Special teams are quite tame, with few big plays. Punt coverage is solid and forces a lot more fair catches than other games. The days of double-digit returns for TDs in a season are over, and thank goodness. Kicking, however, seems off. Far too many kickers can boot the ball right out of the end zone with regularity. Kickoff returns, when they happen, are so difficult as to seem quixotic.

There's a fine line between DB AI that's so good it's demoralizing and AI that is so bad it's no fun to beat it. The corners in ESPN are spot on. They turn around on a thrown ball just often enough to be believable – which means not every time. The better ones make better breaks, they all take chances to get a pick, but they play like humans who sometimes get out jumped, outran and outsmarted. Sometimes they even seem surprised to see the ball hit them as they turn around. Overall, cornerback AI is top notch, particularly in man coverage. In this case "top notch" means realistic, not superhuman. Most corners can be exploited, which is the way it should be. That's why "shut down" corners are worth so much.

Zone coverage and safety AI is another story. Every Sunday, safeties have to decide which receiver heading downfield is most likely to see the ball come their way or whether the play is a run or pass. They have a lot to decide and a very short time to do it. It seems ESPN's method of simulating the tribulations of playing the position is a safety that, once in a while, just sits there, presumably trying to decide what to do (or one that runs in circles of indecision). Even if they decide in time to act they often make the wrong choice. If there's no pass rush to cover the weakness of your zone defense, the CPU will have a good shot at burning you. There's nothing unrealistic about that. The results are on par with what defensive coordinators deal with every week, but the representation of the safeties' play looks bad on screen. Still, when it comes to giving up a big play, it's far easier to accept the excuse of a bad read by a safety than it is to see passes of divine grace every time. Bad reads are common, perfect throws and catches through double coverage are not.

That's because quarterback ratings have a much bigger effect on the passing game than in years past. Open receivers aren't always hit in stride or at all, and no matter how good your touch is with the passing button you might not always the get the pass you want if you're not using Brett Favre or Tom Brady. The same goes for receivers and their ability to catch – especially in traffic. Jerry Rice still does a much better job at it than most, for example, and that's the way it should be. It can be frustrating to be smarter than the CPU or a real opponent and still not get the result you want, but it's nice to see that you can't always overcome your roster.

Moves for the ball carrier are, by far, the best I've seen in a football game. They aren't too exaggerated, so you won't be able to juke five feet in either direction like a jackrabbit. Your jukes, spins and stiff arms are distinctive, useful and fluid without guaranteeing big yards. Just because you juke at the right time doesn't mean the defender is going to fall for it all day and spinning doesn’t help your hapless back if he's about to be cut down. If one move is overpowered, it's the shoulder charge. Even small backs can charge up the move (by holding down the A button for a few seconds) and unleash a shoulder charge that will knock over tough defenders. Most of the time the result is only a few extra yards, and you'll have less control during the hit so it works. Once in a while, though, you'll completely break away. At some point, statistically, a smaller back shouldn't be able to pull off such a devastating move. On the flip side, if the defender plays a burst and times the hit just as well, you're going down. It's not a money move, a guarantee, but it is a little too good.

One area that needs work are plays with pulling linemen. Too often, a defender gets through too early after a guard or tackle pulls and the play dies an early, ugly death. The CPU defense does an excellent job of anticipating your tendencies. Using the same play too often will get you nothing but frustration, and this is no more apparent than during plays with vulnerabilities like pulling guards.

When you're on defense, don't be surprised if your blitzes get figured out right away. A reasonably good quarterback will find open men if he has time. I've tried sticking with just a handful of defensive plays, and the fact is you need to mix it up if you're going to stop anyone.

Before the snap, you can cycle to any player and give them separate instructions for coverage – bump and run, loose, etc. – or have them blitz. In theory, you can customize your defense every down. In practice, you won't have that kind of time. But once you know what you're doing you can give new instructions to a playmaker before the snap and that can make all the difference.

The CPU ball carrier doesn’t use moves as often as you will, but they more than make up for it with their ability to follow blockers. Runners don't make many mistakes. They hit holes and follow sweeps with good timing. This makes learning defense challenging and fun at the same time. If you call the right plays, you'll have help. If you're the only one near the ball, you'd better avoid blocks.

