NFL Street 2  Review for Xbox

Saturday, July 29, 2006

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Title: NFL Street 2 .............................................. System: Xbox .............................................. Genre: Sports .............................................. Publisher: Electronic Arts .............................................. Developer: Tiburon Entertainment .............................................. Release: December 2004 .............................................. Online: Yes .............................................. ESRB: Everyone .............................................. Back in the ‘90s (yeah like that was a crazy long time ago) we were introduced to a great football game. This game featured hard hits, jaw-dropping graphics, pick-up-and-play playability & was mainly the only “cartoon/fantasy” version of football in the industry - This game was NFL Blitz. Published & developed by Midway, the creator of the ultra-violent Mortal Kombat series. For almost a decade Blitz owned the fantasy/violent football game genre, and slowly began degrading in both quality & the initial sparks that made the series so great. In 2003 Electronic Arts, the original king of football gaming, stepped into the ring with NFL Street. Now over a year later, the sequel arrives, and it’s one helluva’ game. Take your helmets and pads off - this is NFL Street 2. As the off season approaches, what better time to launch the title. Not only is NFLS2 a fantasy game, but it really shouldn’t have the title “NFL” in it at all. Remember the days playing in the backyard with your friends as kids, tossing the Nerf ball back and forth for hours upon hours, smashing each other into any obstacle you could? If I had a dollar for every time I was up five feet and came down landing on a fire hydrant just to score our team’s game winning touchdown - I’d be rich. That’s exactly the feeling you get while playing NFLS2. They should’ve just called in Backyard Football in the first place (not to get confused with Acclaims kiddy game on PS2), saving a ton of money in the long run on NFL licensing fees. On the other hand, I guess this is EA. Gameplay Like it’s cousin in the basketball arena, NBA Street Vol. 2, the football side of things cater to the pick-up-and-go arcade side of football - fast and furious, like it’s previous kin, Blitz. NFLS2 has a surprising amount of depth and is a lot more advanced then most football games, including the original NFL Street. This time around the options are tuned-up a bit and seems to provide a more rewarding experience - meaning there are a ton more unlockable legends, fields & teams. Controlling the small amount of available plays, both on the passing and running side of things still play like a charm, and if you played the previous game or not - it’s easy to jump right in. Moves are all pretty much still intact with the addition of a few others. Jukes, fakes, and stiff arms are performed with either a tap or a hold of a button, maximizing the usefulness of each, depending on which you choose to perform. After about a game or two, the moves and plays actually become not only more playable then that of Madden’s but more intuitive as well. The main addition to this years Street is the ability to jump on and to leap off walls, trashcans, etc. You can use these to both catch and throw passes more accurately and to avoid a possible tackle. This works great especially when you can’t see your receivers that are hidden behind a clutter of defenders up field, run up a wall and enhance your view of the receivers to pass more accurately. Look like the defense is running you into the wall? Simply juke of it to gain a jumping height advantage over some trash cans, a fire hydrant or on the brick wall. As in any great EA BIG title, your combination of moves & tricks performed are tracked and you are rewarded according to how stylish they were and how much of a pain in the ass they were to perform. One-hand grabs, no-look catches & passes, etc… there is a variety of extra sass & flair you can put into each and every play, both offence and defense. Using the wall to make it all look better is advisable, especially since advancing and earning points to upgrade your characters in the main single player modes relies so heavily upon them & other on field obstacle interaction. Gamebreakers have also been reworked to provide two distinct levels in both their effectiveness and purpose. A first level Gamebreaker will pull off an otherwise impossible to do move - while building up a level 2 Gamebreaker will sport a drawn out eye-popping in game cinema that will almost always lead to your advantage. After you either finish or get tired on the single player mode on NFLS2, there are all kinds of multiplayer modes included on Street 2 to keep you busy and add overall replay value to the title. Online, where normally Electronic Arts is known for clunky servers, the gameplay is smooth. This is a very welcome addition the already very playable, fast-paced game. Graphics The graphical presentation is truly excellent in Street 2. Animations are jaw-dropping as in the last episode. Although there could have been individual character detail involved, it really isn't important since you are pretty far away from the player action at most times. The artistic, cartoon & exaggerated style that Electronic Arts uses for the Street series really fits the experiences well, for this I respect Electronic Arts, and for an ESPN fan boy as I to say this about EA... trust me. There's really not a whole lot more here then what you are used to in the previous formula. But I guess if it isn't broke - don’t fix it. Audio The audio in NFLS2 is superbly implemented. The cues in both the animations and sound mesh beautifully together, and the sounds of water, birds and traffic in the backgrounds make for a truly in-depth fantasy experience. The grunts and groans of the players, as well as the heavy breathing of a tired running back all add to the feel. The audio in Street 2 is not great - but still one of the hottest sounding sports games out there. Overall Overall, NFL Street 2 is truly a beautiful sequel to one of my favorite sports titles of all time. The new wall-jumping innovation doesn’t really make NFLS2 a title of undying greatness, nor does it sit the title on any hall of fame shelves, however expect Street 2 to join it’s big brother as an Xbox Platinum Hit sometime in the near future. You can’t deny Street 2 has unbelievable visual and gameplay flair alike. NFLS2 makes the original Street look dated with all the new enhancements. This title is a must own for any sports fan, NFL fan or anyone who enjoyed the Blitz series back when it was actually good. NFL Street is a keeper.   The Core Score Overall 9 Fun 9.5 Gameplay 9.5 Graphics 9 Audio 8.5 Replay 8.5   How we score games