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I consider myself a fan of half of the EA Big series of games. SSX and NBA Street are always a treat, but the FIFA and NFL Street games just have not felt as polished as those two. What’s more, you would figure that the boys at EA Tiburon would have football down pat, but I guess their full attention goes towards the moneymaker in Madden, and they just toss in the street series for some over the top action. Nevertheless, they’re at it again and have released NFL Street 3 for the PSP and PS2. Should you continue to read on or care depends on how you feel about the series overall. If you are a fan, then you’ll buy this title without my opinion, but if you thought the series is so-so like I do, then it will once again be a pass. There is nothing innovative or original in NFL Street 3, making the game already feel dated from the get go. Visually borrowing animations, style, and 80 percent of the move list from the previous two titles is the first problem. The camera, even pulled back to its furthest position, will still have issues colliding with walls and environments. The NFL players look great and are very distinguishable from each other, but it is the generic players that lack any attention to detail. Even when you customize them, the visuals take another hit as the two models clash when on the field together. Even the new environments and special aerial effects can’t help the game from just feeling as if it were rushed out the door with barely any love and attention to what fans may be left of the series. This holds true for the audio as well. The newly updated EA Trax is the only thing fresh in the sound department, as the smack talk has even been recycled.
If any innovation or redeeming qualities in NFL Street 3 exists, it is in the game play department where it seems where 99 percent of the effort put into the game went. I know that in the end the gameplay is the most important thing, and it is nice to see the team start with this aspect of the game, even if nothing else seems touched. The biggest addition is the new power moves that can be pulled off whenever or wherever you desire, provided you have your GameBreaker meter filled up. These moves are present for offense and defense and can turn any game around in just a matter of seconds. Toss in combinations for performing moves in mid air, or off the environment itself such as boxes, barrels, or walls, to really throw off your opponent. The game is still fast and frantic and will result in high scoring and usually close competition whether you are playing with a friend or against the CPU, which has been improved and is tougher this year. In addition to the familiar game play modes and online rivalry, you will find new features such as the Playbook Elimination mode. This mode allows you to literally tear a page out of your opponent’s playbook when you cause an interception, fumble, loss of yards, or even an incompletion. The game ends when you or your opponent’s playbook is completely depleted. Other game types such as Yards for Points, Bank, Defensive Scoring, and Time Attack add to the depth of this year’s title. Sadly, the create a player is gone in favor of just a player editor. I cannot say I’m a fan of the series, but I can say this is not a bad game if you are fan of this over-the-top style of pigskin action. To me the stale dated visuals, boring audio, and updated game play features didn’t win me over this year, and if more gamers are like myself, this game may fade faster that the Detroit Lion’s franchise.
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