EA scored big (pun intended) with their NBA Street series. The idea of taking a sport and adding the twist of playing street ball and earning street cred made sense. It also made for a great game and while the second game in the series got out shined by Midway’s NBA Baller, the series is still one of the best out there. EA has taken this same formula and created NFL Street. While it is not as good overall it is still entertaining for fans of football. Now I can see both sports made into this sort of game, however, I really have to wonder what EA was thinking trying to take Soccer (Football as it is known world-wide) and trying to force it in the same type of game? Let’s be honest, yes, FIFA is getting to be popular so why take a risk and ruin the franchise on a novelty? Read on to see why this game should have been called “The Globetrotters play Street Soccer!”

Gameplay

FIFA Street is the exact same formula as NBA Street , a cookie-cutter game plan and simple. The modes are the same except there are fewer of them. The game has two basic modes and the chance to create and build up your own soccer star. The 2 main modes are “Friendly” and “Rule the Street”. In the “Friendly” mode you learn the ropes and the controls of the game. Of course the Street mode is the meat and potatoes of the game. When you earn enough points, you unlock hidden jerseys, players and attribute points (to use to build your own players up) and the usual things all that could be found in NBA Street.

EA tried to add some neat things including all the well-known Soccer stars. The venues are okay. The first 30 minutes of game play is as simple as build up the game breaker meter, pass the ball to the open man and kick it in the goal and then repeat. There are a ton of neat tricks you can learn and they will go into your trick book once you pull them off. However, it’s the same control system as in NBA Street . If I over used the name NBA Street, you get the whole point of this knock off.

The AI is predictable and it just winds up being boring. Playing with a few friends will add to the gameplay yet, with no online mode it just seems a waste. The only thing that EA was able to nail perfectly was the ball’s reaction. It was the most realistic part of the game. I am all for fantasy-type games. I just expected more and did not see it.

Control / Playability

FIFA Street uses guess what? The same control scheme as found in the latest NBA Street only with fewer options. The game controls well yet, is not very challenging once you get the controls down.

You can pull off tricks while on offense or defense which was a good idea. It just seems like the game was rushed out for the door and was not tweaked or polished at all. The only challenge is learning how and when to use the right joystick that is the trick controller and using the left joystick to move at the same time. If you can walk and chew bubble gum at the same time, you can play the game and pull off almost every trick in the first half-hour of play.

Graphics / Presentation

This is where the whole game falls apart and you will see why I am being hard on this one. The players’ faces are great and look just fantastic! Then when you reach the venues and start to play the game, the graphics seem washed out and very plain looking. The game’s camera does an okay job; however, it is set so that you see each player with the ball and not in a full close-up view. The replays look great and are dead on, which only adds to my whole point the game was not fully tested or touched up before it was shipped. Even the special venues you need to unlock look pretty weak. It’s ashame really, because the game had potential that just was not tapped into.

FIFA Street Screenshot

View all FIFA Street Screenshots in the Gallery

FIFA Street Screenshot

Audio

Okay here is where I almost had to stop playing the game in fear of dying from laughter. The announcer sounds like he is Jamaican and does a decent job. However, it just did not capture the sport. Then there is the over used studio produced rap style music. This is soccer, a game that fans have different chants for their favorite teams. In fact, if you ever have seen a professional game, fights have broken out because a fan has sung the wrong chant. In other countries they take their ”Football” seriously.

As crazy as the Jamaican announcer sounds, he does a good job and has talent for voice-over work. The rest of the sound effects left me far from impressed. I hate to sound like I am ranting, but again there is a pattern here. They simply dropped the ball on this one. I enjoyed playing this one better with the sound turned all the way down and my own music playing. That was not a compliment and it was not meant as one!

Replay Value

The game is a rental or for those who are “die-hard” soccer fans that want to add to their collection. The normal fan of sports games will grow tired of the game and it will sit and collect dust. If you’re interested, save your money and rent the game for 2 nights and that should satisfy your curiosity. Perhaps if there was an online mode, the game may have offered fans more value. It would have added to the game if you could have been able to talk smack and play with your XBL friends. I don’t think it would have changed my overall feelings of the game though.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 5.0/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

In closing, the game had potential to be fun and entertaining. Even with the way EA decided to try and force it in the same shell of NBA Street, it may have worked if the game was better. It just did not work and if you play it, you’ll see right away what I am talking about. I really wanted my first review on XBS to be a little less brutal. However, I have to call it like I see it and this game just did not work at all!

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