NFL Fever 2002

"Could have been a contender"

This game... it frustrates me. It has such great potential but the flaws sicken me.

Graphics(9)( -1 for flaws in player design and the Color of turf)I have never seen stadiums so beautifully rendered and sidelines and crowds. Even the structures outside of the stadiums are perfect( that is insane detail) but the players man... the way they are drawn are just horrible. In particular the offensive nad defensive linemen. However the animation is almost perfect on cuts and sideline receptions. Just beautiful. But what's the deal? why is turf the same color as grass.

Sound(7)- The commentary is ok, certainly better then Madden. But the stadium atmosphere... I was playing against the Jets. The pregame was going on and I could here the Crowd chanting J-E-T! Jets Jets Jets! When the actual game started I never heard it again. NO cannon fire in Tampa on big plays and TDs. No Viking horn in Minnesota for big plays. Come on. Besides that, the crowd was generally just plain boring and lame.

Gameplay(5)- The running game is off the Hizzie(that great for those who don't know) for real. The passing game going deep is quite possible if not whimsical but the way the ball just lofts in the air for what seems to be infinite... argh. One of my biggest peeves is perfect spiral syndrome. Come on! Your being rushed and is hit right when you released the throw but you still throw a perfect strike. Be Real. That type of detail or lack there of might have been cute on PC but it doesn't cut it for veteran console football players. Offense I drive and have no problem scoring. To be honest offense makes 4 of the 5 points I gave this score. Defense quite simply sucks IMO. It seems so totally out of your hands, that i quite literally just choose a play and just pay safety. If anyone has they know that I'm a pass rushing menace. It seems that the Spin and swim move 85% of the time just make you jump in the air. I don't if to put this in the graphics or game play but their only like 4 tackles and 4 tackle animations.

Playbook(4) Where is the far and near formation? They give you the ability to lateral, run halfback pass, and flea flicker but take away basic formations. Why is that everyone seems to have the same playbook? That is a big time no no. I hate maddens boring plays but at least they make since and are layed out in logical manner. NFL2k1 and 2 for Sega have the most versatile and most team specific playbooks known to man next to the pros. I guess I just expected to much.

Option(5)The franchise is very deep with ability to retire jerseys and be inducted in to the hall. But what's up with a 3 round selection for free agents? What MS genius came up with that? That needs serious work. They give you the ability to edit real players to some extent but those very changes don't make it into franchise. Come on. Create a player is a joke(compared to the standards madden has made).
You can only make players from pre-made body styles and only choose their complexion. Throw in the bare minimum accessories and their you have it. Stadium edit is a joke too. They do get love for the training program though.

Overall(6) Look this game is ok for a first generation. Let's be real, if you have to choose between this and Madden(which is a Xbox release title). Madden wins... and to be honest really don't even like Madden anymore(because i think it could be so much better). But this game has shown me how good and how much thought and effort EA has put into it's flagship. I will admit i will still give next years game a shot, so must have done something right i don't even think about buying 989 and Acclaim football titles. For the record I own an Xbox, PS2, and Dreamcast and football games for each(well not for the Xbox anymore)

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 11/19/01, Updated 11/19/01