With the addition of the ESPN license for 2K4 the game was almost complete aside from a few gameplay quirks which only really affected the hardcore NFL fans. This year, though, there has been a few small bugs that have escaped quality control. This could have possibly been due to the game releasing a few weeks earlier than normal to try and get a jump on the NFL season. Despite these, the game has received a few accollades this year for Sports Game of the Year from various gaming media from around the world.

One of the biggest changes was that the game was actually designed for the Xbox as opposed to being ported from another console. Not only is this evident in the graphics department but also in the presentation. This has really improved drastically over the last few games and really gives the player the feeling of competing in an NFL season. The usual commentators Dan Stevens and Peter O'Keefe are back again as well as Chris 'Boomer' Berman and two new additions, Trey Wingo and Suzy Kolber. Trey will give you updates during the weekly Sportscenter regarding the overall injuries for the week as well as player purchases and trades, while Suzy gives updates during the game on the weather, how happy the coaches are with their performance and updates on player injuries.

While still on the topic of presentation, a new feature this year is the highlights of the game. Although last year had screenshots of the big plays while Boomer talked you through them, this year they are stepped up a notch. Now there are full blown replays from the game you just played with detailed commentary with statistics for various positions in the bottom of the screen. It really is an outstanding feature for a sports game and hopefully something we will see more of in the years to come, regardless of the publisher.