NFL Street 2

So I know I said I was going to play All Pro today but NFL Street was far too fun so I've continued with NFL Street 2. Developed and published by Electronic Arts, NFL Street 2 was released in December 2004, not even a year after the original. 

The fact that it came out only ten months after the original caused a bit of complaint as very little was updated or changed except for mostly the roster.  The biggest changes from the original was the addition of the jump and wall maneuvers.  You could run up walls, jump off then to make and catch passes, making your players more evasive.  There is a bit of the problem when your player really doesn't want to go up the wall and just runs into it, which will usually cause you to get caught up to or hit by the defender, but you don't even have to use the wall half the time (with the exception of a few challenges).

Another change was the expansion of the Gamebreaker with the dumbing down of the Gamebreaker and the addition of the Gamebreaker 2.  The Gamebreaker was weakened to the point where it was no longer an automatic touchdown or turnover so there is a bit of a chance with it there while the Gamebreaker two is truly a game changer.  When you activate a Gamebreaker 2, a cut scene starts where the defense stylishly gets the ball back or the offense passes the line of scrimmage and leaves everyone behind.  Afterward you enter a God-mode where you cannot be tackled and you have unlimited turbo.

So instead of playing a pick up game this time I started with a Quick Game using the team I created for the NFL Challenge against the randomly chosen Ravens.  I start off the game using my running back to break tackles and push a first down, pushing my way towards the end zone.  I try mostly rushing plays at this point, mostly because I had built the team around the running back, but I screw around a bit too much and get stopped at the end zone right before scoring.  So instead of letting the Raven's score first, I start to blitz, getting a safety and going up by two to begin the game. 

The game continues and I push the ball down the field much quicker and easier by passing around a bit and get a touchdown.  Now at this point you can go for one or two (there is no kick) and this has also changed from the last game.  In the first Street, you got one point if you ran it in and two if you passed it.  This time you get to choose which you go for and one point starts you five yards away and two points starts you ten yards away (as oppose to always five away with the last game). 

I continue to do very well on defense and now want to see if I can actually shut them out, stopping them with a nice sack once more to turn over the ball on downs.  On their next drive a lucky bounce into the hands of Ray Lewis gets them down field and they have a good chance at not allowing a shut out.  But with four lucky downs I do get the stop and my dream is still alive... until I flub up and don't move down the field at all and give them an easy score.  But I keep moving and score the number of times to finally finish the game and it's over, their unfortunate score making it not a shut out but oh well.

So I've played another game and another day is done.  On to real football tomorrow and it will be a good game.  Adios for today though.  

NFL Street

I'm continuing with my football weekend today with the spiritual sequel to NFL Blitz: NFL Street.  Developed and published by Electronic Arts, NFL Street was released in January2004.  NFL Street is one of EA's Street series with varied rules and smaller rosters (as well as in basic clothes). 

Unlike regular football, NFL Street is only seven on seven with all players playing both offense and defense.  The game puts an emphasis on taunting your opponent to build your "style" meter until you can use a Gamebreaker.  The gamebreaker literally breaks the game, your offense or defense becomes unstoppable for the rest of the drive and it becomes easier to score or force a turn over. 

So there are a few modes of play and the closest to a story is the NFL Challenge where you create your own team and go through many challenges to make them better and play against NFL teams.  But I've already done that and I'm just going to play a Pick Up Game.  In a pickup game you get to draft your team from a list of random players from all teams (you can choose to include Legends and your created players as well). 

So I choose to pick first and let the computer get the ball first so I can grab good players in each position.  The seven positions on offense are quarterback, runningback, two receivers, and three linemen; while for defense they are two corners, a saftey, a linebacker, and three linemen.  Because you only get seven people, some of them have to overlap.  The simplest overlaps are overlapping your wide receivers with the corners.   So I start looking through the players, choosing the Legend Cornerback Lester Hayes.  The teams build pretty well, I end up with a stronger defense (the cornerbacks can defend and also catch while the receivers aren't good at defense) with players such as Ty Law, Cletidus Hunt, Fred Taylor, Takeo Spikes and Tim Couch as quarterback. 

So I start the game on defense and am doing my best just to hold them back.  You get style points for doing different things, but it's a bit more difficult to do it on defense (you can get some for stopping them behind the line and also to force turnovers).  Also, it isn't just a matter of getting ten yards, but there are set intervals on the field (30 yards apart).  I successful hold them back for a bit, but they eventually score a touchdown.  I'm a bit stronger at offense then defense though, and score easily.  We trade scores until I break through with Takeo Spikes and force a fumble to go up.

So I've played another game and onto the weekend.  Adios for today though.