NFL 2K5 | The Greatest Sports Game Ever Made 

For those who may have missed how we got to NFL 2K5 being the greatest sports game ever, it was decided by a fan-voted tournament held in March: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-1M9ip39zbuU.html

Just upgrade the graphics that's it and NFL 2k5 will kick ass for another 15 years.

I wouldn't have guessed back then that this game would be the pinnacle of what we would have in the future. Never would have thought the future would be so dim for football gaming.

Why does this game look smoother than current Madden and “real player motion”

If I remember correctly, they put all that in a game and sold it for $20.

That beautiful throw to Kelce is impossible in Madden today

The thing I enjoyed the most is actually getting realistic results out of my other players. For example: if I drafted the best pass rusher, I NOTICED HIS PLAY ON THE FIELD!! Where as in madden if I drafted let’s say Aaron Donald, I can forget he’s on my team cause he would do nothing.

I miss the halftime show presentation!

I loved adding my own soundtrack to the game with the music on my xbox

Yeap, it did it...I'm mad at Madden lol From the gameplay A.I., to the depth of the franchise mode, I'm missing 2k5 and All-Pro 2k8...I promise if you lost a game in those modes, it felt like you lost because they were a better team and not because you were cheated.

I play this game at least once a day. Me and my friend have been playing it since it came out

Ratings and Physics are respected and the presentation was on par with a real game and the greatest halftime show of all time. Even great preview shows to watch every week on your franchise. So much passion was put into this game with excellent execution. Plus, it was only $20 when games were normally $50.

I still own this game for my OG Xbox. When 2k is able to make SIM games again this is the foundation they need. Just bring everything in this game to the next Gen and I will never EVER touch Madden again.

The VIP profile was literally 15 years ahead of its time...because WE STILL DON'T HAVE IT TODAY SINCE! The ability to self scout essentially was just genius. I'm still playing franchise mode with updated rosters because the game play remains challenging at the highest level.

for those that have played Madden all their lives and have never once played 2K5.. u will never understand how great this game was, and still is.

NFL 2K5 was truly amazing. Being a kid, I didn’t understand it at the time but this truly was a revolutionary game.

THEY SHOW HIGHLIGHTS AND THEY HAVE SPORTSCENTER. Blows my mind how modern games are so lackluster

I remember going so far in my franchise like 7 years with my created player

I can like this video without watching it 🤷‍♂️ that’s how much I know NFL 2k5 is the best

for 20 bucks that time the game was way ahead of its time

EA Sports is the worst thing that happened to gaming Change my mind:

I’m one of those gamers still clinging on to NHL ‘94 . Great vid

Great video. I wish NFL 2k5 was backwards compatibile with Ps4 and Xbox One

Because of this video, went to the garage and took out my 360 and hooked it up and started playing. I put my tv settings to 'VIVID' and the game looks so great still.

I really enjoyed this game back in the day. Haven’t played a madden since 2007 lol

Other thing that was noticable was the field would gradually wear down whenever it was muddy or snowy.

Just purchased this for my ps2 off eBay. I cant wait to play this again

Some may not know this but if you played on og xbox you can set celebration music for touchdowns, field goals, interception returns individually from music stored on your Xbox hard drive! It even had an editing tool for picking exactly where at in the audio file you wanted to set it for use. 😏

I still play this with updated rosters. I dont see that changing anytime soon

It felt as if "Dan Stevens" and "Peter O'Keefe" were actually in the booth calling the game together and not like their lines were cobbled together.

i remember playing this game constantly on my ps2 growing up. best game i ever had along with SvR 2007.

Im forever so glad my dad bought this game when it came out.

This game was amazing. From the presentation to the gameplay, it was great!

This is ridiculous. EA has no excuses at all. The highlights feature on this game looks insane!

Playing 2k5 resurrected on my laptop so refreshing to be playing a great football game

the way xbox let you add your own mp3 ripped on the drive to a first down catch to a big time touchdown catch was just ONE of the features that still hasnt been done since

The game was being sold BRAND NEW for $20 and was leaps and bounds superior to any Madden game ever made even to this day, 2k5 is the best football game ever made. Hands down.

God I miss this game so much. Played it a ton on the PS2.

Seeing this video brought back some memories. I pray that whatever 2k is planning will be just a great.

It is quite amazing that this game that was made over 15 years ago can be put up against Madden 2021/2022 and be better than it in damn near every aspect except graphics. They absolutely nailed it.

