Overall Rating

In recent years, a heated competition has been underway between Sega's "NFL 2K" series and EA Sports' Madden franchise for the title of the "ultimate console football game." Interestingly enough, the fierce rivalry has spanned the boundaries of a single console platform, and no clear winner has ever been decided since the two games have never been released for the same system ("NFL 2K" was a Dreamcast exclusive, and Sony bypassed the DC in favor of the PS2).




NFL Fever 2002
Platform: Xbox
Developer: Microsoft Games
Publisher: Microsoft Games
ESRB Rating: Everyone


Ratings
Graphics: 5
Sound: 3
Playability: 4
Gameplay: 4
Overall: 4
Given the changes of the last year within the console landscape, the two games are set to finally showdown this winter, when "NFL 2K2" hits the Xbox and PS2 within weeks of "Madden 2002's" debut. And while PS2 fans can debate at length which is the best serious football game for their system, Xbox fans will have a third option in Microsoft's "NFL Fever 2002." Even though this marks its inaugural season on a brand new system, it will give both perennial favorites some competition.

Variety of gaming modes

"NFL Fever 2002" has the usual array of features you would expect from a solid football title. It features the license for all 31 NFL teams, all the players from the NFL Players Association, and actual stadiums. There are the standard practice, single game, and season modes, as well as Training Camp and Dynasty modes.

The Training Camp mode is rather good. Putting you the through the paces of the game basics, it covers everything from running to passing and tackling. It may seem remedial at first, but it goes a long way to get you accustomed to playing a football game using the Xbox controller. The Dynasty mode gives you the option of playing through up to 25 seasons of football, creating players, building your team, drafting rookies, and managing the business game to game and season to season (you can even move the team). As you progress throughout, there are also hidden teams, stadiums, and other Easter eggs that can be unlocked.

The game also includes a very basic tutorial, "Chalk Talk," but it seems as if was designed for people who had never seen or played football before, covering how the game works, rather than some of the trickier terminology and strategy associated with it.

Easy control

Upon first taking the field, you will notice that it plays like a cross between "Madden" and "NFL 2K," which ultimately works to the game's advantage. Picking a play is very straightforward, and there are multiple menu levels for organizing each set.To keep things simple, there is a recommended set of plays for every scenario. On the field, controlling your team is rather easy, making good use of the analog stick for moving your players and the Xbox's six main action buttons for executing moves at a fast pace.

Defense and running are very easy to adapt to, and the only thing that will take a few games to adjust to is the passing interface, since what player corresponds to what button is not always spelled out. However, if you tinker with the game's nine preset camera angles (or your own custom angle), it can eliminate a lot of the guesswork in passing.

In a single game, it is best to play for a while with the difficulty set to Rookie, though you will want to change it once you get up to speed. The computer opponent is rather simple at first, and you can sometimes find yourself returning a kick-off 50-70 yards with simple spins and shoulder blocks. On any other setting, the computer puts up a pretty tough fight, and Microsoft has implemented a very cool feature in the Dynamic Player Performance system, which adjusts each player's statistics as games go by, depending on performance (think of it like a role-playing game). This aspect can definitely effect your season, and it keeps the game challenging in the long term.

Attention to graphics

What will really capture most football fans' attention, however, are the game's graphics and animation, which do a good job of spotlighting what the Xbox is capable of. Each player looks and moves in a realistic fashion, with hundreds of motion-captured animations. Even with a lot of action onscreen, everything is smooth. Up close, each player look great as well, with reflection off the helmets and faces that show actual emotion, conveying a level of realism that you don't typically see in a sports game. Each stadium also has a nice level of detail, but the game's weather effects are truly something to write home about (the lightning in a rainstorm is fantastic).

Audio falls flat

The game uses a televised-style of presentation, complete with commentary from Dick Stockton and Ron Pitts. While the voiceover audio doesn't always flow smoothly, it rarely gets repetitive. The same, however, cannot be said for the game's soundtrack mix of classic football marches combined with hip-hop and drum loops, which gets almost annoying by game two. And even though you will probably only watch it in its entirety once, the full-motion video introduction is very good, using quick cuts and a nice mix of Public Enemy's "Welcome to the Terrordome."

Hardcore football fans are going to have a tough time deciding which pigskin game to buy this fall. "NFL Fever 2002" is a strong debut and a nice example of what the Xbox can do with sports games. The visuals are excellent, and the play control is very good. While it isn't the best football title ever released, it's a fresh spin on the console gridiron. If anything, it has the clear distinction of being the only football title conceived solely for the Xbox, and as an exclusive title, it is definitely worth a serious look from armchair quarterbacks.
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