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Platform:
Xbox Genre:
Sports Developer:
Microsoft Publisher:
Microsoft ESRB:
E (Everyone) Release
Date: Q4 2003 Support AE! Buy Games Here:
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NFL Fever 2004Score: 8.3 / 10 |
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Pros: -
Game customization both online and offline vastly improved -
Graphics more polished -
Provides a good game of online football via Xbox Live -
Much improved defensive play, especially cornerbacks and safeties
covering passes
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Cons: -
Doesn’t have enough in its game package to pass by Madden or ESPN NFL
games -
Still can play too much like an arcade football game - On-the-fly switching quarterback to runner not as easily accomplished as before
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Related Links: Review: ESPN NFL Football (XB)
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"Having only a few flaws is still too many flaws when stacked up against the stiff competition of both Madden and ESPN Football"
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Microsoft’s
NFL Fever franchise is already in its third year, and the 2004 version
is the best yet. It has improved graphics and presentation values, an
updated playbook, much easier play selection menus, better A.I. passing
defensive coverage, a upgraded challenge level, and its best feature,
enhanced online play with the newly-launched Xbox Sports Network (XSN)
providing fantasy league-style customization. But it still plays a bit
too much like an arcade game, its graphics and overall presentation
aren’t as polished as both Madden or ESPN NFL Football 2K4, and lacks
a rock-solid franchise mode that its competitors (especially Madden
2004) possess. In short, as much of a quantum leap forward as NFL Fever
2004 is for the Microsoft football series, it still isn’t necessarily
the best choice for Xbox football gaming.
Understand
that NFL Fever 2004 is a good football game. But it has the unfortunate
luck to be up against one of the most successful franchises in gaming
history for any genre, Madden, which is so good, it actually has earned
a place in the Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. On top of that,
Sega’s ESPN Football series is arguably the second-best pro football
gaming series ever, giving Microsoft two huge obstacles ahead of it in
its quest to reach the top of the Xbox football gaming heap.
In spite of the existence of Madden and ESPN Football, you definitely wouldn’t be sorry if NFL Fever 2004 was the only football title in your Xbox roster, particularly if you are an Xbox Live subscriber. Neither ESPN Football 2K4 (which has Xbox Live play) or Madden 2004 (which can only be played online with a PS2) can touch the online fantasy league and hardcore football fanatic gameplay that is attained playing NFL Fever 2004 via XSN and Live.
The
XSN allows gamers to set up leagues with drafts, make trades, play in
tournaments, and generally be involved in seriously competitive console
football against human opponents, not solely A.I. competition. While
NFL Fever has had online play since its genesis, this is by far the best
online sports gameplay it or any other game has seen in Xbox Live’s
young lifespan. A huge reason I quickly became frustrated playing online
with NFL Fever 2003 was the massive amount of cheating that occurred. It
was so bad, I just quit playing online games altogether, even though the
rare times I played in a “fair and balanced” match-up I totally
enjoyed playing. But too many times opposing players would use modified
rosters or other gameplay options that gave them an unfair advantage.
