FIFA Street (PS2)

Description

It’s fair to say that Electronic Arts have a near-undisputed monopoly on licensed sporting games: such well-established names as the FIFA, NBA, NHL and Madden NFL are all part of their extensive portfolio. Recent years have seen their IP brands expanding in various directions, most notably perhaps under the `extreme’ banner of EA sub-brand EA BIG. NBA Street, now in it’s third iteration, has a large following amongst basketball fans and American Football has also had the treatment in two NFL Street games. Now, surely with the European market firmly in mind, football, or as the Redwood Studios execs would say, `Soccer’, is getting the treatment, and FIFA Street comes to the current generation of home consoles. Teams from fifteen countries take to the court, including England, Argentina, Brazil, France, USA and Portugal. As the game’s tag line runs, it’s not enough to win, you’ve got to win with style, and players can notch up style points by showing off, bamboozling their opponents and bouncing the ball off the walls. You are restricted to three outfield players and a goalkeeper, and must earn the respect of teams in ten different locations around the world. The gorgeously rendered environments range from a dusty favela in Rio to a disused London train depot, and from the plush Nikeplein Court of Amsterdam to a dusty patch of sand outside Lagos City. As with other games in the Street series, the action revolves around use of the right analogue stick as `Trick Stick’, along with spectacular `Gamebreakers’ which are awarded to the player for amassing trick points. And as you’ve come to expect from this type of game, you must fight your way up with your team in the games career mode, upgrading your players and kitting them out in new outfits as you go. Further street-cred is added to the title with rapped commentary from well known idiot Harvey of the So Solid Crew. FIFA Street will certainly attract the attention of footy fans looking for a quick dose of fast-paced, flashy gameplay.