NFL 2K is a series of American football video games developed by Visual Concepts and published by Sega. The series was originally exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast video game console due to the absence of the Madden NFL EA Sports series on the system. As the leading "2K" title, it marks the beginning of an on-going athletic series that ultimately leads to the spinning of the 2K sports publishing business under the name of 2K Sports. After the discontinuation of the Dreamcast, the series continued to be published for other sixth-generation game systems and became the main contender of the Madden series.
After a competitive price of NFL 2K5 significantly reduced sales from that year's release Madden , EA signed an exclusivity deal with the NFL that made Madras NFL the only one series allowed to use team names and NFL players. After losing the NFL license, Visual Concept made a brief comeback to develop a football game with the release of All-Pro Football 2K8 , featuring former NFL players on the fictional team.
Video NFL 2K
Histori
The NFL 2K series was introduced by Sega to address EA Sports's decision not to publish games, including the Madden NFL series, for the Dreamcast. The first installment was released exclusively for the system, in time for the September 9, 1999 launch in North America. All 31 NFL teams are included in the game (including Browns who return) along with the alumni team, and the All-Pro team for AFC, NFC and NFL. The game received a positive reception after it was released, with praise for the visual, presentation, and overall game.
The sequel, NFL 2K1 , was released for the Dreamcast on September 7, 2000 for critical acclaim. Improvements over its predecessor include a large number of new player animations, larger books, improved AIs, and tweaks to ongoing games, passing games, and defenses. 2K1 also introduced a multi-season franchise mode and online play.
With Dreamcast's death, the series NFL 2K is re-positioned as the main multi-platform rival to the Madden NFL series . NFL 2K2 , the third installment, was released on September 19, 2001 for the Dreamcast. PlayStation 2 and Xbox versions of the game are then released with improved graphics. Reception for the game was positive, with critics noting the increase in AI, improvements in passing games, and new player animation. However, the franchise mode is criticized for its lack of depth, as it remains virtually unchanged from 2K1 . Houston Texans is included in the game, featuring stock players because the team does not yet have a real life list.
NFL 2K3 was released for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube in August 2002. The game featured a licensed ESPN-style presentation, with part-time reports, player rewards, and post-match and weekly closing. ESPN And Patrick are featured in the opening opening. Franchise mode is greatly expanded in 2K3 , and features an interactive menu along with a much larger depth. Historic teams are included for the first time, and real life coaches are introduced to the series (along with the ability to create ones). 2K3 is the first game in the series that includes Xbox Live capabilities.
ESPN NFL Football was released in September 2003 for PlayStation 2 and Xbox. This is the only game in the series that does not display 2K in the title; 2K4 is instead set to the lower corner of box art. The game will extend the ESPN series license, with players receiving reports and highlights from ESPN, Chris Berman and Suzy Kolber. New features are added such as first-person soccer and "The Crib", which serves as a player having digital apartments and trophy halls.
With the cancellation of the GameDay NFL GameDay (989 Sports) on PlayStation 2 and the NFL Fever franchise (Microsoft Game Studios), this series really became Madden NFL ' Madden NFL . One EA developer remembers that Sega's aggressive price "scares us"; EA then reduces Madden NFL ' to $ 29.95. In December 2004, however, EA entered into an exclusive agreement with the NFL for an undisclosed amount of money, making Madden NFL the only series allowed to use team names and NFL players. Relatively, the NFL signed a similar contract. six years of exclusivity dealing with Visa Inc. worth $ 400 million in January 2004. EA also signed an agreement with ESPN to become ESPN's sole brand license in sports games across all platforms. This is a big blow to the Sega franchise in their MLB, NBA, and NHL series. As of June 2014, NFL EA license rights will expire in "a few more years."
This comment was written by Dan Stevens (Terry McGovern) and Peter O'Keefe (Jay Styne), who told in each game series. Michelle Westphal Fiktif (Marcia Perry) provides occasional side reports from NFL 2K to NFL 2K3 , while ESPN NFL Football and ESPN NFL 2K5 featuring side reporting from real-life ESPN Suzy Kolber.
2K Sports has a spiritual successor for this series, in the form of All-Pro Football 2K8 . Spin-off was released in 2007 and featured over 240 retired NFL players, including Joe Montana, Barry Sanders, John Elway, Walter Payton, Jerry Rice and Johnny Unitas. Broadcasters in the game Stevens and O'Keefe are also featured in All-Pro Football 2K8, with plenty of player animation and re-game mechanics as well.
Maps NFL 2K
Installments
Main series
Spin-off
Reception
The series has received universal praise.
References
External links
- Official 2K Sports website
Source of the article : Wikipedia