The CPU play calling late in the game when it has a lead may be the biggest drawback of the game. Overall, the CPU throws too often with a lead. Most teams in the NFL would rather run three times and punt than throw dangerous passes and risk a turnover. But those dangerous turnovers don't happen very often. I've seen the CPU run out the clock plenty of times without screwing it up, it just does it with more risky plays than it should.

All of the above experiences were compiled without adjusting the gameplay sliders at all. The point being, if you expect the game to play well out of the box, as you should, ESPN passes that test. Some sports games depend on sliders to make the game playable and fun. In ESPN NFL, sliders exist to tweak the game for a player's individual strengths and weaknesses. To call that refreshing is an understatement.

It's about time a game makes injuries happen for a reason. If you get a particularly vicious hit on someone, don't be surprised to see him go out with an appropriate injury. I've seen shoulder-jarring hits across the middle that put receivers out with separated shoulders. I've seen runners blow out a knee when it interacts with a player's helmet in a not-so-nice way. Worst of all, I've seen quarterbacks too stupid to slide at the end of a scramble (ok, that was me), and pay the price – a few weeks on the sideline holding a clipboard. Injuries aren't just a statistical possibility: The action on the field matters.

Instant replay challenges are a part of the game and they're probably just as satisfying as they are in real life – not very. So far, every challenge by the CPU has gone their way. Mine have been about 50/50. I'll be turning the whole thing off, just like I would in real life if I could.

First person football is interesting. It's extremely difficult to get used to, and it's hard to imagine anyone spending the bulk of playtime that way. But it's a fun challenge in small doses and you can take it or leave it as you prefer.

Franchise mode will be my mistress for the foreseeable future. All the bells and whistles are there – contracts, cap management, grumpy owners and a deep off-season mode of re-signings, combines and the draft. The trade system is a little too easy to abuse, though. The CPU offers too much for kickers, not enough for quarterbacks and there are, generally speaking, too many trades happening in a league that is now dominated by free agent moves.

I like the idea of setting my team's schedule so they work on certain facets of the game. Weekly Preparation is a feature with good intentions but poor results. You can dictate how your team, position by position, spends its week. It's just too time consuming and the menus too unwieldy to be worth the trouble. Weights, film, speeches, rehab, the opportunity for micromanagement is enormous. My boss would love it.

Online, game play is smooth and opponents easy to find. One disappointment is that while you can save replays in offline games, you can't while online. This is a real shame, because I had to replay one particularly punishing run over and over. (Sorry, dude, but that hit was awesome.) If you pause for too long, as I did, your opponent is given the option of waiting for you or declaring you the type of scum who pauses indefinitely when they're about to lose.

During play, there are some animations you can't cut away. Sometimes, for example, you'll see the coach talking on the sideline or the announcers will babble on longer than you care to hear it and you won't be able to hit a button to skip right to the action. This is the only gripe about a presentation that's nearly perfect.

By any standard, ESPN NFL is a feast for the eyes. During play, it doesn't get any more realistic than this. Jerseys have texture and detail. Hit detection between players is incredible. Running looks like running, not like an animated figure sliding around on a sheet of ice. There are unique animations for runners squeezing through the line, diving for balls, rolling on the ground. It's extremely rare that you'll see an unnatural motion. It's truly amazing how well the animations work together.

Chris Berman calls the highlights at halftime and at the end of the game, and this feature is nothing short of awesome. The computer does a surprisingly good job of picking out highlights from that game that really were difference makers. (The most important plays aren't always the biggest.) Berman calls the plays with the same timing and accuracy as you're used to seeing on Sportscenter – calling out yardage and the situation as the action unfolds. There's hardly a hiccup in the recordings. This is just part of what puts ESPN NFL at the very top of the heap in terms of presentation in a sports game.

Does Sega expect their new price point and fantastic game to overcome the incredibly powerful brand recognition of Madden Football? Who knows? More importantly, as a player and consumer, don't worry about it. Just don't let the best video game deal of the year pass you by while you ponder the marketing implications of getting ESPN NFL 2K5 for $20. The good parts of ESPN far outweigh the bad and combine to make one of the most satisfying and challenging sports games ever. It's such a steal you might want to wear a ski mask to the store – just in case.