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.