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NFL Street 2
EA Sports... it's in the game! And once
again this slogan rings true in Electronic Arts' latest football epic...
NFL Street 2! Gone are the multimillion dollar stadiums but the
advertising remains... as players now wear a variety of ghetto designed
chic with the latest sneakers from Reebok.
For those uninitiated in EA's street sporting franchising, NFL Street 2
takes American football to the rough and tough streets of various
locales around the land of the free. Unlike the official NFL games,
Street 2 has a real arcade feel to it that allows gamers to unlock a
variety of NFL legends, defy gravity and of course engage in some of the
deadliest American football that must be seen to be believed. The whole
game could easily be summed up in four worlds, "It's all about street!"
Although the gameplay remains rather unchanged since the original title,
the developers have included a variety of new mini-games, 12 new
locations and 6 new street events that is sure to keep even the most
avid of gamer entertained. Some of the gameplay modes in NFL Street 2
include NFL Challenge (challenge the professionals in a time based
match), Pickup game (select a team of randomly picked players to create
your own super or disaster team) and the new Own the City game which
allows players to take over different territories in the city by winning
matches and mini-games.
Of course, what really sets NFL Street 2 apart from the competitors is
the Street Events mode that includes a variety of football mini-games
that include Three Files Up, Smear the Queer and Showdowns. These
mini-games really increase the longevity of this title so not only can
you play a variety of different NFL street games but when you want some
downtime, you can also compete in the mini-games for a different change
of pace and some new excitement.
As per usual, the control system of NFL Street 2 is extremely intuitive
and easy to master and players can perform a variety of different
manoeuvres that include run, pass, trick or course a few new super moves
that as the game boasts, defies gravity. The artificial intelligence of
the title has been slightly improved since its predecessor and as you
increase the difficulty level of the title, the gameplay does become
rather difficult if not sometimes impossible to beat.
Graphically NFL Street 2 is an impressive mix of realistic "street type"
graphics that ensures that each player looks different and contains
enough street clothes to set them apart from the competitors. It should
also be noted that the polygon count on the players is rather high that
not only contain some high detail textures but even the smallest amount
of detail has been implemented into the title, whether it's the gold
chains that a player wears around his neck or his Reebok shoelaces, the
attention to detail is amazing.
The gaming environments also have a true urban feel to it and although a
few of the environments do look a little bland, the player animation
more than makes up for this lack of detail. It should also be noted the
frame rate of NFL Street 2 remains rather constant throughout the entire
game which ensures for some of the smoothest frame rate to be seen in a
long time.
The soundtrack of NFL Street 2 uses a variety of ghetto "type" bands
that includes a variety of different rap styles and even some heavy
metal to help those gamers get into the spirit of NFL street sports. The
developers have also included a variety of different sound effects in
the game to increase the background ambience of the title that includes
the sounds of the city itself to the gutter talk of the players. With
that said, the voice acting of the game is a little harsh.
NFL Street 2 is different sporting experience that unfortunately only
the true hardcore NFL fans will really appreciate and to an extent, some
of these fans may be outraged to see how their precious game has been
changed into a rough game of American football. Great graphics and
sturdy gameplay ensures that this title is a well designed game but it
is really aimed at those sporting nuts who just can't get enough of
their sporting games!
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