NFL Street 2 - Review
Added February 14th, 2005 by Kisan Parikh
Introduction:
NFL Street 2, one of the latest releases in EA’s Street series, hopes to appeal to all types of football fans; mainly those that are just out for a quick arcade style football game. After being successful with the previous edition of the game, EA not only had the task of improving on the game’s faults, but they needed to stay true to the arcade aspect of the game. Let’s take a look to see if NFL Street 2 delivers on being fast, fun, and worth your money.
Gameplay:
There is not a question that the game is incredibly easy to master, because the instant you load the game, you are presented with the option of training. You can either go over all the training topics, just the new topics, or skip training all together. As the game features the same basic gameplay style and controls, most of the moves from the previous edition are present in NFL Street 2. There are a couple new additions that offer enough to make the game enticing to fans of the original.
NFL Street 2, one of the latest releases in EA’s Street series, hopes to appeal to all types of football fans; mainly those that are just out for a quick arcade style football game. After being successful with the previous edition of the game, EA not only had the task of improving on the game’s faults, but they needed to stay true to the arcade aspect of the game. Let’s take a look to see if NFL Street 2 delivers on being fast, fun, and worth your money.
Gameplay:
There is not a question that the game is incredibly easy to master, because the instant you load the game, you are presented with the option of training. You can either go over all the training topics, just the new topics, or skip training all together. As the game features the same basic gameplay style and controls, most of the moves from the previous edition are present in NFL Street 2. There are a couple new additions that offer enough to make the game enticing to fans of the original.
While running, you are presented with six basic maneuvers. These include stiff arm, hurdle, pitch, turbo running, juke, and spin. As you may have seen in the advertisements, some of these basic moves can be taken to the next level by using the wall. As you are executing either a hurdle or a juke, you can use the wall to make their effectiveness much greater. A quarterback can take advantage of the wall as well by throwing off the wall. By doing so, the throw can be much faster and the throw has a lesser chance of being intercepted. In turn, wall catches can also be made. Certain areas of the wall are considered hotspots, and wall moves of these areas add more points to your Game Breaker bar. Another easy way to build your Game Breaker bar is to hold the left trigger to execute flashy celebratory dances and moves.
This Game Breaker bar is built up based on the number and quality of moves you make during a play. Once the bar is filled, you are able to activate Game Breaker Mode. In this mode, your players are much harder to tackle. Luckily, a change has been made from the last NFL Street game, and the Game Breaker bar runs out a little after every move. Another change to the Game Breaker element of the game is that a second bar can be filled to activate Game Breaker 2. This mode increases the effect of Game Breaker, and it can basically be viewed as a free touchdown. This said, it must be kept in mind that Game Breaker can be used on defense as well. On defense, the Game Breaker mode causes easy turnovers.
This brings us to the second major area of gameplay, defense. The defensive side of the ball is fairly basic. Maneuvers include turbo, push blocker, tackle, and intercept. Of course, there is also a way to execute bone crushing hits, but I’d only use it in safe areas of the field. The reason for this is that when executing a power tackle, the opposing player has a period of time where they could quite easily dodge the tackle.
As far as the play calling goes, the game is basically the same as the original, but there are a few noteworthy additions. On offense, the play categories include Run, Pass, and Trick. Defensive play categories are Stop (Short/Long) Run and Stop (Short/Long) Pass. Audibles are possible from either side of the ball, but defensively you can make adjustments on the fly. This is done by predicting what type of play the offense will call. Use this wisely because when incorrect, your predictions may lead to an easy touchdown. Once a touchdown is scored, the offense can choose to either go for two or one. By going for two, you start at the 10 yard line, and by choosing to go for one, you start at the five.
The main single player game mode in NFL Street 2 is called Own the City. Starting off, you create a team name and icon. Next you create your player who will build the team. After winning a 1 on 1 game, you are shown the good locations to play football in the area. After playing pickup games to build your team, you compete against local teams to “leave your mark” and earn bigger bonuses. You move from area to area and then from city to city. By winning tournaments and games, you earn credit to use at the store. Here you are able to buy haircuts, jewelry, tattoos, and more of the like. The ultimate goal of the entire mode of play is to beat it and import your player into Madden 2006. The Own the City mode of play is surprisingly fun, but unfortunately it is a bit more linear than I would have liked.
