Given the success of NBA Street it was only a matter of time before EA Sports took the street concept to its flagship sport, football. And even though there really is no such thing as street football, the concept is a winner. Straight up smash mouth football with no penalties and no clock--just the ball, the field, seven vs. seven playing offense and defense, all for the glory of the game? Boom! Wap!

The game licenses all the NFL teams and some 100 big-league players. The characters models are exaggerated, so don't expect likenesses to be exact, but it's fun taking a bunch of current Packer greats and stuffing the rock down the throats of seven Rams. Game modes let you choose players from single teams or create your own pro bowl, and there is a nice assortment of QBs, RBs, corners, WRs, tight ends, and O and D-linemen. There's a lot of strategy in picking your team. Sure, running backs and quarterbacks are givens, but a corner can intercept better than a wide receiver though he won't catch as well. A big offensive lineman can be useful, but he doesn't tackle well when forced to play defense. When playing two-player, you can really stack your line and shut down the enemy passing or running attack, or go for a balanced corp.

You can play a ladder or league by creating your own team, which is annoyingly time consuming. An option to draft your own NFL stars and go through would be nice, instead you have to pick a cadre of nobodies and fill out their stats. Pick a name, a logo, and try to beat the pros with your average Joes. Winning gives you points and you can upgrade from there. It's a nice option but only for the hardcore players; casual players are effectively shut out from continuing play because of it.

EA hired "street" artists to design wonderful load screens, but this makes the player models look dull by comparison. One wishes they had used cel shading and that street look to the characters, but instead we get freakish players that generally

Fast-moving 7-on-7 arcade gameplay challenges

200 unique challenges

More than 300 current NFL stars and legends

Average Customer Review: ( 22 customer reviews )
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Pros:

Sweet Graphics (Looks like NBA Street Vol. 2)
Fast Gameplay w/ lots of big hits
Easy to Pick and Play
Controls are good (like Madden, but easier)
Cool Unlockables
Awesome Multiplayer
Online (PS2 only though...)
Interceptions are sweet
Cons:

Impossible to play defense (especially stopping the run)
Way too many fumbles (I've had 3 or 4 on one play)
Action gets a little too frantic sometimes (can't see where your player is or ball, or anything else for that matter)
Limited Playbook ( Only like 15- 20 Offensive plays, same with defense)
Replay options are a bit lacking
If the other player has a gamebreaker, you're screwed

Just Wondering:

How do the fat lineman catch my super speedy running back and recievers?

All in all, NFL Street is an excellent arcade football game. While it is a bit rough around the edges, EA Big has still managed to craft another incredibly addictive "Street" game. Great to play with friends.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

Awesome GameAug 21, 2004
By Eduardo "WhiteWolf"
There is only one word to describe NFL Street and that is... AWESOME! This game has bend the rules a little bit and for the good. It is just not fun running and passing when you can run and pass with STYLE. I personally am not a fan of NFL games but this is THE exception. Its not just football, it's a whole lot more.

Gameplay-

As you may know I love this game, I play it a lot and it does not look like I'm going to be putting it down any time soon. Also I am hearing a lot of people saying this game is "frustrating" and that they fumble too much, what the heck are you doing?? I "syle" a lot, and don't ever fumble. Anyways this is how it goes... You play football and at the same time you rack up points, the more points you get the faster you earn a "Game Breaker". If you are wondering... A game breaker is when your team gets unlimited Turbo and if you are on offence you are likely to leave everyone in your dust, and almost guaranteed a touch down. If on defense you are also almost guaranteed a turn over on downs or fumbles. Well back to game play, there a lot of cool moves you can pull off when you are running. Like spin around your opponent, plow threw him, jump over him, and sooo much more. This is useful to rack up points and earn that game breaker or simply just to lock good while running for the touch down. This is were in my opinion NFL Street shines the most.

Graphics-

I have no idea how another person said that the graphics were awful. I don't know if he is looking at the same game I am looking at, to me they are extremely good, the players look like the real life guys, there are no skips or lag. In fact I thought they were the best, because even the fields are done very well and some-what interactive. Like for instance in a junk yard you can fall on some wooden boxes and they will brake, in the beach there is a big volleyball that you can hit and it will react and bounce away also some surf boards you can hit and will fall down. So to me the graphics are just perfect.

Sound-

I regularly don't pay attention to the sound on games, but in NFL Street how can you not? The crashes sound good and I guess a little exaggerated but that does not necessarily make it a bad thing. Also everyone talks trash to each other, my favorite quote for now is "If I got a nickel for every yard you just ran, I would be broke... dead broke." And when you are playing there are some nice beats on the background so sound is great as well

Bottom line If you like football and are looking for a little more, buy this. If you don't like football rent it and I'm almost certain you will like it, I did and like I said I'm not a fan of NFL my self. But if you are a hardcore simulator fan DO NOT BUY IT, it is not about simulation its about having fun and soo much more!

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Great game!Jun 13, 2004

This is by far the best game I have gotten for my gamecube. There is so much to do and so much to unlock. The crazy style moves make this a free stlye, off the wall game which makes it really fun. The NFL challenge is hard at first, but isnt terribly hard. defense is hard, so make sure to build up your defensive attributes first. Once you get the swing of things this game can give you hours and hours of fun. Different style moves include: spins, hurdles, jukes, an runs. Some inclue show me the money, he got shook, tornado, side steppin, air time. Get out there, open it up, and have some fun!

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Buy this gameFeb 01, 2004

I finally bought this game and guess what? I loved it. It is so cool. The game is a must-have. It looks kind of boring on the cover but those of you who used to love spending hours playing NFL Blitz will really enjoy this game. There are all kinds of different modes on this game and it is very deep. You can complete all kinds of challenges or take on each team in the NFL head to head. Like I said before, if you didn't like NFL Blitz this game will be kind of hard to get into. It is kind of cartoonish but the graphics are amazing. The game is just down right fun, and addictive too. You can do all kinds of ridiculous things on this but I think that it makes a nice break from Madden and the like. BUY THIS GAME!

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

NFL StreetJan 25, 2004

I played this game for PS2 when my friend rented it. This game is awesome. Show off enough moves and get a gamebreaker. Its guaranteed to stuff the other team or get a touchdown on offense. I reccomend that you go and get this game. Along with the ability to build a custom team, this is one of the best football games I have ever played.

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