This game may not have the glitzy EA presentation but delivers a solid and playable NFL game. Out of the three currently available on Xbox this is the most realistic. You won't be sending 60yard bombs downfield in this game.This game also has a First Person Football mode. This is where you take control of a player and view the game through the grill of their helmet. It is very disorienting to start with but is an interesting addition.
Other game modes include quick game, practice, season and franchise. By playing these you will unlock various items for your "crib". This is ESPN's reward system, like the madden cards in madden football. This is an interesting diversion but not much more.
The actual game play is not too dissimilar to previous versions. Certain moves are less powerful, like jukes and stiff-arms, and the hurdle button has been replaced with a shoulder charge. Timing on pass plays is still as unforgiving as ever, you will really need to practise timing your passes with the receivers routs if you want to progress. The only real downfall for this game is the running game is a bit overpowered. Establishing a good ground game always makes the passing game go smoother but when running backs can break 3-4 tackles a play who needs to pass? This can be addressed by customising the difficulty sliders to make breaking tackles harder so the problem is not insurmountable.
Xbox Live play is excellent but does take a lot of bandwidth so doesn’t expect to be doing anything else on your connection while playing this. Setting up games is pretty straightforward but waiting for other players is a problem at the moment as you can only play people in Europe. If you have people on your friends list with this game it will be easier to setup games.
So, in summation, buy this game if you want a realistic NFL sim that can also be played on Xbox Live.