As far as gameplay goes, NFL Street 2 succeeds in offering a fast, fun football experience. Not only did I think that the gameplay was good, but I feel that it was a great improvement from the original version. This statement is mainly based on the fact that the Game Breaker Mode is not too powerful, and that the off-the-wall (no pun intended) moves are incredibly fun to pull off.
Graphics:
The visuals in NFL Street 2 are actually quite impressive for an arcade style game. Since EA stayed away from the realistic type of graphics featured in Madden, the game’s graphics match the gameplay nicely. That isn’t to say that the game is absent from catchy details, because the game is full of unique bling-bling, shoes, and tattoos. Also, I particularly liked that many of the NFL players in the game are very recognizable.
This Game Breaker bar is built up based on the number and quality of moves you make during a play. Once the bar is filled, you are able to activate Game Breaker Mode. In this mode, your players are much harder to tackle. Luckily, a change has been made from the last NFL Street game, and the Game Breaker bar runs out a little after every move. Another change to the Game Breaker element of the game is that a second bar can be filled to activate Game Breaker 2. This mode increases the effect of Game Breaker, and it can basically be viewed as a free touchdown. This said, it must be kept in mind that Game Breaker can be used on defense as well. On defense, the Game Breaker mode causes easy turnovers.
This brings us to the second major area of gameplay, defense. The defensive side of the ball is fairly basic. Maneuvers include turbo, push blocker, tackle, and intercept. Of course, there is also a way to execute bone crushing hits, but I’d only use it in safe areas of the field. The reason for this is that when executing a power tackle, the opposing player has a period of time where they could quite easily dodge the tackle.
As far as the play calling goes, the game is basically the same as the original, but there are a few noteworthy additions. On offense, the play categories include Run, Pass, and Trick. Defensive play categories are Stop (Short/Long) Run and Stop (Short/Long) Pass. Audibles are possible from either side of the ball, but defensively you can make adjustments on the fly. This is done by predicting what type of play the offense will call. Use this wisely because when incorrect, your predictions may lead to an easy touchdown. Once a touchdown is scored, the offense can choose to either go for two or one. By going for two, you start at the 10 yard line, and by choosing to go for one, you start at the five.
The main single player game mode in NFL Street 2 is called Own the City. Starting off, you create a team name and icon. Next you create your player who will build the team. After winning a 1 on 1 game, you are shown the good locations to play football in the area. After playing pickup games to build your team, you compete against local teams to “leave your mark” and earn bigger bonuses. You move from area to area and then from city to city. By winning tournaments and games, you earn credit to use at the store. Here you are able to buy haircuts, jewelry, tattoos, and more of the like. The ultimate goal of the entire mode of play is to beat it and import your player into Madden 2006. The Own the City mode of play is surprisingly fun, but unfortunately it is a bit more linear than I would have liked.
As far as gameplay goes, NFL Street 2 succeeds in offering a fast, fun football experience. Not only did I think that the gameplay was good, but I feel that it was a great improvement from the original version. This statement is mainly based on the fact that the Game Breaker Mode is not too powerful, and that the off-the-wall (no pun intended) moves are incredibly fun to pull off.
Graphics:
The visuals in NFL Street 2 are actually quite impressive for an arcade style game. Since EA stayed away from the realistic type of graphics featured in Madden, the game’s graphics match the gameplay nicely. That isn’t to say that the game is absent from catchy details, because the game is full of unique bling-bling, shoes, and tattoos. Also, I particularly liked that many of the NFL players in the game are very recognizable.
One of the areas where I think NFL Street 2 shines the most is the animations. Every single move, whether it is a simple turbo boost or a catch off the wall, is executed flawlessly. The game is incredibly smooth, and this fact makes it easier to read your opponent and react with the correct action. Also, the game’s dances and celebrations are much more fun to watch because of the flawless animations. If the game didn’t feature these extremely good animations, I feel that the gameplay would be hurt as well. This just goes to prove that even if a game doesn’t feature incredible realism and lighting effects, it can still have well done graphics that are a positive for the game.
Audio:
The audio featured in NFL Street 2 stays true to EA’s impressiveness in this category. The in game sound effects feature trash talking players and often exaggerated sounds. This works in the game’s favor, as it brings out an even more arcade-like feel. The sounds are specific to different moves, so before you know it, they will aid in your reactions against jukes, spins, and more of the same. The rest of the audio featured in the game is an outstanding mix of hip hop and rock tunes that are sure to keep you entertained. The rapper named Xzibit will guide you through the Own the City mode; consequently you will be hearing his voice quite a bit.
