Yes the animation is poor.

The 2nd play in the Pack/Vik game is a pass to the right. The WR and DB are both going down field--yet when the tackle is made the *animation* has the WR falling back. 3rd play (run left) is the same old slide tackle where the tackler knocks the RB over but keeps running; 4th play is a tackle with the defender ON HIS BACK! How often do you see a player LAYING on the field looking like he is trying to get a tan?!!

On video #2 of PAC/VIK on the first play on the reply you see the lineman allow the defender through. Having watched a ton of football the linemen don't just fight for a few moments and then give up. If someone gets an inside move on them they are lerching, diving, whatever they can to catch up. If they stumble they at least try to get in the way. They don't "bow" and then resume the pass protection position and totally ignore they just got beat by a defender! Of course the punt return after that--which has some nifty jukes--hsa the same "spinning/rolling ankle" tackle that has been in the current version for YEARS.

And do not get me started on the TE tackle (at the 3:35 mark )on the PIT/CIN game. Not only is it the same animation from years past, it is broken and VERY poor. Basically their ankles hit and they both go flying in the opposite direction! :(

The game has the same animation feel as the current PC/GCN versions (have not played the Xbox or PS2 versions to say enough on those, although the little I have says they are all the same). Some will argue, "Well it looks the same because it is great!" Here is the acid test: Xbox 360 looks like the current versions with some new animations. But does it look like a real football game? NO! Anyone who has watched real football knows that the same recycled tackles repeated over, and over, and over, again is not how it works in real life.

The fact we are STILL seeing the same glitchy animations (like an animation miraculously changing momentum and direction OR my favorite: 3 guys get to a ball carrier at the same moment but only 2 engage a tackle due to the limitations of the animations and the 3rd guy runs in place)

Ever notice real NFL players do not move all the same. Just compare Bettis and Parker on PIT, Ducket and Dunn on ATL, Bell and Anderson on DEN, etc. Christian, Okoye, Barry Sanders, Bo Jackson, and Eric Dickerson all ran with different styles and that not only impacted how they looked when they ran it impacted 1.) how they juked tackles and 2.) how tacklers even tackled!

Ditto comparing TO with Randy Moss with Santana Moss with Rice. No need to compare the divergent ambilation of linemen with a quarterback.

The system is broken. Lets say for an individual tackle there runner is broken up into 16 angles to be approached by a defender, and each angle has 4 different tackles. That is 64 tackle animations. The problem is (1.) The majority of tackles are done within the few front angles (2.) A typical game has 100-120 players which means even with a lot of unique tackle animations there will be recycled ones and (3.) this will never look "natural" because it ignores the ball carriers mass, speed, heigth, angle/momentum, body lean and limb positioning, etc... in conjunction with the exact same variables with the tackler(s). This is why when you watch a REPLAY in slow motion you get the magic "SLIDE" where the animation breaks and you can see the two players slide from their current animation to the new tackle animation.

Tackling is a VERY important part of football. Tackles happen on 95% of plays. Tackles and clean--and diverse animation--are more important than visuals.

Also, I am not seeing indivudal foot prints in the snow! There is by far enough power in the 360 to leave individual footmarks--and slide marks--from each play and dynamically fade them. e.g. every play they become 10% more faded due to "snow accumulation". The system has 512MB of memory and a very powerful GPU.

The player self shadowing/detail does not look as good as FIFA either, which is surprising.

As usual the stadiums ROCK and the play selection screen looks GREAT and very useful for both newbs and diehards.