NFL Tour is a stripped down version of NFL Street, which in turn was essentially a stripped down, arcade version of Madden. While the conversion from Madden to Street actually made for a fun game, the conversion from Street to NFL Tour removes most of what made the original fun in the first place.

One of the cool things about Street was the locations of the fields. Games took place in venues ranging from construction yards to drive-ins, which gave the game a fun feel. NFL Tour replaces these locations with what are essentially a mix of a rock concert and an AFL field. Except for designs on the field and some variations in stadium decorations, every arena looks and plays exactly the same. Not only does this take away from the game's personality, but it also impacts the gameplay since there aren't any environmental hazards to deal with. Players have a hybrid cartoon/ realistic look that also takes away from the orginal's personality.

Audio is perhaps one of the worst examples of sports game audio ever. Trey Wingo's commentary is abysmal and manages to ruin the otherwise okay soundtrack. Half of the lines make little sense and, despite what seem to be his best efforts, aren't that funny.

NFL Tour is the game's core mode, though it isn't as deep as you would hope. The mode runs similar to the one found in NFL Street, though not nearly as deep. After creating a player, you join a team and play the other NFL teams in a ladder-style tournament. You goal is to win, though this isn't always as simple as being the team with the most points when the clock reaches zero. Some games require you to accomplish a specific task, such as scoring a certain number of points. Although this adds a little spice to the familiar NFL formula, the underlying gameplay doesn't support it all that well. For example, some games will require you to come from behind and win. Again, this is a cool idea except that defense is non-existent; while it is incredibly easy to score, it is really hard to hold off the opposing offense long enough to overtake them.

Aside from moving up the ladder and playing another team, there isn't much incentive to keep playing on the tour. You can't steal the other team's players after beating them, nor are you able to unlock new gear to increase your player's stats. Aside from the action, these were big reasons for NFL Street being enjoyable and probably could have made up for some of NFL Tour's shortcomings.

After a while, Tour Mode becomes incredibly repetitive and will likely have you looking for a little more depth. Unfortunately there isn't much outside of Tour. Exhibition and Online games are fun when playing with a friend, though after a game or two, the fun has pretty much run its course. There are also two mini-games, Redzone Rush and Smash & Dash. In Redzone Rush, players try to score from the 20-yard line while Smash & Dash is essentially a game of keep-away. Keeping pace with the rest of the modes, both of the mini-games are easy to learn and fun, but after a few games you might find yourself looking for something else to play.

One of the great things about NFL Tour when compared to the NFL Street games is that the A.I. isn't as tough. If you remember the series' previous incarnation, you'll recall that the A.I. could get tricky and adapted to your play style quickly. Although tough, it kept the game interesting. The same can't be said for NFL Tour.

Winning in NFL Tour is challenging for the first game or two until you realize that the A.I. is brain-dead and easily tricked. There are a number of cheap tricks you can pull that will essentially shut down the A.I. in several situations. Even with a bag of cheesy tricks, defense is a joke since opposing players seem to shake off every tackle.

NFL Tour also makes a number of other questionable changes that end up ruining the game's depth. Players are now rotated out on defense and offense rather than having one squad playing both sides of the ball. Also, moves like bouncing the ball off the field or other moves have been stripped out, including Gamebreakers, a move that completely guts an entire play mechanic. Granted, Gamebreaker moves did cause a few balance issues, so their absence isn't a complete travesty. However, the mechanics that are meant to replace the feature aren't enough to plug up the hole.

The first of the two is a Smash meter, which can only be used by the defense and rarely does what it is supposed to do. Another of NFL Tour's new features, a highly-touted, "revolutionary" reverse system, is little more than a timed, button-mash. The system basically allows the ball to stay in play even if you're being tackled. If a player has you wrapped up, you can shake the controller and break out of it. There are no limitations on the system other than your arms tiring out, which means you can essentially use it all the way down the field. Of course, not every tackle is reversible -- going low usually seems to work well enough -- though breaks happen enough to make defense worthless. On the plus side, there aren't that many cheap turnovers, though this usually means that the winner is usually the last team with the ball.

It's not entirely clear where NFL Tour intended to take the Street series. It seems like it was meant to be something for the more casual football fan who might be intimidated by Madden. If this is the case, NFL Tour comes off as a bit of an insult to this group of players given its shallow, simple gameplay. Though fun for the first game or two, there's no depth or incentive for playing longer. If the idea behind NFL Tour has you interested, you're better off tracking down a copy of NFL Street.