Imagine how incredible this would be with 2022 graphics

In addition to the charge, if you tap "X" your player runs faster. The faster you tap, the faster they run.

Those breakdowns of your opponents every week..... man i miss them. 3:56

Excellent video! I hope you can someday do one on the NCAA football series.

I can't deny the greatness of this game but I remember shunning this game because it wasn't Madden. Let's not forget Madden, all the way up to and especially 05, was a good franchise that did things right. Everything after is hit or miss with definitely more misses. EA did bring us the NCAA franchise which was amazing as well. Madden on PS4 is so behind where it should be based on these much older versions.

Lot of people loved that first person mode and that would be the only way they would play. It took a lot of practice to get use to it but after you did, it was tremendous!

Even 15 years ago they had different cut scenes, side line cameras, different QB step back motions, the ball doesn't hand in the air throwing a "bullet" pass. simple things Madden has been so bad for years but we have nothing to play sadly.

It’s ridiculous how much content is not in sports games these days

If you played 2k5 you know the right stick when running ball was lethal

I just played this game 10 minutes ago, for the first time. It's great, and its great to see my boy Brett out of retirement, and back with the Packers.

My favorite memory was using the eagles and donovan mcnab with that pump fake n shoulder roll damn this game was lightyears ahead

This game was ahead of its time and was handled w/care, it released at $20, when others were releasing at $60, this resonated so much w/fans, still have my copy, my original Xbox, and talk to my boys about it.

Mane!!! Dat halftime show was so 🔥

I like the fact that "Maximum Tackling" was their low key version of the hit stick. You just clicked the right thumb stick after a charge to deliver a bone jarring hit. You could also use the right thumb stick to spin and juke on offense and manually hurdle by clicking the left thumb stick. Nuanced is an understatement! 💪🏽

I played this game until my thumbs got bruised. Awesome game.

Nothing will ever top 2k5, and the fact that you can download new rosters means it'll never die.

Besides the gameplay, presentation, commentary, pregame postgame and halftime show......I loved how you could assign your DB’s to certain WR’s, you still can’t do that in Madden.

watching videos on 2k5 depresses me because I know we’ll probably never get a football game as good as this one ever again or at least in the near future

Keep it up SGO! Give them no other option but to make the game we all want, deserve & give them our money for.

I’m getting this game on xbox360 or ps3 20GB Nice video it was super fun to watch

Can’t even throw the damn ball without it getting picked off on madden 20

Aah man, I miss that game!

Plus you could add the nbc,abc Monday night football and fox sports theme on the introduction and after each score like a real game by adding ur own music downloads to the game it was amazing

If only you can play this game on the Xbox One X The only thing I did not like about the game you had to keep pressing the speed burst button, other than that the game was awesome

Playing it as we speak

I still play this game it’s such a masterpiece

I would say greatest NFL game for sure, but for sports as a whole, MLB The Show drops a deep game every year with a few good modes that have a lot of replay value.

On the xbox you could use your own music in the game which was awesome too. I had Tiger Army going off when I'd score a td for example.

I like the fact that you had a crib where you can see all of your trophies and accomplishments you had a jukebox paper football

The inclusion of the field reporting and Chris Berman made feel like a real game and way more immersive. I would love the highlights replaying during the half time and at the end of the game.

That last run was beautiful 🤩

Can you send this video to the EA execs to show them what a real NFL video game looks like and what fans want?

the halftime shows and cribs. Plus the fluent gameplay I loved

What's interesting is that people remember this year by Madden '05 having the hit stick while 2k5 came at 20$, but 2k5 had something similar to a hit stick: by clicking the Right thumbstick (R3) the defender would dive arm closed shoulder first as opposed to pressing X/square where he would dive arms open. This 2k hit "button" would stop forward progress knocking the offensive back and increase fumbles if done right, but was extremely hard to pull off. It was just something they really didn't mention

3:49 LOL That rejection is just a funny thing to read.

