Last year’s critically acclaimed over-the-top football game has just been topped in almost every aspect. You will see more moves, more players, more hits, more options, better plays, and better defense this time around. To top it all off, it is online for both the PS2 and Xbox systems so you can punish your friends all over the globe. If you enjoyed last year’s effort, then you will be more than pleased with what EA has brought to the table this year.

Visually the game is a step above last year’s game in terms of faces, player models, animations, and overall presentation. The best that the NFL has to offer is molded and represented nicely here, with the “street” look given to each individual. Every player will wear T-Shirts, Jerseys, go shirtless, for example, as if to replicate the game of street ball. The official NFL player’s faces as well as a few other celebrity likenesses are recognizable at first glance, but given that cartoonish feature that is intended for this style of game. This hold true for the player bodies as well, as most are built like bricks with huge upper bodies and little legs. Granted, not all look as if they are sculpted out of granite as your heavier players are here too. New animations have been added to the already huge list from last year’s game. Now you can fake, juke, spin, bounce off walls, hurdle, stiff-arm, and lay out your opponent in hundreds of different ways. New environments are also here, and this time they are a bit larger, allowing more plays to develop. Presentation this time around eclipses Street 1 from everything including slicker menu screens, more impressive Game Breakers, and even an intriguing story mode called Own the City that will test your skills as you move up the ranks of respect. Overall, the game looks fantastic on all three systems so no one will be left out.

The sounds of NFL Street 2 remain close to last year with a few minor additions that help complete the presentation package. Once major addition is the acquisition of Xzibit who supplies the majority of the voice acting in both story mode and tutorials. Speaking of voices, expect a lot more trash talking this year as players have big egos and attitudes in Street 2. Oh yeah, Street 2 hits harder too, so expect bass pounding hits, tackles, slams, and more to rock your speakers. Lastly, the sound track is a mixture of rock and hip-hop songs that play during the menu and in game, with the obvious choice to turn it down as well.

Game play in the first NFL Street hampered on the difficulty on playing defense. This has all been fixed in NFL Street 2 as there are a larger amount of both offence and defensive plays that not only give you a chance of catching a player off guard for the easy score, but for that quick sack as well. The game play physics have not really been changed all that much, it is the larger play fields that really open up the freedom to do more on plays than last year. The general feel of the game play still holds true, with easy to perform, but tons of execution, button layouts and special moves. NFL Street is simple enough to pick up and play, but once mastered, no rookie can hold a candle to you. What’s more, the A.I. is still tough, but you will not feel cheated, as a beaten opponent will not make that silly, out of nowhere, comeback on you. Granted they will try, by attempting to strip the ball, make crushing hits, and even try to pick you off more often, but if you are prepared for such instances, you will have no issues with the CPU feeling like a rubber band.

NFL Street 2 is full of game play modes this year, seven to be exact. While some are just modes to play on a lunch break, like Crush the Carrier and Jump Ball battles, the meat of the game lies in the Own the City mode. Here you create your own baler, master new skills, recruit the best players from the pick up games you play, and move on to take over neighborhoods and defend your turf. In this mode, you will unlock more players, including legends like Bo Jackson. While Street 2 is easy enough to pick up and play, EA was kind enough to provide an interactive tutorial that will hone your skills so you’ll have no excuses when you get the delivered the beat down. What great head-to-head sports game would be complete without online play? Well, EA Big delivers here too, with four modes of play online; you can join communities, enter competitions, and prove you are the best of the best.

NFL Street 2 does exactly what you would expect from a successful sequel. It ups the ante on modes, visuals, game play, and presentation. If you were not a fan of the first NFL Street, chances are, even these new changes will not change your mind. I do recommend giving it a chance before you write it off though, as the improvements over last year are so critical that it makes it feel like a whole new ball game. Fans of NFL Street, you are in for a treat, and if you have not bought the game by now, what are you waiting for?