Genre: Extreme Sports
Developer: EA Big
Publisher: EA Sports

Multi-platform titles are the norm now, and NFL Street stands just a smidgen above the rest, mostly due to reasonable texture resolutions. Aesthetically, the game is colorful, bright, and the caricaturized players are pretty humorous, particularily Donovan McNabb and his 'fro. The menus are clean and user-friendly, and complete the package. As I already mentioned, the visuals are just a swing below par.

Whoever arranged the Madden soundtrack was probably in on this game as well in the same capacity. I'm not overly fond of the American hip-hop culture or their music, but the song selection fits the game's personality well. The tunes that play during the matches are particularily well-chosen, especially the one that sounds like a backdrop to a 70's porn flick, adding to the game's humor. The voice acting is overtly cheesy, caricatures just as the player models are.

Outlandish representations of every day sports are nothing new. But aside from some very sub-par attempts, no one has pulled it off with football- those days have partly come to an end here. There are only maybe 15 plays or so, half of which rarely work, and a "Gamebreaker" can be rarely thwarted. There also isn't a great deal of defense involved, but for all that it is, the gameplay is at least very fun, with a little realistic football strategy, and crazy, over-the-shoulder 60 yard TD passes.

The meat and potatoes to this game is the RPG-style mode, where you create a team, forge some players out of the plethora of clothing, tatoo, and hair styles, then work your way through each NFL division, earning points to upgrade your team and its players. Since your team can be used in the two-player exhibition matches, you can go head to head with your friends and their teams. Some more variety and depth to the gameplay engine could go a long ways, but the premise set here is a good one, and makes for a fun time in front of the television.