NFL Street

Arcade football isn?t dead?it?s just been out wandering the streets.

First, there was Madden NFL. And it was good, but it had lots of rules and players, and eventually it became a religion. Then there was NFL Blitz, and it was good, but it lost its way, forgetting its arcade roots and the joy of simplicity. But now there is NFL Street, which offers true harmony between arcade and simulation football games, but with more attitude than both of them put together. Oh, and it?s fun, too.

All Yoked Up
NFL Street streamlines pro football to a seven-on-seven battle of not just athleticism but also the ability to be a pure show-off. It?s as much about how you play as it is about the sport itself. That sense of personality?in the forms of flashy moves, choice of clothing, and self-expression through customization?is a crucial element to the game, by design. Producer Graeme Bayless says that NFL Street lets gamers ?play football the way we envisioned it as kids. Play how you want, dress how you want, and show your style.? That philosophy is everywhere, on the field and off. Custom teams with your favorite colors and choice of logo are only the beginning?you can name, upgrade, and dress each individual player as you see fit, unlocking new (and very detailed) gear like shoulder pads, basketball jerseys, and shoes as you go (some of which boosts performance). The depth of customization gives gamers a true sense of ownership, making victories truly something to celebrate?and defeats all the more stinging.

Of course, there are a few current and past superstars crammed in here?say, 300 or so. NFL Street features real players like Randy Moss, Donovan McNabb, and the Raider Woodsons, all pumped up to cartoon proportions (just like the basketball stars in its crosstown cousin, NBA Street). Massive muscles, huge tattoos, XL afros?it?s based on reality, just bigger. The result may annoy football purists, but gamers who know they?re getting into a fantasy treatment of pro sports won?t mind?and according to Bayless, neither do the players. ?We?ve had the game in front of a bunch of guys, including Shannon Sharpe, Ray Lewis, Mike Vick, Barry Sanders, Marcells Wiley, and others,? he says. ?They love the way they look, all ?yoked up? as they say. They?ve really appreciated the attention to detail in their faces, tattoos, and all that.?

Undo the Helmet
Naturally, the players perform over-the-top moves to match their looks. There?s plenty of end-zone dancing, tricky passing, and plain ol? bragging, none of which (well, okay, not as much of which) you?d find on an NFL gridiron. Player animations are super-smooth, and moves like jukes and dives are linked very well; details like shaking off a collision and some taunting after a denial help sell the personality even more. Tackles are especially brutal with helicopter spins and backflips a fairly common (but still exciting!) occurrence. ?Though obviously football is a contact sport, that contact is all within the context of football,? says Bayless. ?NFL Street has no wrestling-style moves or the like that don?t fit the context of football.? Maybe wrestling is in the eye of the beholder?you?ll spot a clothesline tackle in almost every Street showdown?but it?s true that there are none of the late hits or leg drops that NFL Blitz fans so often see.

However, bringing out player personality and a sense of style also means bringing down some barriers, including the removal of helmets from the players. Granted, that?s how everybody plays a friendly game of football in the park or at the beach?but generally, it?s not full contact the way it is here with hard-hitting slams that spin players in mid-air before they come crashing down and head-first dives into end zones. Still, even the league understands it?s all a fantasy. ?Agreeing to have no helmets wasn?t really a major negotiation,? says Bayless, ?as the NFL understands that bringing out player personalities is a key to success for NFL Street.?

Extra Mustard, Dog
Player personality is more than just a catchphrase?it?s part of the gameplay. Any pass, tackle, run, or catch can be modified by holding down the Style button, which adds personal flair and scores extra GameBreaker points at the risk of not getting the job done. For instance, a no-look pass will net you 3000 more GameBreaker points, but it?s harder to connect to your receiver; if he does catch it, he can high-step all the way to the end zone but might fumble when hit. Put a little Style into a tackle, and you?ll gain some extra inertia for a harder hit, but you lose the ability to change your angle of attack. It?s a constant balancing act that offers another level of strategy to football, and control-wise, it?s pleasantly simple. In fact, all three versions of the game (PS2, Xbox, and GameCube) feature responsive controls and pressure-sensitive passes?tap quick for a touch pass or hold the button for a bullet. Pitching is essential to success; often times, runs that would end in disaster can turn into touchdowns with a well-timed dish of the ball to an open teammate. While the basic controls feel instantly comfortable, switching players in time to snag interceptions and even managing man-to-man coverage takes quite a bit of practice and sharp reflexes. Then again, so does real football.

True to the game?s name, you won?t play a single scrimmage in a stadium; the fields include a beach, a rooftop, and even the lawn outside EA?s own Bay Area office. Interactive sideline objects like surfboards on the beach don?t interfere with plays, but they do add some nice atmosphere, especially when a player goes barreling through them. The appearance of walls and fences on the boundaries, however, significantly changes things. You can run opponents into the side of a building but they won?t be out of bounds, so if they recover, look out?the ball?s live and now they?re angry. All three versions of the game look more or less identical; the Xbox features some extra shine, this time in the form of nylon jerseys. A mix of rap and rock in the menu screens is joined by similar looping beats during play (and points for having the beats change as the game develops and possession switches sides). The player chatter is varied, urban, gruff, and chock full of smart-alecky put-downs (?You thought you were good?well, I guess that?s what you get for thinkin?!?) that don?t loop too much to be annoying.

Man vs. Machine
The game does come with tutorials on the unique elements of Street gameplay, but they would be more interesting if they were interactive; instead, you?re just watching a video of how proper play is supposed to look. You?ll learn as much about game mechanics by doing it yourself, so a better way to learn to play is to dive straight into the NFL Challenges, which is where you?ll spend most of your single-player time anyway. These mini-games are true to their name: tough situations and specific goals (race to 14 points, be ahead after X number of minutes, score TDs under certain conditions) that must be completed if you want any development points to help build your sorry-from-birth created team. It?s proof of the adage that if you want to be the man, you?ve got to beat the man. You?ll also ascend a tournament ladder, fighting your squad?s way up the NFL?s ranks while unlocking new fields.

When the teams are well-matched, the game feels great; just about any NFL squad can take on any other without a huge ability gap to weaken the contest, and the limited playbook really forces creativity and unorthodox surprise moves. But any time you use your created squad against an NFL team, the odds are inevitably stacked against you?you won?t have enough development points to get your team up to pro levels for several hours of play. It?s frustrating to play to the best of your abilities and try to emulate the computer teams with Style moves and pitches, only to get hammered again and again, simply because you suck, by design. Suffice it to say that the football is not the only thing you?ll want to throw as hard as you can. However, when you add the human element?whether you invite one to three friends over or, on the PS2, find someone to scrimmage online?NFL Street becomes a lot more fun. The dynamics of the game only really work when both sides have something to boast about and can back it up.

NFL Streak
The single-player NFL Challenge mode can destroy your enjoyment in short order, but as long as you have real-life friends to join you, NFL Street is a blast?and a much-needed shot in the arm for the genre. This should get football fans through the off-season in lots and lots of style.

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