Gameplay : 9.1 | Graphics : 8.9 | Longevity : 8.5 | Presentation : 8.8 | Sound : 8.2 | Overall : 8.7 Posted by AndyP

Your review score : (rate it) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 | User average : n/a | users have rated this game

When it was announced last year that EA were planning to release a street-style of football game to complement their already popular simulation football title, Madden NFL, eyebrows were raised. A certain scepticism came into the minds of most us who wondered quite what EA would bring to the table, but it didn't take long for us to realise that with the name EA Sports Big comes a track record of solid, fun, feature rich and playable titles and this would likely be no different. The drip feed of information that emerged over the next few months served to increase that expectation and come release time the EA marketing team had done their job once again as those of us who were in two minds about whether this would be 'out kind of game' simply couldn't resist diving into the nearest game store to see if it lived up to expectation.

NFL Street... think NBA Street with the same kind of insane moves, extreme energy, GameBreakers ... but without the round ball.

Gameplay

First up, it should be noted that this is not a simulated version of NFL football. There are no kickers, no special teams and you're starting 7 will play both sides of the ball from start to finish. No substitutions. No replays. No punting. If you don't want your guys to perform over the top moves and don't like the idea of being able to maintain possession despite attempting 6 laterals on the one single play, then this is probably not for you. Having said that this is not NFL Blitz - it's not so outrageously over the top that it becomes a button-mashing waste of time. There is much more to this game than that.

Playing offense is incredible fun. While running the ball is distinctly more effective than a passing style of offense, the playbook has a good set of plays available for both as well as a cool collection of trick plays. The lateral, as well as the ability to dive for the goalline are impressively integrated and the lateral in particular will be one of those moves that earns you great reward if you can pull it off and still keep possession. Multiple laterls on a single play are particularly effective and can take you all the way down the field if you do it right.

Speaking of moves you can accumulate plenty of points by showboating in this game. In fact, the more showboating you do, the more points you get - all of which adds up to a GameBreaker once you hit the jackpot. If you're a veteran of the NBA Street series you will know what a GameBreaker is all about. In NFL Street a GameBreaker shifts the advantage completely to your side, meaning if you're on offense your guys will become twice as quick, twice as powerful and insanely effective. On defense the same kind of thing happens with your defensive backs able to hit twice as hard and seemingly pop the ball out of the hands of the offensive players at will. Once you have enough points to activate a GameBreaker you can do so either on offense or defense which calls for a little strategy depending on what stage of the game you're at.

Before we leave gameplay, the online component is probably the best and most addictive feature of the game. If you lose interest in playing 'real' football online because it either takes too long or you're tired of being 'cheesed' then this will come as a refreshing change. Games can be played pretty quickly, and you can fit as many as 3 games into a single one hour stretch. Perfect if that's as mucg time as you have available. As far as guys pulling the plug is concerned - well they're still out there, but to date on every single occasion when one of those losers has pulled out the cord I have been credited with the win. I don't mind a guy quitting if I know I will get the credit for a game I was inevitably going to win anyway. Stats might not be important to you but there's a principle involved - and if you get the win in the end it makes it easier to take.

Graphics

The graphics are solid, the players are a little blocky, but well done in terms of detail and depth. Players are accurately represented in terms of features and it's easily possible to identify and recognise individuals. The environments are pretty cool with water lapping up against the sand at the beach and generally some very nicely done effects.

Longevity

Aside from the online component of the game, which you literally will find yourself going back to again, and again, and again.... (I told you it was addictive). Sadly the only other feature making any attempt to extend the life of this title in your collection is the NFL Challenge. The NFL Challenge allows you to build a team up from scratch and compete against the big guns accumulating rewards along the way. By the way you can take your custom team online and play against other custom teams, and for anyone with a broadband connection you can be guarenteed a smooth ride with the minimum of lag. You shouldn't find yourself frustrated by choppy gameplay unless the other player is on a 28k dial up connection. I can understand that for the first release in a series the effort of the production team went into actual gameplay rather than dressing up a flawed gameplay with multiple game modes. That's a good thing because if the gameplay isn't solid it really doesn't matter how many modes are in the box - you won't have fun. As it stands the production team allocated their time wisely and for version 2 we can expect more in terms of gameplay modes I would imagine.

Presentation and Sound

If there is one complaint with the Madden NFL series it's the lack of overall presentation on offer. Madden is crying out for that X factor in the presentation department (let's hope 2005 delivers that).

EA seem to be able to hit the right note with their EA Big series of games though, and NBA Street is a notable example. NFL Street has plenty of presentation - not to the same extent as NBA Street, but the players engage in a good deal of pre and post snap trash talking, and the hits sound as bone crunching as they actually look. In game music can be turned off if you don't like it, but I'm glad to say it's not irritating or annoying and I choose to leave it on. I can imagine some guys will prefer not to so it's nice that the option is there. The menus are easy to navigate with the minimum of clutter and fast loading times.

The verdict : 8.6 out of 10

NFL Street is the first game in a series that will undoubtedly be extended beyond this inaugural effort and a hit for some time to come. In all the fundamental areas the game is polished and delivers a good satisfying experience. It is well worth adding this title to your collection.