PSP World

NFL Street 2 Unleashed

NFL Street 2 Unleashed is the first football game for the PSP, and is the third installment in EA Sports BIG's lineup of "Street" NFL games. Featuring seven-on-seven games of real NFL players, the game allows you to create your own player in order to "Own The Streets." Other game modes include Street Events which are exclusive to the PSP version of the game, as well as Wireless Head-to-Head play and Party Play.

Our Impressions:

We here at PSPworld have been fans of EA Sports BIG in the past, as the SSX series has never dissappointed. However, we have always taken the "Street" pro sport franchises with a grain of salt. Like NFL Blitz and NBA Jam before them, they never seemed like they could have the depth of a Madden or NBA Live. We have not been proven wrong. We have learned, however, that these street-ball games can be quite a bit of fun — once the game actually starts.

Gameplay on NFL Street 2 Unleashed is quite similar to it's console counterparts, and that's not all bad. The GameBreaker bar makes it a necessity that you try to make the most rediculous looking plays, and that is part of the game's charm. A lot of that charm is lost in the huge loading times required to move in and out of game modes. The average quick game only takes around ten minutes, but it requires an extra three minutes of loading time, which really puts a damper on the fun. That said, the game is surprisingly deep, offering varying game modes and plenty of unlockables.

The controls have adapted very well to the portable world, with even the initial tutorials teaching you how to execute the most complex of the game's manuvers. These manuvers become almost second nature as you begin to realize that getting bonus points and trying to raise your Gamebreaker bar can actually be more important than scoring points. The AI is trying just as hard as you are to reach GameBreaker level, which keeps things interesting, albeit only somewhat challenging since they sporadically seem to not cover you.

The graphics on this handheld port stack up quite well to other PSP games, although the overall color tone is muddy. This muddiness is intentional however, as it is part of the "street" feel of the game. The oversized models of the players look great, and animations for tackles and moves look as natural as could be expected in this arcadish of a game. The soundtrack keeps the "street" attitude going, and although many selections from the EA Pocket Trax weren't what I would have picked, they were appropriate for the game.

Given the current condition of football games, more specifically EA's exclusive NFL contract, NFL Street 2 Unleashed could have been a lot worse and still sold, since no one else can really challenge them. The number of NFL Legends is also worthy of note, but simply can't make up for the rediculously long loading times. Right at the moment however, this is still the only game in town. So if you're jonesing for some PSP football, and you don't feel like waiting for Madden 2006, pick this one up — it will be more than enough to hold you over.

Review Round-Up:

IGN Review: 7.8 (of 10)
"A lot of flash, some potential, and even some great highlights from time to time, but in the end it just doesn't have the goods to be crowned the champ."

GameSpot Review: 7.2 (of 10)
"Ultimately, Unleashed is best served to those diehard NFL Street fans who absolutely want to play football on the go, as well as to those who didn't experience the original NFL Street 2 on consoles. If you fall into either of these categories, the game is certainly worth a look."

GameSpy Review: 3.5 (of 5)
" Like so many other launch titles, Street is an instant sell to fans of the original release, and may not hold much interest for anyone disinterested the first time around. Still, it's an admirable port -- a perfect example of how to properly transfer a game to Sony's handheld."

1UP Review: 7.5 (of 10)
"NFL Street 2 Unleashed gives a great impression of just how far handheld sports games can go."

Aggregate Rating: 7.5 (out of 10)