NFL Street 2
Score: 90% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: EA Sports Developer: Tiburon Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 - 4 Genre: Sports (Football)/ Online
Graphics & Sound: NFL Street 2 takes the visuals from the first game and kicks them up a few notches. Players are once again rendered in the EA “Big” style. Each of the featured athletes look like their real-life counterparts, yet at the same time carry the style seen in past Big games. This brings more personality to players than you would see in a more straight-laced game like Madden. The biggest improvements come in the realm of details, which are here in spades. The first game was pretty high on details, but NFL Street 2 outdoes its predecessor by not only adding a few more details, but bringing a much cleaner look to the overall picture. Animation is a big part of what makes the NFL Street series, as well as most of the Big games, so much fun to watch. Players aren’t limited to conventional football moves or even silly notions like gravity. Instead, players can pull off all kinds of moves such as behind the back throws, wall jumps, and hits that would otherwise be career ending. It’s been awhile since I’ve led the charge for custom soundtracks, but NFL Street 2 seems like it was made for one of the Xbox’s most underused features. The songs that appear on the soundtrack are more than adequate and fit the game’s feel -- but I couldn’t help wondering how much fun it would be if I could include some of the tracks saved on my Xbox’s hard drive to use. Xzibit lends his voice to the game, taking a character role in the game as well as providing a new song for the game’s soundtrack.
Gameplay: NFL Street 2 is more of a refinement of the series rather than a full blown reinvention. Everything seen in last year’s game comes into this year’s version intact, along with a few new additions. In some ways, the game feels like a rehash of last year’s game. At the same time, enough new play modes and moves have been added to keep it from getting too stale. NFL Challenge is the game’s main mode and works the same way it did last year. You take a team of nobodies and go up against NFL teams. Each game has a goal you must meet, like gaining so many yards in rushing or by earning a certain score. Completing challenges nets upgrade points that are used to boost your team’s stats, making them a much better team. The challenges eventually lead you into a tournament against teams, making the initial challenges more of a training mode for the later tournament. Own the City is the game’s other big single-player mode. This mode works much like the Challenge mode. You team up with Xzibit, who introduces you to the world of underground football. Under his tutelage, you take part in several mini-games as well as pick-up games. What makes the mode less interesting than the Challenge mode is that here you’re only going up against no-name players rather than the NFL’s best. Mini-games found in Own the City mode can be played outside of the mode in single and multiplayer variations. While all of the mini-games are fun, the most entertaining mini-game is “Crush the Carrier” (or “Kill the Man with the Football” as it was known back when I played it). If you’ve ever stepped foot on a playground, you’re probably familiar with this game. For those who never left the confines of the jungle gym, the concept is easy. One guy has the football and the other players have to tackle him. The longer you hold on to the ball, the more points you’ll earn. The game is so much fun, especially online, that it sometimes feels like a game unto itself. All of the mini-games, as well as normal games, can be played online. The experience is, for the most part, lag-free and flows nicely. How enjoyable the experience is, of course, depends on who you’re playing with -- but playing with jerks can serve as a motivation for getting better, if just to shut them up in later games.
Difficulty: Similar to the first game, NFL Street 2 requires a 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 the NFL Challenge and Own the Street modes 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. While online, you’re always going to run into players who are better than you, although the lobby system helps to keep some balance. Not all of the lobbies are available in the beginning and require you to earn rep points so you can enter other rooms. The system works in my opinion, and keeps the game fun for both hardcore and casual players.
Game Mechanics: The biggest addition to this year’s game is the inclusion of wall moves, giving players more jumps and jukes to get around the field. Although they don’t look as good in the game as they do in trailers, the concept is still a nice addition to the game. Another addition, which plays into the new wall moves, are hotspots, which give your player a boost in style-points. The catch is that if the defense gets to you before you can pull off your move in the hotspot, they get the bonus. Another addition is the inclusion of a second Gamebreaker move, called the Gamebreaker 2. Gamebreaker moves work in the same manner as they did in the first game. After filling up the meter, you can put your team in a special “zone” for the length of one drive. Unless you’re going up against a stiff defense (or a really good gamer), these moves usually guarantee a touchdown. The Gamebreaker 2 moves add another bar to the Gamebreaker bar. If you can fill it up (which means holding off on performing the first Gamebreaker), the game will enter a sort of cut-scene showing your team pulling off a tricked-out play that gets them in the end zone. Admittedly, both Gamebreaker moves present a balance issue -- but it’s also part of what makes the game such a blast to play. This isn’t serious football. Though it may feel a little too familiar for fans of last year’s game, NFL Street 2 is still worth a look. Football fans who want more of a traditional game of pigskin will probably want to stay away. If you enjoyed the first game, the new additions are enough to warrant the purchase of this year’s version.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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