Volume 11

My first impression of this game wasn't a good one. I've never really liked sports games and i really didn't have high hopes for this title. i put it in and played for a while with my friends and was pleasantly surprised to find that i wasn't repulsed by it. Course i never was much of a team player and like to do things on my own....which resulted in my team not winning much. Then something happened. I started playing by myself with no one around. My whole attitude changed. The games a lot more fun when you can actually do what you want to do and not have someone telling you to do something until you do it and threatening to hit you if you don't. But enough about that.

This game has some things in it that could definately be better but there is a lot more that could be worse. Most are small things but one jumps out and bites you on the ass. The damn comentaters are just annoying after a while. Yeah periodically they say something new and off the wall but ninty percent of the time you get the same lines over and over again. Luckily you can turn them down/off in the sound options. Another rather annoying thing is the somewhat limited create player mode. Just like all midway games you pick a body and play with the stats, then play him in games to up those stats. However unlike most of their games you can't change certain things in their stats. It's not really that big a thing but it got on my nerves. All in all though the game is worth the annoyances. I actually rather liked it once i figured out how to ignore the announcers and stopped fiddling with the create player mode all togeather.

Controls that are tried and true, the standard control return again with a somewhat touchy perfection. My only complaint is that touchyness, though, as sometimes you wind up aiming at the wrong reciever and throwing it right to a player on the opposing team. replay wise this game focuses on the multiplayer. which means that most likely, after you've beaten it and unlocked al there is to unlock, it will proably stay where ever you wind up putting it until you find yourself really bored.

Detailed players and smooth lines do not good grafhics make. While they are quite good they are far from being the greatness that the Gamecube has been shown to be able to do. But considering the game focuses more on gameplay than graphics that is understandable. Especially considering that all of the stadiums are in the game and huge. The Fans in the stands are all 2d but they lack detail. The fields are always lit the same no matter what the lighting and the fans never stop slapping....even though the sound of them cheering does. Then we get to the players themselves. Pretty good, smooth models make the characters look human but upon looking at the players face i found i had a hell of a time identifying the player. The characters animations seem very limited as well and you find you have seen most of them within five games. and as far as touchdown dances go...you'll probably see them in about 2 games.....there just isn't very many of them.

Musics good and so are most of the voices. Not really much to say about the sound though. everything you would expect from a sports game is there. The sounds of the field are there but the background sounds are repetitave and serve only to give a sence of playng in a populated area....which it does nicel. Then we get to the announcers. As i have stated, the announcers will get on your nerves....however if you watch Football on television you will probably leave them on because your used to people talking about stupid things while your trying to do sommething, namely...play.

Smooth out the graphics a bit and work on the backgrounds, that would cover visual, controls are fine so no worries there, however the timeclock doesn't seem to stay the same speed sometimes and the announcers got old after a bit.

Make it harder

The game has its minor quirks and could be better but it's still a worthy title. Lets just hope that Midway refines the game even more by 20-04.

Nine due to those blasted announcers. Don't agree Bill? I sure do Tim.

Draco's Game Reviews © Ben C. Broome 2002+