Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed
Score: 78% ESRB: Teen Publisher: Midway Developer: Midway Media: CD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Sports
Graphics & Sound: The sounds in this game come from announcer commentary and the crunching and punishing sound fx of the football players bumpin' pads (and kicking, punching...). The announcer's voice-over (sportscaster Larry Beil) is quite well done, although made to be a bit repetitive. The sound fx are pretty good as you smash into other players, walls, and ...walls of players. However, let's just say that when it comes to graphics, Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed will take you back to the classic days of Sega Genesis. I mean, come on, Midway! What gives!? It boggles my mind as to what the developers were thinking with this one. The playing field is so incredibly small that there could have (and should have) been more thought put into the character graphics. The only thing I can figure is that by using these second-rate-Madden-wannabes, the makers were trying to keep up the framerate to give fast-paced gameplay. And that they did!
Gameplay: Fast paced and frantic, Arena Football Unleashed delivers the paralyzing tackles that are meant for your PlayStation game console. Picture NFL Blitz on a small scale, and you have Arena Football Unleashed. With a 50-yard field and 6-on-6 arcade action, there isn't much chance to get away from the approaching defense. Oh, and did I mention there are no penalties? So after the play is over, feel free to slap, kick, and elbow smash (a la 'Macho Man' Randy Savage -style) your opponent while he lay quivering on the turf. If you are all about scoring points, then Arena Football Unleashed may be for you. Unlike simulation football games, the half-sized field yields for much higher scoring games. Options for scoring also includes drop kicking the ball instead of a standard field goal or extra point. A little more difficult, drop kicking the ball will add an extra point to your score. If you are an Arena Football fan, then you'll be happy to know that Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed has all 17 AFL teams. Other features include Power-Up Mode, a Play Editor, 4-player support (Multi-Tap required), Tournament and Season Modes, and NFL Blitz -style, fast-paced, hard-hitting 6-on-6 Arcade Action.
Difficulty: The biggest difficulty I found in Arena Football Unleashed was simply in trying to get off a pass before getting sacked for a safety! Trust me, the defense is rushin' through the line like a souped-up steamroller. It seems that the many different control options and button combinations are a bit hard to grasp also. Overall gameplay is not all that hard, though. Although single-player mode is fully functional, I think that Arena Football Unleashed is meant to be a party game for you and your friends. I can see how it may be a blast to calmly walk up to your buddy and bodyslam him to the ground after already sackin' him for a 10-yard loss.
Game Mechanics: The controller mapping in this one is WAY to complicated for what is a fairly simple game. I almost feel as though I'm learning how to play Mortal Kombat all over again or something. There is an extreme overuse of the shoulder buttons on the PlayStation controller. Other than that, Arena Football Unleashed is pretty straightforward. Menus are easily navigable and so are the menus for choosing your plays. There is a cool option that lets you set how hard and fast the vibration in your controller will be during gameplay. If you haven't ever seen the AFL in action, there are a few things that make it different from the NFL. In a simplified manner, some of these include: A shortened 50-yard field; walls around the field; live balls off the walls and end nets, and different first down yardage options. I must admit, it's difficult for me to rate this game, as out of the box I was hoping for more of a simulation than a whoop-ass arcade game. Please keep this in mind. If you loved NFL Blitz, then add to my score. If you are not a fan of the genre, then subtract. I am trying to stay in the middle as much as possible. But know this, Arena Football Unleashed is about gameplay, and therefore my score is a bit higher than if I had rated it all-around.
-Woody, GameVortex Communications AKA Shane Wodele
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