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Platform
Xbox
Genre
Sports
Publisher
Microsoft
Developer
Microsoft
ESRB
E (Everyone)
Released
November 2001
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- Much options
- All the pro teams included
- Neat weather effects
- Difficulty settings actually work
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- Too many penalties
- Some repetitive animation
- Announcers don’t sound all that happy to be there
- Weather effects don’t seem to affect the games
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Madden 2002 (Playstation 2) Review
NCAA Football 2002 (Playstation 2)
Review
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NFL
Fever 2002
Score: 8.0 / 10
He’s going back – WAY back. Here comes the
throw… the receiver is clear and catches it. He’s going in all alone.
Touchdown! What a run.”
My two year-old is getting to be an old hand at playing video games but
when he scored a touchdown, practically hitting the buttons at random,
and actually make good on the extra point, my opinion of NFL Fever 2002
(NF2) nose-dived. To be fair he was playing on Easy mode and his defense
was really bad so it wasn’t a total rout. Stepping up the difficulty
level beefed up the opposing AI and my son didn’t stand a chance. On
Easy, anyone should be able to score a lot of points and shutdown the
opposing offense. (Of course, this is different when you’re playing
against a human opponent.) As I played more, my opinion of NF2 gradually
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increased.
Beside the one two-player game of Madden 2002 I played with Mr. Nash,
the last football that impressed me was Tecmo Bowl on the old NES. NF2
is light-years beyond Tecmo Bowl in terms of graphics, sound, available
plays – but it didn’t change my overall opinion of football. It’s too
slow! Too much stop and go, stop and stop. Instead there are bursts of
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action usually about five seconds in duration. Playing a pick-up game
with some friends is a thousand times better than watching a game on a
TV. Some may say the strategy involved in football necessitates this,
but I say it just foists boredom on the watcher. (Lee would be turning
in his grave. . . if he were not still alive.) I only mention this as I
think you should know my bias up front.
As I don’t follow the NFL by any stretch of the imagination, I had to do
a little research on the teams, etc. They’re all here, plus a few
extras. Also modeled on real life are the various stadiums. While I
wouldn’t know the 49ers home turf from a hole in the ground, they
certainly all look good. The crowds are animated (though
one-dimensional) so it lends that extra touch of authenticity, of “being
there.”
There are more plays in NF2 than I thought possible. There’s a strict
time limit enforced by a penalty so you can’t take too long, even though
there are so many plays to choose from. For the most part I used the
Recommended set of plays (defensive and offensive), while occasionally
trying something else just for flavor – like punting it down field on a
first down. Getting the ball where you want it, whether by passing or
running, is easy to do. Pressing “Y” pulls back the camera so you can
see the entire line of scrimmage, the lines of movement, and what button
corresponds to those lines. Going long or making a break up the middle,
it’s all a simple button press. Your receivers have a plethora of moves
available including a couple of speed bursts, straight arms or spins –
none of which help much if you face a really tight defense but at least
you have the option.
The graphics are quite awesome! No slow down to speak of either.
Animation is good as well, if on the repetitive side. After only a
couple of games into the regular season, I noticed the players
constantly perform the same victory moves no matter the team. But that’s
a small point. To really appreciate what’s happening on the field make
use of the instant replay. The replay allows you to position yourself
anywhere on the field and at any angle. I found myself looking at the
replay even to watch the most mundane plays. But it does come in handy
to find out where things go wrong. Because the main action uses the
traditional back to front view (rather than side) there was one moment
that really had me scratching my head. My receiver dove for the ball but
didn’t catch it although from my angle he should have. In the replay I
saw the reason why – the ball hit him in the back of the head. (WARNING:
Only make use of the replay during single-player games as you could
incur massive bodily harm.)
Sound is sparse. The crowds, while maintaining that traditional crowd
background noise, never seemed to explode. They do get a little louder
when you score a touch down, but it didn’t feel right. Play-by-play and
color commentary is solid in execution but didn’t add any tension – the
pair sound bored.
A couple of other features worthy of note is the general manager mode
and practice. Practice lets you do just that – practice the moves and
various components of defense and offence. If you’re really getting your
butt kicked, I recommend spending some time in practice. The GM mode is
great if you’re into that kind of thing, but for most players this is an
option they’ll never touch.
As the final whistle blows, NFL Fever 2002 is a solid football game for
X-Box. It’s definitely a showcase for the graphic capabilities and
executing plays is fairly easy. I found the difficulty level to be fair
and that the AI didn’t “cheat” by performing sack after sack or blocking
field goals. NFL Fever 2002 didn’t blow me away, but I did find myself
having fun on a rainy day.
- Omni
(November 29, 2001) |
