Episode 201

Madden 2005 vs ESPN NFL 2K5 (with Chris Coplien & Adam Gumbert)

February 4th, 2026

1 hr 41 mins 44 secs

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About this Episode

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In the eyes of many football fans, 2004 was the greatest year for football games. It also happened to be the last year before EA secured the exclusive rights to the NFL license, leaving many fans wishing we could go back to the way things were back then, and we were left with two games that many consider to be some of the best sports games ever made- Madden 2005 (EA Tiburon) and ESPN NFL 2K5 (Visual Concepts). 20+ years later, which game stands on top? That's what we aim to decide in this episode!

Guest info: Chris Coplien (he/him) and Adam Gumbert (he/him)

TIMESTAMPS

  • 0:00 Title Card
  • 0:16 Introductions
  • 4:22 Personal Histories
  • 12:51 Our Real-Life Football Fandom
  • 24:15 Head-to-Head: Gameplay
  • 48:40 Head-to-Head: Gameday Presentation
  • 1:05:24 Head-to-Head: Game Modes
  • 1:22:50 The Final Decision
  • 1:33:28 Respawn Aim Fire, The Tier List: A Video Game Podcast, Retro Hangover
  • 1:38:37 Patron Thank-Yous

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Cover art by Jack Allen- find him at https://linktr.ee/JackAllenCaricatures

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