Arena Football is developed by Tiburon, the makers of Madden, and as you would expect, it shares many similarities with its NFL cousin. Player models, physics, and animation are all very familiar. For players coming from Madden, this will make the transition to Arena Football a little more comfortable.

Even though it might seem like this would be just like Madden but with eight players on a smaller field, there's actually quite a bit in Arena Football that differentiates itself. Besides the obvious difference of a 50-yard field surrounded by padded walls, there are some very interesting rules that affect the way you play offense and defense.

On defense, there are always two linebackers, the Jack and the Mac. Only the Mac linebacker is allowed to blitz the QB and only through the gaps inside the defensive ends. If he goes outside, he's flagged for a penalty. The Jack linebacker, and the Mac if he doesn't blitz, has to say within the defensive ends and cannot drop back further than five yards. This effectively takes them out of pass coverage, but they can still go anywhere to tackle the running back or a scrambling QB. The game is kind enough to highlight the five-yard deep box for those of us that like to play LB. With three men on the line, that leaves three defensive backs versus three wide receivers. No linebacker or safety help really opens up the passing offense, and Arena games play out a lot like a flag football game with professional athletes.

On offense, a receiver can be sprinting forward at the snap of the ball, instead of just laterally. It's just one of the many things that contributes to high scoring shootouts, not uncommon in the Arena League. Field goal posts are very narrow and have nets on both sides of the poles. Any missed field goal, which can literally be attempted from anywhere on the field, results in a live ball just like a kickoff or a punt. Needless to say, there's never a dull moment.

Since there are always five defensive players at or near the line of scrimmage and only three blockers, there's not much of a running game. Once again, if you're familiar with Madden, the feel will still be the same when running or passing the ball, but the circumstances are quite different. It's hard to gain yards on the ground, but it's not because of the game having poor blocking or super tackles. It's just hard to run when you're outnumbered, and that's the way it should be since they're trying to capture the game of AFL.

The passing game is tremendously fun, and that's where the bulk of the action happens. The job of video game QB becomes a lot easier when you don't have to worry about complex coverages in the secondary. It's easy to spot the open man, and your progression list is only three deep. While it's sometimes frustrating to stop while on defense, it's comforting knowing that you could easily get back into the game on your next possession.

Like I said, defense can be a real test. In the NFL, you always hope to get a receiver in one-on-one coverage, and in the AFL it's like that on nearly every play. This is the first football that I can remember where I spent the majority of my time playing DB. I get burned my fair share but no more than the computer, and I find myself making some really big plays. When that happens, it makes me feel like the whole defensive game is worthwhile. On a late 4th down, their team had the ball on my 5-yard line. I was guarding a wideout that was running a deep end zone crossing pattern. I lost him on his cut, but I caught up just as the QB threw the ball and batted it down denying the TD. That one defensive play was almost more enjoyable than the other 45 points I had point up on offense so far.

The only places Arena Football is lacking are in presentation and game modes. There's not a whole lot of life in the arenas. From someone who's been to these games live before, the stands are one heck of a show on their own. That's not really captured in the game. There are some cutscenes with players arguing with the refs or talking crap on the field, and those are nice. As far as extras, there's just a season mode and some player and team creation options. I guess I'm just spoiled now and wish there was some player training games for growth from year to year. Part of the problem is there isn't a college draft for the AFL, which is part of the fun offseason in the NFL.

Personally, I think you get a good bang for the buck with Arena League retailing new for $30. Mind you, I'm a fan of the AFL. This type of action may not appeal to the die hard NFL football gamers.