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NFL Street
Score: 95%
ESRB: Everyone
Publisher: EA Sports
Developer: Tiburon
Media: DVD/1
Players: 1 - 2
Genre: Sports

Graphics & Sound:
It is surprising that EA, a company that has practically built its name on the Madden franchise, hasn't given football a 'Big' makeover. The label has tackled nearly every other sport, from snowboarding to basketball to even pro wrestling, but has never taken on the gridiron. With that, EA brings us the newest member of the 'Big' series -- NFL Street.

As with all EA Big games, NFL Street is loaded with style and some to spare. One of the things that helps Street stand out from other football games (at least graphically) is the amount of personality found in each player. Unlike other football games, NFL Street doesn't conform to the rules and regulations of the No Fun League. Players can showboat to their heart's content and actually look like they are having fun. This creates a relaxed atmosphere not found in other football games -- both real and digital. Each player also has his own style and look, which helps to give each a distinct personality. Typical with other games in the 'Big' line, character models are more cartoonish caricatures of their real-life selves than ultra-realistic doppelgangers.

Fields have also received a big time make over. One of the more welcome changes is that environments actually influence the game. For example, when playing on the beach, players will move slower than if they were on the blacktop. Field layouts, which feature sketchy and sometimes undefined boundaries, also contain lots of little details like beach balls and support rafters. This adds to the weekday afternoon street game with the neighborhood kids feel to the game (you remember, the games where this crack was out of bounds, but not that one because it was on the left side of the tree), but can sometimes make it hard to play the sidelines.

Music and sound round out a great presentation. First off, there's no commentary in the game, leaving you only with the serenades of smack talk and jibber-jabber from the players on the field. Music helps fill the void for background noise and features the music of groups like Korn, Fuel and the X-Ecutioners.


Gameplay:
When it was first announced last year, NFL Street was met with some skepticism, at least among Internet chat boards (which, as we all know, are comprised of some of the greatest minds and Napoleon complexes in the world). Though many were just reacting to either a dislike of EA or were just filling their role as that idiot who complains about anything, others brought up some interesting questions. For one, how would this game differ from NFL Blitz, which is also an arcade style football game? After playing NFL Street all of these questions are answered.

One of the main differences in the game is that you are limited to only 7 players per team. This means that players will have to play both offense and defense, adding some depth and strategy when forming your team. Sure you might want someone like Jeff Garcia as QB, but does he have the skills to block when on defense? This makes players like Charles Woodson and, in some respects Ricky Williams, valuable commodities since they can play both sides of the ball. In addition to the current NFL stars on the roster, NFL Street also features legends like William 'The Refrigerator' Perry, Ronnie Lott, Lawrence Taylor and Barry Sanders.

NFL Street offers four game modes: Quick, Pick-up Game, NFL Challenge and Online. In Quick games, you choose to play a 7-on-7 game based on teams. Pick-up games allow you to choose your team from the pool of 40 randomly selected players, similar to a game on the playground. NFL Challenge is the heart of the game and where you'll unlock the previously mentioned 'classic' players and other goodies. Once in Challenge mode, you are given an additional set of modes to play in, NFL Challenge and NFL Division Ladder. Divisional ladder pits your own personalized team against all the teams in a division. As you beat divisions, new ones will unlock, as will new fields to play on. NFL Challenge has you completing challenges with your team, such as scoring a certain number of points or gain so many yards in total yardage. Completing these challenges will also unlock new players and fields.

Those who know me have probably already determined that Online was my favorite mode. This is one of the areas where the game's fun factor absolutely skyrockets especially when you hook in a USB headset mic and add your own trash talk. The game also features 'EA Messenger', an option that allows you to create an online buddy list so you can keep track of when your friends are online. Online play ran smoothly and I never ran into any noticeable lag.


Difficulty:
NFL Street requires a slightly different mindset than other football games. All of the basic rules are the same, but since your players have to play both sides of the ball, player selection is crucial. Choosing one-dimensional players isn't a smart move and can cause some problems when you get into higher difficulty levels. Both modes in NFL Challenge have a nice ramp-up in difficulty. In particular, the different challenges you can complete are handled really well and not only give you something to aim for, but also always make you feel like you have something to constantly work towards.

Game Mechanics:
We've already established that NFL Street allows you to only have 7 guys on your team, but the differences don't end there. Penalties are gone, as are kickers (and everything they do - sorry guys). Games flow like a typical NFL game, with players starting on the 20-yard line (in lieu of a kickoff) trying to get to the end zone. Yard markings are still set at 10 yards per first down, but you are not allowed to punt or kick for 3 points. Instead you have to go for it on 4th down. You also have to go for the conversion after touchdowns, but only receive one point if you make it.

Play calling is slimmed down from the options presented in Madden. Plays are broken up into groups like Pass, Run and Trick. Each of these categories is further broken down into actual plays. I was pretty impressed with the plays available, especially the trick plays, and didn't notice any sure-fire money plays.

Control is streamlined and very responsive. For the most part, controls are handled in roughly the same manner as Madden, but with a slight twist. Before throwing the ball, or while on a run, you can press tweak your actions by pressing the shoulder buttons. These will cause your players to pull off all kinds of slick moves like under-the-leg passes. Pulling off these moves not only looks cool, but nets you style points. Gaining a certain number of style points will grant you Gamebreaker moves, which give you a big edge during the game.

Football fans, even those who like things a little more on the simulation side, should already have this game. It is just that good. Gamers who aren't football fans but enjoy other games in the 'Big' line may also want to give NFL Street a shot. The game is easy enough to grasp and offers such a unique style that it's worth checking out. Who knows, you may even become a fan of the sport.


-Starscream, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ricky Tucker

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