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This is meant to be a follow-up to an earlier article giving a quick review to the relatively new game All-Pro Football 2K8 from 2KSports.  That article can be found here: 2KSports All-Pro Football

In that original article I was relatively happy with the game and suggested that people that aren't drinking the Madden kool-aid (and even some that are drinking that kool-aid) might be happy with All-Pro Football.  I still generally feel that way, but at the same time, I appreciate some deficiencies that myself and others have noticed and mentioned along the way.

First, one of the biggest problems that has been out by various parties is that the online game play, especially in 'leagues' is seriously hampered by the fact that the pool of players to draft from is small, and that unfortunately the online leagues options don't restrict teams from being able to draft and use players that other members of the league have already claimed.  In other words, there is no online draft management that prevents John Elway from being taken as the quarterback for every team that joins the league.  That is something that needs to be rectified before the game could be used by serious football fans that want to play onlnie.

If done properly, the software would defer the league draft to a online component where once a player is claimed by any one team, that player would then be off-limits for any other teams to try to draft.  Once John Elway is drafted, he's out of the talent pool and other teams would have to choose a different quarterback.  Same for every other position along the way.

Basically the same rules and restrictions that are used by Yahoo!, ESPN, CBS.Sportsline, FOX Sports.com, NFL.com, etc., would be applied to the league drafts so that the league members would all get to manage their drafts and plan out strategies that would come into play once the draft boards started to fill and the talent pool started to shrink.

That aspect of online leagues is a big requirement for people that want the pleasure and experience of playing general manager for themselves in the gaming world.

Additionally, the pool of players to pull from that currently exists within the game seems too small and includes a bunch of names that average football fans will likely not remember or worse yet, will remember and will look at as having been mediocre players, or at least players that were clearly not superstars.  2KSports needs to sign deals with additional players (or their families, or whomever holds the rights to those players images) and make available expanded player pools for free downloads by players of the game.  Initially some 300 (give or take) players were supposed to have been signed and available, that number needs to be more in the 600 - 750 player range, if not more.  I know it costs money to sign deals with those players, but having those older players available is a big part of the appeal of the game.

Being able to put Gale Sayers in the same backfield as Walter Peyton or say Eric Dickerson is part of what makes the game fun, but the list of the best quality players at many positions is woefully short.  Some players weren't included for whatever reason, and 2KSports needs to rectify that and get deals with players like John Riggins and others that have been left out up to this point.

I'm still not that bothered at the inability to use real NFL stadiums, though I still think my earlier suggestion about 2KSports negotiating with the NFL to use historical logos, stadiums, etc., should be followed up on.  It would be fun to be able to use older stadiums that are no longer in use in the NFL as the home stadiums for some of the teams in the game.  RFK Stadium as an example.  The Vet in Philly as an example, and other similar old stadiums.

I will say that those that haven't been patient with the game probably should have tried a little harder.  The stadiums that are in the game aren't bad.  The logos and mascots and such look pretty good.  Some of the unique, designed only for the game, things are impressive and are the types of things that the NFL might actually use if they weren't trying so hard (at times) to be the No Fun League.

Anyway, as the first effort back at making an NFL type game, I think All-Pro Football is not bad.  Definitely has room to improve and I hope it does improve.  I hope to see a more indepth general manager functionality, and team management functionality.  Perhaps salary caps instead of Gold, Silver, and Bronze rankings and limits on how many of each type of player is allowed to be put on a team.  Offer players of the game the opportunity to manage ticket prices at stadiums, concession prices, etc., as part of the general manager duties that are needed to help a team make a profit.

All of those things that wannabe GMs and coaches dream about when the pick up these types of games and play them on their consoles.