NFL Street

The range in complexity for football is much higher than basketball (in the video game world at least), so you might be a bit surprised by NFL Street at first.  It's challenging but extremely simplistic.  Street's playbook is very small, narrowing down the choices that players have to make, and at the same time lessening the strategic aspect of football.  At first this bothered me, especially since I wasn't overly thrilled with any of the plays.  That's because I sucked.  I've played enough Madden games that I can jump in at any time and score a touchdown.  Same with most football games.  But Street took some getting used to.  I'm sure that the really skilled Madden players will have a much easier time, but there's a lot of versatility in Street, and it takes a lot of quick actions to succeed.

NBA Street allowed players to goaltend (making it too easy for my cousin to beat me – though I'm determined to get my revenge with this game).  Since interceptions are allowed in football, the equivalent to that would be tackling players as they attempted to catch the ball.  NFL Street allows that, and within the first thirty minutes you'll realize that that's what the game is all about.  Obviously you could tackle the player after he catches the ball, but that's not always going to cut it.  Fumbles are possible but are not guaranteed.  Computer opponents are pre-equipped with decent passing stats, so no matter what you won't be able to win if you don't learn to tackle the receiver before he gets the ball.

Once I began to fully grasp NFL Street I began to really appreciate its challenge.  I loved it from the start, but it was a bit stressful watching my opponents (who were set on the Easy difficulty level) intercept several of my passes.  This isn't the kind of game that I'd say you have to stick out, but if you haven't been playing Madden or at least NBA Street lately than it will definitely take some practice.

The game's "BIG" features have been heavily promoted, but incase you missed them, they include 7-on-7 gameplay; urban and fantasy-style fields; numerous NFL legends; and an integral style performance system.  By holding the L button you activate the game's Stylin' Moves, which, in effect, make the player prance around.  As silly as some of the "stylin" moves look, some of them are pretty cool -- players can taunt their opponents by spinning the ball on their finger or by holding it behind them.  Should one of your opponents be good enough to touch you while being mr. cocky, you're likely to fumble and lose out on all of those points you were gaining, as well as the potential touchdown you could have earned.  It's a big risk, but a necessary one.  Performing moves increases your GameBreaker meter.  It's not at all impossible to win a game without filling the meter, but if your opponent fills theirs and yours is empty, watch out!  GameBreaker power makes it easy to intercept passes.  It also makes it easy to score a touchdown (increased speed and strength crushes the competition's defense).

At its core, NFL Street is a multiplayer game.  It has a few single-player modes, including one with a lot of challenges and unlockables (be the first to score a touchdown; win the game within a time limit, etc.).  Speaking of time limits, I almost forgot to mention that this game does not have one.  The standard setting is that you play till someone scores 36 points.  This instantly stops your friends from scoring a touchdown and playing cheap till the time runs out.

When you and a friend (or several friends – up to four people can play) sit in front of the TV with NFL Street in your machine you will not want to get up.  Your butt just might leave a permanent dent in the couch.  Seriously, this is an awesome, very addictive multiplayer game.  You'll get bored with the single-player modes but will play it just to unlock everything.  The unlocked goodies (extra players, fields, etc.) only make the multiplayer games more fun.

Gameplay: 8.5
If sports games had to have subtitles, NFL Street's would be "Pass 'N' Tackle."  It'd sound silly, sure, but it would clearly convey the main gameplay points.  There's more strategy inside this game than you'll notice at first.  The playbook is barren in comparison to Madden, but you'll have to quickly think of the appropriate course of action with every play.  If you're good at stopping passes then your opponent will throw in a sneaky running play.

Graphics: 8.9
Not on par with Madden (no game is), but NFL Street is a gorgeous game.  Gamers will be more than impressed with the player detail; it's cartoony and exaggerated, and very realistic all at the same time.

Sound: 5
Crappy rap music and pretentious sound effects.  And one decent rock song.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
Getting good is the hardest part.  Once you're good, you're good, and you'll have the power to make your opponents suffer.  Muhahaha!

Concept: 6.9
Would NFL Street be here if it weren't for NFL Blitz?  Possibly.  But there's no denying that NBA Jam is the reason NBA Street is here.  Jam started it all, and very little innovation has been since.

Multiplayer: 9
Are you itching for a game to take over your room?  Are you searching for that special someone to spend your Valentine's Day with?  Who needs love when you could spend your time on the couch with NFL Street.  It's got all the qualities of a good relationship (loyalty, commitment) without the worries of getting a broken heart.  Actually, you might be broken after getting your butt kicked, but that's one of the many reasons why you'll be playing this game for months to come.  I myself am determined to crush a few of my friends at this game.  That driving force is what makes a truly great multiplayer game.

Overall: 8.5
I recently watched a re-run of Home Improvement where Tim creates the ultimate Man's Bathroom.  Al comments that if they had a refrigerator, they'd never have to leave.  Tim then pushes a button, revealing a hidden fridge.  Awesome idea, I thought.  Then I realized that the Man's Bathroom was missing one extremely important thing: a game console and a copy of NFL Street.