My point is all things being equal (realistic gameplay, great graphics, great character models, great animations, etc.) I feel I would have more fun with the XSN as opposed to cards or cribs. If I was only basing my decision on last year's games, it would be ESPN all the way, but if Fever can bring the "game" up to the ESPN standard, then I would be hard pressed to not go with that game. Either way, I'll be renting both first before I decide which one to buy.



Oh and DZ, you forgot number 7 - TEXANS!!!!!!!!!!!!

[AlBoogy]

Originally posted by SkoalMint

Now don't get me wrong. I agree that in the past, Fever has been garbage. However, I hardly consider some of the features they are talking about implementing with XSN a gimmick. And no, I'm not talking about getting your name in lights, I'll leave that for the guys with no lives. I'm talking about things that will add to my football playing experience (i.e., leagues, scouting reports on other players, etc.)

Skoal, how can you say that XSN enhances your football experience and First person football does not? I too havent played it but that is what they are trying to do. Enhance the experience. Same as MS. They are trying to do the same. I can see your side of the argument of the crib, it doesnt have anything DIRECTLY to do with actual football gameplay so I can understand why you think its a gimmick. But the first person does have something to do with the gameplay so I cant see that side of your argument. Have you seen the movies for it? If not, Ill look it up on IGN and post it.

[jelgiad]

IMO the crib thing sounds pretty pointless to me, just like the garage in sega gt 2002.

[borka105]

let me first state the following:

I bought both games last year and will probably do the same this year......... Now with that said, here is my take on the situation:


First Person Mode: Personally, I could really care less for this thing. I mean it's the same thing as in a racing game where the camera is your eyes instead of staring behind the car..... First Person Mode maybe cool, but NO ONE will use it in a real LIVE competitive game. It's simply another camera angle.......... and frankly, I don't think too highly of that.


What I do think highly off is when a game really pushes itself to the edge...


read this casper:
Basically, when you come to the line before the snap, you have a yellow passing reticle that starts about 10 yards directly in front of the QB. Think of this reticle as the QB's eyes (where he's looking) from now on and you'll be set. You can move this reticle with the right analog stick. You can move it before the snap if you want to pre-position it maybe to have it be closer to the primary receiver or maybe just to fake out your opponent. Or you can leave it alone.

When you snap the ball, the reticle will just sit there. It will not move by itself. Not yet, anyway. You throw the ball with the right trigger. The faster and harder you pull it, the faster and straighter the pass will be. If you tap it, you'll lob the ball (but not sky high like last year.. it'll be a slower higher-arcing pass that can loop over a defenser's head.. very useful if you know when to use it). Anyway, when you throw the ball, it heads pretty much precisely where the reticle was *when the trigger was pulled*. This means that it doesn't auto-adjust in mid flight or anything stupid like that. It goes where you told it to go. If the receiver left that spot and is somewhere else, the ball will not be caught or could be picked off.

Now, let's go back to the snap.. So the reticle starts out in front of the QB. After the snap, you can select a receiver to throw to with the face buttons on the controller (just like last year). So hit B and the reticle will *move* from wherever it was to where receiver B is. Since receiver B is moving, the reticle will basically "chase" him until it catches up. At that point it sits right on top of him and moves with him. Any time the trigger is pulled, the ball will go to where the reticle is at that instant. If it's currently travelling to receiver B, well, guess what.. that's where the ball will go. There is a a built-in delay (think of it as "travel time") for the reticle to move from one receiver to another (when hitting the face buttons). This simulates the QB looking off receivers and adjusting to the new speed and location of the receiver. But this travel time is much faster than a defender can run so the QB has an advantage in that respect.

Once the reticle is right on top of a receiver, it'll start to move with him exactly so it would always stay right on top of him if you didn't move it with the right stick. If you were to throw the ball now, you'd be screwed because what QB throws the ball exactly where the receiver is (if he is moving)? No, you need to "lead" him. Hence the name. Read the D, lead the receiver. In some case, (like when the receiver is not moving), this might be ok, but even then you probably want to move the reticle to throw to where the defense isn't. So you need to move the reticle out in front of the receiver's path. The nice thing is that once you stop moving the reticle, it will move automatically again, but this time relative to the receiver's movement. So if you moved it downfield and to the right, it continues to be in that position relative to the receiver but still moves with him exactly. So once you've figured out how much you want to lead him, you can leave it there.

