This was my first go-around with the NFL Street series, but I’ve got to say I was seriously impressed. Much like its NBA counterpart, NFL Street 2 captures all of the visual elements needed for a football game. First and foremost, the animations for the jukes, jumps, dives, and everything else are sweet. If you’ve never played any version of the Street series, NBA or NFL, everything is done over-the-top. The same can be said about the replication of the NFL players. All of the stars are easily identifiable, but they’re spiced up with different game wear like t-shirts, chains, and hats. However, while you have plenty of options when creating a player, the computer tends to make all of the made-up players the same. Mainly with their faces, but still...

On the audio side of the ball, NFL Street 2’s main feature is its soundtrack. Artists like Xzibit, Mase, P. Diddy, Yung Wun, and DMX are featured with this year’s tracks. However, everything else sounds very similar. Why? Because at the end of each match, a different player says the exact same thing. “Are we done already? Man, I got some more scores in me. Just let me know and I’ll bring it.” Or something like that.

Like I said before, I didn’t play last year’s introductory version of NFL Street. Part of it was because I was skeptical of EA bringing the Street gameplay from the NBA to the NFL. Man, am I glad I got to play NFL Street 2. For those of you who shared my previous notion of the NFL Street series, here’s what you’re missing. This is seven-on-seven football, complete with Gamebreakers and stylish moves. Things like larger-than-life tackles, extreme jukes and spins, and the ability to make unreal jumps off walls to either ditch your defender or make some high-flyin’ catch. This is the perfect way to spend the NFL’s offseason.

And trust me, there are enough modes to keep you on your couch until training camp. Obviously, you can start out with just a Pickup Game. There’s also last year’s NFL Challenge, where you create a team and improve their attributes by passing a series of challenges. Once you’re done with those tests, you move on to a tournament with NFL teams. The new modes add even more gameplay. Own the City lets you create a player, and then recruit other ballers. With NFL Gauntlet, you pick an NFL club and take on the rest of the league.

The other mode is great for playing alone or gaming with up to three of your buddies. Street Events has six different mini-games that are just as fun as the rest of the game. My favorite was Crush the Carrier, although we called it “Smear the ...” back in my day in the yard.

NFL Street 2 has three levels of difficulty: Easy, Medium, and Hard. Easy is definitely just that, and is a great way for you to learn the game. Another way to learn, and one that is almost a necessity, is through the Tutorial section. Here you’ll learn how to look good when makin’ the play (i.e. special moves instead of standard football).

Of course, you can also play NFL Street 2 online with anyone. This has basically become a pretty standard feature for sports games. Meantime, I had very little for complaints with anything else in this section. The load times are quick, your memory card will be spared, and the controller configuration is similar to other football games.

The one thing that kind of bothered me was when playing in Own the City, there was no way to save a lineup for offense and defense. Each time you a play, you either have to use what the computer sets up for you or you manually change your lineup. This is a bit tedious.

Besides that, NFL Street 2 is a must-have for football fans who are looking for something a little different from Madden or NFL 2K. Get up off your duff and get this game!