It was 2005 and the next generation of consoles was looming. The 360 was getting ready to launch that year but I wasn't in any hurry. There were some crazy things happening that year and number one was that NFL 2k5 was going to be discontinued and Madden was getting the exclusive license.
NFL 2k has been my go-to football game since Dreamcast and became a family tradition every year with my brothers and cousins. Fists were thrown, tables were tipped, bottles were smashed and battles would end sometimes wrestling on the floor all because of NFL 2k's fantasy draft single game battles. The battles were for halftime highlights, player of the half, and Chris Burman's words of encouragement. If we could get Burman to say negative things about the other team, the rage would build and build. Then the second half was the battle to get the post game show to feature your team's plays more than the others. IT WAS WAR!
Madden didn't and doesn't have this. We tried for the last 6-7 years to put up with Madden but Tiburon just didn't understand what die hards gamers wanted. Just youtube it. EA was voted worst company in the U.S. two years in a row and I would bet it's in no small part to the weak Madden Roster updates they've been feeding us over the years.
So I bought into the 360 with the promise of backwards compatibility. It didn't work with NFL 2k5. Earth was kind of shattered but 2k5 was still online with OG Xbox but I was looking forward to HD 2k5. So I scoured ebay and found Monitor cables for my OG Xbox. It was awesome. Much better than the let down that was Madden 06. Then I found nfl2k5rosters.com. They've been updating the rosters year in and year out for free.
Again it was awesome but I also had a 360 just sitting there with that nice new controller that I wish I could use with NFL 2k5. Finally in 2008 MS did one final update for backwards compatibility and it worked on 360. Life was good again. All Pro Football came out in 07 as well but it wasn't what we as 2k football fans truly wanted.
Then it happened...Red Ring of Death. It was covered by warranty but after I got it back it happened again. RROD. Then they sent me a refurb and it was missing the HDMI cable input. So I was angry. I called MS and they said there was nothing they could do about it. I quickly sold off the 360 on craigslist before it RROD'd again. I managed to get my hands on a PS3 and made sure it was the original launch console to play NFL 2k5. It's worked brilliantly ever since.
I was so close to the edge during those dark days of football and RRODs. Putting up with lackluster competition from Madden games that didn't come close to what 2k football fans were expecting and still leaves much to be desired. I stomach through Madden here and there just to see if any changes are being made but the physics engine is a joke that they dumped into a broken game. You add more to something that's broken it's just more broken and to a point looks silly and lazy.
With that, Sony got me through a dark period of time. I turned to drinking and pain pills to get through waiting for my Xbox 360 repairs. The only place I felt safe and secure to play NFL 2k5 with updated rosters in HD was on my PS3. PS3 kept me from drinking and abusing pills. It was finally good.
The next generation of consoles is coming but as far as the videos I've seen of Madden 25 I'm guessing I'll be playing NFL 2k5 for another few years on my trusty PS3. So there again Sony is saving me money from buying into the next generation of lackluster football titles.
Maybe we'll get a new football game or something to get excited about someday. We're just stuck right now.
The first spinoff of Vampire Survivors is here! Use our Vampire Crawlers Trophy Guide & Roadmap to earn every Trophy in Vampire Crawlers!
For Southeast Asia, new price changes.
Prices effective starting May 1st, 2026.
Replies(1)Looks like PlayStation took a hit with Marathon and is now quietly adjusting prices worldwide to recover the losses
Lets be honest raising prices doesn't do that when no one's buying it. I imagine the profit it greater selling 10 times more at a lower price
The price increases are due to the RAM demand associated with AI and the US-Iran war. You can look to any business news website and local news to see that. Heck, even the 2026 Asus Zenbook Duo I've been eyeing has faced delays and has had a price increase of $400; that laptop has two specs. Asus is doing a staggered release with per-orders for the lower spec now and shipping in May and pre-orders for the higher spec that I'm eyeing starting in June. Basically, all computer manufactures are affected. It'll most likely start affecting smart phones too if it hasn't already. I can't remember the last time any major console maker (Nintendo, Sony, Sega, etc) increased the price of their console mid cycle outside of Microsoft just to make more profit.
CGMagazine writes: "And as I said, the actual game of Kiln is so genuinely boring that playing it to unlock the creative tools was such a massive chore that I genuinely started to resent it by the end. Battling is a monotonous button masher. There are only five arenas, and despite being based on different gods from various mythologies, none are particularly memorable in visual style or music. And it’s all just such a homogeneous mess of nothing."
Passive-aggressive trolling....
I like it.
Keep up the good work, 8/10 for effort.
It's what I went through. It's also pointing out industry faults, lack of backward compatibility, exclusive licensing, and rushing faulty hardware to market, and it's effects on my life personally. Halo 2 through BC saved Xbox 360 in my opinion. It boggles my mind that the next generation are so willing to pass it off.
I'm not sure how I read this whole thing but I was entertained so kudos. I also was a victim of the RROD..... 4 times actually. I'm glad that was fixed with the 360s
LOL
I miss Gamepro so much. The internet just isn't the same.
Holiday 2013, Sony comes to save the gaming world once again