NFL Street 2 – PS2 – Review

There are two types of
sports games: simulation and arcade. Simulation games capture every single
aspect of real life NFL football, from drafting your players to deciding how
much to charge for hot dog. Arcade games are easy to play a quick game before
going to work or school because they are really quick and in most cases feature
“over the top” gameplay. EA Sports has cornered the market with the Simulation
side since they have purchased the NFL license, which grants them the sole right
to use anything related to NFL football. Not content with being the masters of
NFL simulation games, they are trying to come up with the best arcade football
game around. Last year they took a big step in the right direction with the
release of NFL Street. Now that they have released a sequel and there are two
questions that might be floating around in your mind: is NFL Street 2 one of the
best arcade football games around, and is it worth your time to check it out?
Read on to find out more!

There are several game
modes in NFL Street 2 that will keep players entertained for hours on end. The
modes are Quick Game, Pickup Game, NFL Gauntlet, Street Events, Own the City,
NFL Challenge, and last but not least Online. Quick game is where players can
choose any of the NFL or unlocked teams and play a quick seven-on-seven game.
The Pickup Game mode is likened to a quick game, but players will alternatively
pick their opponents from a pool of NFL players and legends. In the NFL
Gauntlet, the players are against the entire NFL, and you will have to play and
beat all of the current NFL teams, one by one. Street Events is a four-on-four
showdown that is everyman for themselves. This mode really challenges how good
you are at this game and its special moves.

Can he catch it?

The biggest two game modes
that NFL Street 2 has to offer, and the ones that will keep you occupied for
hours on end are Own the City and NFL Challenge. In Own the City mode, gamers
will create their own player, customizing him to the fullest extent, and then
put a team together from the players you meet on the streets. Gamers then must
take on various challenges such as playing pick up games and other various
games. Players must do their best to obtain valuable development points to boost
up your player. As you compete and complete all of the challenges you will get
to face Xzibit’s team and import your player into Madden 2006.

In NFL Challenge gamers
will have 150 days to build a team that can complete against come of the NFL
Legends, by playing through many different challenges. As players complete
various challenges they will acquire development points, just like in Own the
City mode, except these points go to all of the players and not just a single
one. This mode will keep players coming for more because they will want to beat
some of the best in the NFL on the street!

Running along a wall is always fun!

There are a couple new
additions to NFL Street 2 that really improves the gameplay and the first one is
the use of walls. Players can now use the walls to run across, use them as a
spring board to avoid a tackle, or even run up a wall to catch a ball that would
normally be too high for them. This is an addition and in many cases if used
correctly it can mean the difference between winning and losing a game. Another
new addition, or really it is an additional upgrade, is the Gamebreaker 2. In
order to get this you will first have to obtain a Gamebreaker, which you get
points for by performing special moves and other various things while playing a
street game. After that is full you then start charging the second bar. When you
finally get both bars filled you press the Gamebreaker button. When a
Gamebreaker 2 is activated it is an almost guaranteed touchdown.

NFL Street was a very
pretty game! Gamers are given plenty of eye candy throughout the entire gaming
experience. All of the different playing fields that you will be getting your
street football are very detailed and makes the players feel that they are
really in the various places. The character models have a lot of detail going
for them. For instance when you are creating your character in Own the City
mode, you will be given a plethora of options, from different types of tattoos,
skin tones, hair styles, clothes, and much more. All of the focus on details
really gives life and personality to the players which make the game feel much
more life like.

Good thing he can jump!

Just like in the last
game, another huge component of NFL Street 2 is the player animations, which
range from the different “style” moves just how the game plays overall. Since
this game has such a smooth animation set for all of the characters it seems so
realistic when players are performing such over the top moves such as using the
wall as a springboard to get that all important touchdown.

The music featured here is
a mix of rap and rock, which fits the very nature of this game perfectly. The
soundtrack will keep players motivated to continue playing many hours as it
really is good. All of the sound effects that players will hear throughout the
entire game really fits perfectly, from hearing the special moves that you are
performing to all of the fields environments. It adds a real surreal feeling to
it and makes it much more enjoyable. Xzibit offers his voice talents to be the
“narrator” of this game, by teaching players how to do all of the moves in the
tutorial mode. Another very interesting fact is this game is THX certified and
makes full use of Dolby Digital Pro Logic II, so if you have a setup that allow
it, it is well worth it!

NFL Street is rated E for
Everyone. It requires up to 316kb on your memory card and can play up to 1-4
players (via multitap). To play online you must have the Network card and
broadband or dialup. It also is compatible with AOL Dial-Up.

Gameplay:
9.3
The gameplay is
extremely tight, responsive, and overall well done in NFL Street 2! All of the
new moves that are put in this game are extremely well incorporated, and once
you play this game it will be hard if not impossible to load up NFL Street 1
again.

Graphics: 9.0
This game looks really good. The character models are really nice and
heavily detailed, from the sneakers, accessories, and even tattoos that some of
the players are known for having. The game adds a nice variety of details into
each of the fields to make them feel unique and a blast to play in.

Sound: 9.1
There is plenty or trash talking that goes on during a real football
game, and it is nice to hear that this was implemented into this game as well.
Not only will you hear some trash talking but you will hear some nice sound
effects that really compliment the location of the football fields. The music is
nice and fits well within NFL Street 2’s atmosphere.

Difficulty: Medium
If you are a NFL Street veteran, then the game will have little to no
adjustment time. For new players it will take a while to get adjusted to the
game mechanics, but once you do you will find them second nature. The AI is a
bit tougher then last years game, but that makes it all the better.

Concept: 9.1
Even though arcade football games are not new, I really like what EA
has done with their NFL Street franchise, and I can not wait to see what they
will put into the next version.

Multiplayer: 8.9
Even though this game is a blast to play in single player mode,
this game is even better when you are playing with a friend. If you are short on
friends and want to get your trash talking game on then all you have to do is
head online and see if you have what it takes to beat everyone out there. Are
you up to the challenge?

Overall: 9.1
NFL Street is one of my favorite arcade sports games, and with
good reason. It had tight controls, over the top gameplay, and great looking
graphics. NFL Street 2 takes everything that the first game had and expounds
upon it making it better in many different aspects. While this game is not
perfect, it is a blast to play, and something that will keep you busy for many
months to come.