Boy this would really take the fun out of playing the Cleveland Browns on ESPN NFL 2K5. If I updated my roster via Xbox Live to account for the current injuries the REAL Cleveland Browns have pictured above, I’d have an even harder time taking my sucky favorite team to the super bowl!

I miss the carefree days of Tecmo Superbowl for NES when I could take Bo Jackson on 80 yard runs time and time again. Your playbook was four running plays and four passing plays and any 15 year old could figure it out. Now things have gotten so complex, that you need to LEARN things. I find myself researching formations and watching football games to see if they use the 4-3 or the dime on 3rd and 5. Granted, it will increase my enjoyment of real life football, but it can be frustrating. Half the time I opt to let the “coach” decide what plays to use.

This whole franchise thing is ridiculous also. Who wants to micromanage ticket and concession prices when you could be playing football. I bet in ESPN NFL 2K6 they’ll have a nifty feature where you can watch the tapes of last week’s games to decide what strategy to use when you face your next opponent! Imagine watching hours of simulated games before building your new playbook every week.

My favorite thing by far is the Chris Behrman halftime show where Behrman narrates clips of key plays in the game. The narration can be typically choppy at times, but I always look forward to seeing my highlights presented. Another cool feature is the ability to import your own music and create clips to be played during events in the game. I have a piece of my song “Collide” playing everytime I get a touchdown. I was thinking of recording custom music clips for each event and making them available online. Anyhow, for $16.88 at Target, I’m getting major bang for the buck with this game!