Now, when you throw, the ball will go to where the reticle was when you pulled the trigger, but since the receiver is moving in that direction, he should be right there ready to catch it (provided you led him right). If you lead him too much, it'll be overthrown. Too little and he'll need to slow down or twist backwards to catch the ball. In both these cases, you're looking at an incomplete pass or a pick a lot of times. Hit him right on stride and you'll have a big gain. This makes throwing the bomb so much harder but so much more rewarding knowing you threw it exactly where it needed to be. It's also hugely rewarding knowing you threw the ball where you knew the defender couldn't get to it.. maybe in the receiver's back pocket.

One more thing you can do is once you pull the trigger, you have about 1 second or so to adjust the height of the pass while the QB is in his throwing motion. Once he lets go of the ball it's too late. During this time, you can push up or down on the right analog stick to adjust the height of the reticle. A higher pass would be used for maybe a taller receiver with better hands if he has a step on a DB. A lower pass would be used to maybe have the receiver dive for the ball or make a shoestring catch with DBs closing in. Or you could just screw up and do it by accident because you panicked under pressure and threw too high and overthrew the receiver and the defense got a pick. But hey, that was your fault, not the game's. Happens to real QB's all the time.

By the way, since you won't be able to look at the presuure coming (you'll be too busy looking downfield) we made it so that the controller will vibrate stronger and stronger as pressure approaches. If you feel the controller vibrating, better hurry up (or throw the ball away) or you're gonna be flat on your back. This increases the chances of bad QB's just throwing up a lame duck that can easily be picked. Got to be able to handle the pressure, man!

Now, on defense, things get a lot more fun as well. This is because the defense *can* see the reticle as well. DBs often read the QB's eyes or where he is looking. And QBs sure as hell won't throw to a place they aren't looking at. So if the QB keys on a receiver too long and doesn't look off to another receiver, you can just hang out by the reticle and await your pick. But a good QB will look you off and switch to another receiver. If he's good and leading quickly, you won't have much time to switch to the defender closest to the reticle (using the left trigger on defense) and make your break on the ball. If you don't have a defender nearby the reticle, well, that's not gonna be good for you.

Since receivers are not vacuums, you, as a QB, need to be pretty close to right on the money with passes because they'll do their best to catch your garbage throws, but they can't catch everything you throw at them. Receivers with higher Hands ratings would be better targets because they'd be better at catching bad throws.

There's actually a bit more to it that this


Now tell me that isn't revolutionary?


XSN: guys, belive the hype here. This was one of Microsofts biggest and most important plans that was shown at E3. It isn't some gimmick that is being told to the world, a month before some game comes out (cough.... cough..... nfl2k4)
XSN has been thought about and been in development for a LONG TIME......


the developers of the game have said that the graphic engine, the gameplay, the controls and pretty much everything else has been re-done. They realize that last years game was 1/2 ass.....


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

going in with low expectations may be even better for you guys because it will only show you how much better this game is.

Read the previews, everyone at operationsports, ign, and gamespot stated that the game is MUCH improved, offers the most new features, and simply stands out from the rest.


*I'll definitely play both, but the difference from last year is:

I went in with high expectations for nfl 2k3, and I discovered the most buggy, choppy, and boring football games that I've ever played...... the early 2k days were much better and I feel they really f*cked the series up last year.

So this year I am going in with low expectation for 2k4........ Probably the opposite off you guys, but hopefully we are both pleasantly surprised.


-borka105

[DZNUTZ]

sounds like a combo of pumpfake (the reticule throwing defense off) and max passing,(leading reciever).

i'm not impressed borka.

[MerimacHamwich]

Sounds pretty dumb to me, like the game isn't going to be very good so they include some other stuff to try and make up for the bad football game. If you want a "crib" get the sims, one thing is for sure, it looks alot better.