Controls:
I feel that the control scheme of NFL Street 2 is perfectly suited for the game. The gameplay is taken up a notch because of the control scheme’s ability to stay simple and still offer complete control. There is a very small learning curve on the controls, so the game keeps its pickup-and-play attitude. If you go through training, you will probably never even use your game manual, but even if you don’t go through training, you will pick it up in a matter of minutes.
Replay:
This game, even though it has more than enough to keep just one person busy, is all about competing with your friends. This can be done on the same Xbox, or you can go head to head on Xbox Live. This game is absolutely perfect for just hanging out and playing videogames, because it’s fun, fast, and loaded with action. I love this game as an alternative to simulation type football games, and I think it is astronomically more fun to play with friends.
As well as just playing a quick game with a buddy, this game has a ton of other replay value. You can play small mini games, such as 1 on 1 football, in a game mode titled Street Events. In addition to this, you can play NFL Gauntlet. In this mode you take on and try to beat each of the NFL teams. In NFL Challenge Mode, your goal is to build a team of nobodies and be able to challenge a team of NFL legends. Pickup is one of my favorite game modes. It includes selecting a team and then playing with them. In this mode, you can toggle NFL players and NFL legends on and off individually. Unfortunately, the rosters don’t feature all the players you would hope to see, but the selection is decent to say the least.
Audio:
The audio featured in NFL Street 2 stays true to EA’s impressiveness in this category. The in game sound effects feature trash talking players and often exaggerated sounds. This works in the game’s favor, as it brings out an even more arcade-like feel. The sounds are specific to different moves, so before you know it, they will aid in your reactions against jukes, spins, and more of the same. The rest of the audio featured in the game is an outstanding mix of hip hop and rock tunes that are sure to keep you entertained. The rapper named Xzibit will guide you through the Own the City mode; consequently you will be hearing his voice quite a bit.
Controls:
I feel that the control scheme of NFL Street 2 is perfectly suited for the game. The gameplay is taken up a notch because of the control scheme’s ability to stay simple and still offer complete control. There is a very small learning curve on the controls, so the game keeps its pickup-and-play attitude. If you go through training, you will probably never even use your game manual, but even if you don’t go through training, you will pick it up in a matter of minutes.
Replay:
This game, even though it has more than enough to keep just one person busy, is all about competing with your friends. This can be done on the same Xbox, or you can go head to head on Xbox Live. This game is absolutely perfect for just hanging out and playing videogames, because it’s fun, fast, and loaded with action. I love this game as an alternative to simulation type football games, and I think it is astronomically more fun to play with friends.
As well as just playing a quick game with a buddy, this game has a ton of other replay value. You can play small mini games, such as 1 on 1 football, in a game mode titled Street Events. In addition to this, you can play NFL Gauntlet. In this mode you take on and try to beat each of the NFL teams. In NFL Challenge Mode, your goal is to build a team of nobodies and be able to challenge a team of NFL legends. Pickup is one of my favorite game modes. It includes selecting a team and then playing with them. In this mode, you can toggle NFL players and NFL legends on and off individually. Unfortunately, the rosters don’t feature all the players you would hope to see, but the selection is decent to say the least.
Overall:
NFL Street 2 is an incredible arcade sports game that goes far beyond what NFL Blitz offered. I love how deep the different modes of play are, and the gameplay is spectacular. EA made sure that the graphics and audio served to improve upon the fast paced feel to the game, instead of worrying about getting a realistic look. This game is sure to impress owners of the original game, and I think that it will acquire a number of new fans. This game is definitely worth the price, especially since there is a 20 dollar rebate on the EA site. Hopefully all football fans, whether they be enthusiasts or casual fans, will pick this game up. I know that the majority will go ahead and purchase it.
NFL Street 2 is an incredible arcade sports game that goes far beyond what NFL Blitz offered. I love how deep the different modes of play are, and the gameplay is spectacular. EA made sure that the graphics and audio served to improve upon the fast paced feel to the game, instead of worrying about getting a realistic look. This game is sure to impress owners of the original game, and I think that it will acquire a number of new fans. This game is definitely worth the price, especially since there is a 20 dollar rebate on the EA site. Hopefully all football fans, whether they be enthusiasts or casual fans, will pick this game up. I know that the majority will go ahead and purchase it.