This game was way ahead of its time

I remember going to EB Games in the Mall with my friends during the summer of 2004 in July, we all played the game that they had setup on the Kios. We all walked out of the store with our own copy of ESPN NFL 2K5, it was an amazing football game and still is to this day. With that being said, I recently bought ESPN NFL 2K5 and All-Pro Football 2K8 again off Ebay, I just got my ESPN NFL 2K5 in the mail this morning, All-Pro Football 2K8 won't arrive until Monday or Tuesday, I can't wait to finally own these games once again. I haven't bought a Madden game in years, and I won't due to the direction the game has headed in. And it also blows my mind that, a football game that's almost 16 years old still plays better than any current or last gen Madden game, lol! And I also believe that EA Sports shot themselves in the foot when they bought the exclusive license to the NFL because, there's no competition for EA Sports or anything to help push their game to innovate. However, this is why Madden hasn't gotten better like it should of after all these years, there ain't any other NFL game on the market to compete with EA Sports.

This was one of my favorite games of all time!!

I remember playing this WAY more than madden 2005. I only touched madden because of hitstick

“I wish there was a way to know you’re in the ‘good old days’ before you’ve actually left them”

I love this game and still own it, I remember going back and forth with Madden 05 during that year. The only things with Madden that I enjoyed that year were the hit stick and Ray Lewis being on the cover. 2K5 just made a football video game feel fun. Not NFL Blitz fun, but competitively (especially in Franchise mode) you felt like you were playing and witnessing an important game broadcasted by ESPN. No other time since has a football video game done this for me. Sure, in Madden you may feel the stakes during a playoff game or one against a divisional rival, but 2K5 made EVERY game feel like this. Chalk-it-up to immersion and detailed gameplay fluidity, because that is what a sports game should always be. Even better, due to the competition from Madden during those times, 2K5 debuted with a $20 pricetag!! This is the best sports video game of all time, and it isn't even close.

Who else shed a tear watching this? #memories

There was a noticeable difference in playing with “elite” QBs, and, say, back up qbs. Accuracy mattered, you had to input which arm to stiff arm from, and even that was rating-related. Some RBs could stiff arm weak tacklers, but someone like Jamal Lewis would throw your face into the dirt. And i loved that animation where youd truck someone so badly that the player was rolling on the ground under your feet desperately trying to grab at you as you kept moving forward 😳

Carmen Electra being in 2k5 and Def Jam: Fight for New York has assured she will leave behind a legacy... a strange one, but still.

To me, it felt really even and balanced. It felt like football. Madden feels like a video game

You forgot to say , in this game you can do one on ones in practice , yes I’m talking a receiver versus Db Limon versus defense of lineman you name it you can pick whichever two players you want to put on the field and go against your let’s say brother 101 or even the computer

Still have NFL2k5 till this day someone just was trying buy it off me ..just can't let a classic like that go

We would stay up all night long playing against one another . It’s the only football video game my dad would play with us because he hated madden. We played hours and all nighters with him. It was treasure memories

I used to play NFL quarterback club. I miss having multiple NFL options

The music the commentary the crib the 25th anniversary stuff so many amazing things

I bought a OG Xbox and this was one of the first game I got that was a year ago

I've got those updated rosters as of 4/13/20! NFL 2k21!

The colts, falcons, and vikings using the colts playbook are just ridiculously unfair. Still playing it to this day.

And to think that all of this run on ps2 and retailed only for 20 bucks are just... Mindboggling. Its scary to think how powerful, smart, and pro consumer game devs back in the day.

I've got to give these damn 2K football games some of my time again. I'm so hooked on Gears games right now.🤔

Please do a video like this on college ncaa football 14

EA wants to know your location.

I have to get my ps2 up and running and get some component cables for it. So I can play the copy I bought. I've Been watching it the gsmeplay for like two weeks straight and I can't take it anymore. I just remember playing this game for 2 years straight while every version of M0adden I've bought since madden 05. I've only played for two weeks. Speaking of herky jerkie movement or players between transitions. Madden still does this 15 years later which is inexcusable. 2K still looks way more realistic. Especially in the side view it still resemles a televised game because of the realistic movements. Madden still hasn't even done presentation right yet. I'm jonesing to play this game and I can't put it off much longer.

I can't believe I didn't discover this game until 2011-2012. I had a Sega Dreamcast and played the 2k sports series with a passion. But when Dreamcast died and PS2/XBOX came along I thought all there was to play was Madden. 2k is amazing!

Was lucky enough that 2K4 was sold in the UK. Taught me a lot about the game. And became my most loved and played sports game. Still play it today, and shame it cannot be put on my PS5. Never knew about 2K5. Sports games just got too complex for me now; these old ones are pick up & playable.