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NFL Fever 2002

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Posted by: kombo

Face it, in order to have a successful launch for any console, you've got to have the stellar, ahead of it's time football title. Many debates have occured over the past few months, which football title is better? Electronic Arts' Madden NFL 2002?, or Microsoft's own NFL Fever 2002? After reading this review, you will have a good impression on what Fever is all about, the ups and downs, and all in all, which game we recommend for this holiday season. Meet the new kid on the block, Microsoft once again enters marked territory in the gaming industry as they introduce their first football game to the market-dominated Madden series. Visually, NFL Fever 2002 is unbelievable, it's detail in the player models, and stadiums, even the particle effects (snow, rain) are unmatched. This game may tap into your senses with realism, however the puck stops at the gameplay, athough it is fun as hell, it is lacking some important characteristics which define the football simulation. Gameplay What you immediately notice about NFL Fever 2002 when you pop it into your Xbox and get into gear is that Microsoft has focused the attention on the hurt and ball running, rather then the passing game. I'm not talking NFL Blitz type massacre, I mean they spent so much time perfecting a lovely variety of tackles and moves you can pull off in this game, it almost seems like they forgot about a good passing system. The ball moves a couple meters per second too short, giving the defence too much time to assign and position their players for a nerve racking 2 results, the defense either surrounds the receiver, but yet the receiver makes the perfect catch out of 7 guys... or, the defense makes an easy interception. But don't get me wrong, im not totally lashing the game because of pety flaws, it's gameplay is extrodinary if you can overlook them. The amount of plays available for you to select are enourmous, allowing you to stratigetically plan a way to grasp those extra points for your team, or stop the opposing force from the endzone. You can customize the weather patterns on several stadiums, subjecting yourself from snowy fields with a strong wind, to dark rainy fields, to even bright sunny days, you will have fun playing around with this feature!. NFL Fever 2002 enhances on the common career mode, one of the main differences that shines in Fever over Madden is the Player Statistics. Updating day-to-day after each game, it provides a more realistic, enjoyable and emmersive challenge. The trophy case is a nice addition as well, you can view all the records you have set, and the hall-of-famers you have raised, all-in-all, it's a hard copy record to prove how damn good you are to your friends. Graphics Don't even get me started... NFL Fever 2002's graphics are amazing, I cannot stress that enough. So now your asking, what is so visually impressive in this game that other football titles lack? Well, for one, the player models are solid, they vary in size, shape, color, and appearence, whereas Madden's models look like brushed up ports of the PS2 version. The environments are no short of drool-worthy either. The particle effects used for snow and rain really add a nice touch to the game, you don't just see teeny little white balls falling from the sky, you will see the little fuzzy snowflakes fall realistically (you can see them getting smaller the farther you look). When you have a match in the winter, you will also notice that each player is making perminant footprints (they don't dissapear) in the snow! Although the audience animations are sketchy, that's the least of our concern. All in all, this game is living up to it's expectations providing an enjoyable gameplay experience with minor flaws easy to overlook. NFL Fever 2002 is a strong contendor in the football game category, we recommend this game, should you be buying a football title this holiday season. --Matt Durrant
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