One game that vividly comes to mind is the Eagles (my team) versus
Dolphins (my opponent). (After
starting the game, I was asked to wait while my adversary changed his
quarterback. Seeing how his starting QB, Jay Fielder, was a much better
player than his backup, Ray Lucas, I was a bit puzzled. But it wasn’t
Lucas he brought into the game; it was the already retired Dan Marino, a
Hall of Fame quality QB in his top form from his heyday of many, many
NFL passing records. As you can guess, I had no chance of even coming
close to stopping the Marino-led offense and fell easily. Even over my
protestations, my opponent kept Marino in the lineup against my 2003
Eagles. I was not a happy camper at the advantage he took just to win an
online football game. But
that isn’t happening with NFL Fever 2004. Now, you can set up games
that don’t allow for modified rosters. And in the XSN, you can set up
leagues that won’t tolerate cheating. It is so much more enjoyable
playing NFL Fever this year compared to last. New and improved online
gameplay is the singular feature that will give any football gaming
enthusiast reason to pause when it comes to picking their Xbox football
game. Not
as impressive as the XSN features but a big step for the franchise
nonetheless is a better playbook and accompanying setup. This year, you
can still have the play select menu to appear the same as it had in the
past: by formation. But if you want, you can now set up the playbook to
display not by formation but by the situation. So instead of seeing the
“I” formation alongside the Shotgun, leaving it up to you to decide
which formation you pick, NFL Fever 2004 can be adjusted to show the
playbook as situational. So that it now appears as short, medium, or
long pass, and similar selections for running, instead of by the
particular formation. It helps provide a more specific indication of
what plays may be your best choice depending on the yardage to go and
down you are facing in the game. A
major improvement is the play of the defensive A.I. As in all football
games, you are able to switch to the closest defender to the ball when
you are playing on defense, in the hopes of preventing your opponent
from catching a pass. But previously in both earlier versions of NFL
Fever this was a real source of frustration, because if there was a long
pass and you switched to the closest player that happened to be a
cornerback or safety, he broke off his coverage and stopped in his
tracks, giving the receiver plenty more space between your cover man and
the end zone. That has been rectified in NFL Fever 2004. Now, if you
switch to a cornerback or safety covering the incoming pass, you’ll
stay right in the coverage. Overall, the defense reacts a lot closer to
real football than has ever appeared in NFL Fever before. Another
upgrade on a lesser scale is the entire visual presentation. No, NFL
Fever isn’t the best looking football game on the market. The players
still look a bit too squat and less true-to-life in comparison to Madden
or ESPN NFL Football. But the graphics are much cleaner and crisper than
last year and the crowds and stadiums remain impressive. One crowd
visual improvement is the elimination of the camera flashbulbs that
would burst throughout the crowd on practically every play. I had season
tickets for the Philadelphia Eagles for three seasons, and I can count
on one single finger the number of times I saw someone pull out a camera
and take pictures during a game. That camera action is long gone in NFL
Fever 2004. On the audio side, Ron Pitts somehow returns for color
commentary duty, but this season, he’s not as awful as he has been,
which is as backhanded a compliment I can give.
So
there are plenty of reasons to give NFL Fever 2004 proper accolades for
its showing. But the game falters in enough areas to keep it from the
same quality level of Madden or ESPN NFL Football. One big
disappointment is the slippage of the control set-up. It’s much more
difficult to execute certain moves and there can be problems having the
game seamlessly translate your desired move to the actual gameplay. One
control function that gets sacked big-time is when you are switching
your quarterback into a runner either by design or when trying to flee
the defensive heat. Before, NFL Fever had the best controls of any
football game in that respect. But by now mapping that function to the
Xbox controller’s tiny white button it has become a real chore to
easily go from passer to runner and then back to passer if the situation
warrants it. One
of the biggest criticisms of the NFL Fever series has been its too-arcadey
gameplay, where offense was king and defense took a back seat in the
theater to watch the scoring show that games would invariably become.
NFL Fever 2004 still has some of that gameplay around, being too arcadey
on the scoreboard and too easy to convert in situations that normally
you wouldn’t have a chance at success (like fourth and 20 to go), but
the tougher defense creates more games that produce realistic outcomes. NFL
Fever 2004 has a better franchise mode than before. But it still pales
when compared against the gold standard of all football game franchise
modes, Madden. Still, it’s better than not having a franchise mode at
all, and the fantasy league-style online options make up for the lesser
luster on the offline franchise mode set-up. Having
only a few flaws is still too many flaws when stacked up against the
stiff competition of both Madden and ESPN Football. NFL Fever 2004 is a
great choice for those that want the best Xbox online football game, but
not as good a choice for gamers who play a copious amount of offline
football with a game’s franchise mode. This is a good football game,
but doesn’t quite have the marquee features to make it the favorite to
take the top Xbox football game of 2004 crown. -
Lee Cieniawa
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