NFL Street 2 review

Whatever the subject, any association with its realistic counterpart is superfluous. I certainly didn’t know much about Motor cross when I picked up Freakstyle, or snowboarding when I bought SSX Tricky and its archetypal sequel. Whatever the sport, it really doesn’t matter if you have an affinity with it because realism and simulation are not in the fore of BIG titles.

This is certainly the case with NFL Street 2. Those seeking Madden-like thrills best look elsewhere. What this game has is, like all other BIG titles, over the top gameplay, bright and colourful graphics, a blaring contemporary soundtrack and big named artists lending their voice talent to the proceedings.

Back in the mud again

If you want to see a natural progression in sports games, then look at SSX3 compared to SSX Tricky, or Burnout 3 and its predecessor. EA BIG has approached this sequel with the same design ethic and it feels bigger and more packed than anything that has come before it. It’s also very much a kitchen sink game.

Take the games star icon Xzibit. Not only relegated to a voice over during the tutorial sections, Xzibit is very much a part of the main game itself – recalling what EA BIG did with its Def Jam Vendetta series (that being rappers as main characters).

Xzibit essentially acts as the boss in NFL Street 2. After the interminably long and laborious tutorial section, where you’ll become accustomed to hearing the man shouting the directions for a certain trick to you more than once, you meet him again in Own the City.

This is very much the same as the Conquer the Mountain mode in SSX3, where you travel around the fictional city taking on various gangs and eventually X to the Z himself. But this is also where we experience the sheer wealth of options and game modes.

As well as Own the City, you have Street Events, NFL Challenge, NFL Gauntlet and Pickup Games. Street Events is my favourite section however, where you play such classic mini-matches as Crush the Carrier, Jump Ball Battle and 2 Minute Challenge.

Points mean prizes

Playing the game shows that EA BIG is still catering for the arcade demographic. In any of the game modes you’re able to accumulate points based on touchdowns, tackles, diversions and taunts. Taunts are where many of the big points lie. After successfully catching a throw, you have ample time to taunt the opposing side in some truly hilarious poses.

Manage to carry one of these taunts and end it with a touchdown and you’re practically rolling in points. As expected, these points also take a cue from the SSX games as they allow you to upgrade your players and buy various items.

It’s worth mentioning at this point that if you happen to have any previous EA BIG titles and are thinking of picking up NFL Street 2 then don’t delete your save files. I got a pleasant surprise when I fired up the game and was immediately rewarded with 25,000 points based on my SSX3 save game file.

Looking good baby

Like Free Radical, EA BIG now has a look and design aesthetic inherent in its games that clearly mark it away from other competition. NFL Street 2 captures the perfect balance between huge, hulking characters and realistic locales. Speaking of which, there’s a very nice diversity to the various streets and fields you unleash the fury on.

Some of the grabs and moves are as other the top as you’ve come to expect, but they never seem out of place with the game itself. Don’t let this lead you to believe that it’s too out of this world however. Beneath its glossy veneer there is still a touch of realism grounding everything down.

Music plays just as important a part as the graphics, obviously, but this is one of the areas where the game falters. Are you a fan of rap or heavy rock? If not, you may want to try muting the music or throwing a CD on as you play. That’s certainly the level I had to resort to because some of the stuff here is extremely bad. And loud.

Touchdown

I’ve been keeping details on how the game plays for last for a very specific reason. What kind of game are you expecting with NFL Street 2 when you consider other EA BIG titles? It’s a very important question because I found the game to be much slower and more fragmented than I had imagined.

It’s certainly not a pick up and play game as you have to endure the monotonous training (which last over an hour for me) before you can get to grips with the game itself. If you know a thing or two about American football then I can’t see it being much of a problem.

But what about those like me, who have a general idea but nothing more? When you get the idea and master the moves only then does it earn its pick up and play status. But there is a lot of grit to plough through beforehand.

And when you actually do start playing properly, you begin to see that tried and true aesthetic of EA BIG games shine through. In SSX Tricky you’d perform amazing tricks to gain boost – which was taken further in SSX3 as it allowed you to gain higher trick levels. In Freakstyle you performed tricks for special boosts too.

Here, you take the rude gesturing (called showboating) and other stunts like jumping off walls to grab the ball, running across posters and logos and smashing your opponents and it adds points to your gamebreaker meter. Once this is full you’re able to plough through the pitch at super speeds and reduce your opposing side to jelly. For a limited time only, naturally.

End zone

Obviously if you played the original and enjoyed it I think it’s safe to say you can expect more of the same. I’ll leave the merits of this sequel up to you based on that. But what about everyone else?

If you’re looking for the pick up and play thrills of past BIG title’s you won’t find that here. It’s a game that demands patience, perseverance and ultimately precision. There’s a large array of game modes to skid through if you ever get tired of Owning the City, but they don’t add much to extending the games life.

Ultimately it really does come down to whether or not you’re an American football fan. Planning your offensive and defensive attacks plays a massive role and is essentially where the fun lies. But as mentioned earlier, this makes the game appear fragmented. You’ll be lucky if you can make a single turn last longer than a few seconds.

So if you’re aware of this kind of gameplay and are ready for a slower sports alternative you’ll find much to enjoy in NFL Street 2. And hey… it’s certainly made me a fan. Of the EA BIG franchise, at least.