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NFL Street 3

Score: 8.0 / 10

The National Football League has garnered a reputation as the No Fun League for its attempts to take the “fun” out of football, including penalizing the often-creative end-zone dances of players after scoring. One of the most original end-zone dancers has been off-the-wall and outrageously outspoken Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Johnson, the ultimate player when it comes to styling on the turf of NFL stadiums. While Johnson has had his celebrations curtailed, it’s that same outrageous and over-the-top aspect of football that fits perfectly in the brand of football found within Electronic Arts’ NFL Street 3, which not coincidentally has Johnson as its cover athlete.

What the excellent NBA Street franchise has done for “street” basketball gaming, NFL Street has brought to “street” football. Urbanized settings of sandlots and athletic fields with physics-defying moves having players doing aerobatic and flipping moves all over the field, over-the-top defensive hitting, radical running and leaping catches using walls to springboard in the air has defined the NFL Street franchise, and it’s no different here in NFL Street 3 for the PSP. But the handheld rendition of NFL Street 3 has some weaknesses not found in its PS2 “big brother” due to the uniqueness of the handheld console compared to the Sony console.

Previous versions of the franchise focused your gameplay on that flamboyant style and showboating, like no-look or underhand passing or high-strutting toward a

 

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score in the end zone, to load up your Gamebreaker meter and trigger them, leading to without-a-doubt scoring moves that would carry you to victory. Those Gamebreakers before were scripted pre-rendered cinematics. Now, in NFL Street 3, they are done in real-time, and that especially helps out offensive players versus their Gamebreaking defensive counterparts.

Any regular offensive move such as spins and jukes are given a 

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steroid injection that take the appearance of a “power wave” that flattens would-be tacklers with vicious force. QBs get some extra boost on their throws during Gamebreakers, too, enough that a receiver handling one of their rockets will fly a few more yards toward the end zone when they catch a pass. The only advantage that the defenders get is from interceptions, when the defense magnetizes any pass in the air for a quick pick. Tackles come with harder force, too, so expect a few more fumble-recovery opportunities.

Gamebreakers can be canceled out by opposing teams, however, so you have to pick and choose the perfect time to use a gamebreaking move to maximize its chance of being successful one either side of the ball.

During non-Gamebreaker moments, players can now fly and leap even higher than before using aerial moves by springing off walls (or other obstacles scattered around the periphery of the field, such as barrels) to propel past defenders. Even if you get tackled, usually using an aerial move is good for extra yardage that you wouldn’t have gotten without the high-flying acrobatics. There are even power-ups and modifiers (free Gamebreakers, point multipliers) you can collect that require using aerials. But the leaps aren’t very easy to pull off, because of the PSP “nub” stick control crucial to their performance.

Without a second analog stick, the controls aren’t completely secure, so you’ll probably complete a few aerial moves you weren’t even attempting while at other times a move you think you’re about to do doesn’t even work at all. NFL Street 3’s controls are definitely not as solid on the PSP as they are on console versions.

One area that is definitely improved is the amount of game modes that are available. There’s now a Bank mode, where players “bank” style points both offensively and defensively, and whoever scores next gets to withdraw those points into their “account” until one side reaches the prerequisite total needed to win. Time Attack put you in charge of a one-minute drive, where the goal is to score as quickly as possible, with the seconds left over added as bonus points.

One of the most original modes is Playbook Elimination. Each team has a given amount of plays in their playbooks. But any play that results in a turnover or loss of yards causes that play to be eliminated (envision your virtual coach ripping it from the playbook, crumbling it up and angrily tossing it over his shoulder). Whichever team’s playbook is emptied first loses the game.

Just like NBA Street Homecourt, the career mode has been tweaked somewhat. Respect the Street has you building a team, taking to the streets against other competition, and earning “respect” when you do take them down on the urbanized gridiron. After piling up wins you’ll be able to add plays and formations to your playbook and you’ll eventually be able to pick up players from other teams after defeating them until you’ve built an unbeatable street-ball team.

All of NFL Street 3’s modes contain the same off-the-wall gameplay that has been the franchise’s trademark. Spinning and hurdling down the field with wall leaps and arcade-style moves before high-stepping it into the end zone is as entertainingly enjoyable as it has always been.

Visually and audibly, NFL Street 3 certainly doesn’t measure up to its console counterparts. It’s not a total falloff from the PS2 graphics and sounds, but you’ll notice the difference. In-game cut-scenes have been sent to the sidelines, and Gamebreaker animations aren’t really that visually impressive. The camera angles that NFL Street 3 decides to focus on during gameplay does really make it difficult at times to have the proper field vision necessary to successfully gain yardage, too. You won’t be able to completely see the area of the field the ball’s headed to on a pass until the ball is nearly at its targeted receiver. In the audio arena, there’s a noticeable trash-talk drop-off amongst the gridiron gladiators, although there’s a new mix of music this time around, with some metal/hard rock infused into the returning hip-hop playlist.

Yeah, NFL Street 3 reaches a lofty level of “Chad Johnson-ness” for its outrageousness and over-the-top gameplay along with the nice embellishments of new modes and moves, but a sometimes-aggravating camera, lackluster graphics not up to the level of its console brethren and handheld controls that don’t entirely feel responsive as they should be deflate any game ball that you could have potentially handed out to NFL Street 3. Fans of the franchise on the consoles may notice some of the deficiencies, but despite that, NFL Street 3 is certainly a good-enough street football title for handheld gamers.

- Lee Cieniawa

lcieniawa@armchairempire.com

(March 22, 2007)

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