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Exceptional Start for Arena Football Franchise; Excellent EA Sports Work

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: February 14, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I am a long-time Madden player, but I do also enjoy watching the AFL and my Avengers during the offseason. I knew this game was going to rock since it was made by EA Sports (who creates the Madden line), and I purchased the game on the first day it was released.

Graphics:

EA Sports seems to use the same player graphics machine as the Madden series, so you can't go wrong there. However, the atmosphere is not quite as sharp. The surrounding fans are still the old 2-d fuzzy figures, the music is limited, and the opening sequences do not replicate the Arena style. Electronic Arts does take a swing at cheerleaders and routines, but don't expect too much from that end of the game. :)

Controls:

Same as Madden, except turbo is "R1" and not "X" on defense and kick returns. Each receiver has own icon to pass to, "Triangle" is throw away, and there are options to tuck the ball to prevent fumbles. The kicking meter is easy to grasp after a while, and everything else is simple to remember. The manual does a great job of explaining the controls, the rules, and the ideals of Arena Football to first-time players.

Gameplay/Realism:

Running is as hard as in the real game, so look to rely on passing. The fatigue option is exceptional, and you can pick on tired players in the opponent's defense. It is easy to control wide receivers with the "Be the Receiver" feature. The game is fast paced as usual, and referee penalties are scarce. Wall hits are fun, especially flying over the walls into the stands to dive for out-of-reach passes. Telemetry helps you spot weaks areas in your or your opponent's defense, and repetitions or signs of passing or running situations in real time. The playbook is ultra-limited, which means gameplay does get a little boring after quite some time, but that's easy to deal with. Receivers run yo-yo and loop motion routes as in the real game, and they realistically tire from running too many streak or fly/go routes down the field. On defense, the playbook offers limited but sufficient schemes in zone and man defenses. Artificial Intelligence is reasonable and adjustable.

Modes:

As with all upstart games, Arena Football offers limited gameplay modes. In addition to the common "Play Now" mode, there is the "Season" mode where you can lead a team to an Arena Bowl Championship. You can also start a new team or adjust the uniforms of an old one.

Rewards:

In addition to the regular bonus and game preview footage from EA Sports, you can also unlock a seemingly endless amount of classic teams, including as the New England Steamrollers. These can be unlocked by completing milestones such as intercepting 4 passes in game, stopping a team 4 times during a game, setting records, doing different moves for the first time, or completing training tutorial challenges.

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I highly recommend buying this game. It will be a keepsake (after all, it is the first-ever Arena Football game excluding Kurt Warner's), and you will enjoy the speed of the game compared to Madden. The game is both high-scoring and very morally rewarding, in a sense. Your view on how the game is played with drastically change for the better after you play this game.

The Most Underrated Game Of The Year (So Far)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 10 / 11
Date: March 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I rented this game at a Movie Gallery and I have to tell you, this is one of the surprise games of the year in my opinion. I expected this game to be just a normal fan-based game, but I was wrong. I saw a preview of the game on Madden NFL 06 last August (when I rented it), I wanted to try it for the heck of it. On that note, I am not an AFL fan. The first thing I noticed was the soundtrack. It was pretty good, featuring groups such as Avenged Sevenfold and Korn. You can listen to your favorite songs in the menu and during a game (which you can't do in Madden). Secondly, even though the field's only 50 yards (1/2 the size of an NFL field), the gameplay is still as good. Third, there is more attitude than Madden 06. The attitude in this game can be compared to Blitz: The League and easily win. Not only that, it has plenty of humor for those needing a laugh. There's a few more, but I don't want to spoil them. The cons are what give this a 4-star rating. First, there is no Tournament, Create-A-Fan, Create-A-Playbook, or Stadium Creator in Create-A-Team. Second, the Create-A-Team isn't all that good. Third, the controls can be harder to master because of the fact that the field is only 50 yards.
The bottom line: This is a defitinite must-rent for anyone, and a must-buy for any AFL fan.

Excellent First Game for AFL

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 9
Date: February 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When I heard that EA was doing a video game of the All Fun League, I thought, "Finally, a video game for AFL, and it's going to be done right." I was right. While not perfect, EA did a great job of capturing the speed and play of the AFL and threw in some great new features like the new kick meter, telemetry system, and be the receiver. They also threw in a ton of historic teams to unlock, which is great for long time fans like myself.

The controls are simple and easy to learn and the playbooks are much easier to navigate than Madden. I never get flagged for delay of game like I do on Madden while trying to find the perfect play. One strike is that the play book is a bit limited, but it's a start. Game play is fun and fast paced, like the real game, and the cut scenes are fun and more original than Madden (although one or two look more like Blitz than the AFL).

My one major complaint is that the crowd isn't featured at all in the game. The AFL bills itself as the most fan-friendly league (which it is in real life), so why not feature some fans in the game catching game balls or holding some signs? Also, the camera has some issues, but it's managable. For a first try, this is a great game, and any AFL fan will enjoy it.

Note: if you are new to the AFL, it is important to note that Arena 'ball is not just NFL on a smaller field, it is a completely different sport. Trying to compare the two is like trying to compare sprinting and cross-country running; they have similar roots, but very different strategy and execution. If you watch Arena football expecting defensive battles and solid running games (like the reviewer below me), you will be disappointed. This is a passing, high offense game with very different strategy and nuances from the outdoor game. (How often in the NFL is it a good idea to LET the other team score?) It takes time to learn this sport, but it is a blast to watch and play once you do.

Not a bad first for AFL

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: March 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

First of all, if you base your opinion on this game on your love for the NFL, then you're starting off on the wrong foot right out the gate.

This is the AFL. The rules are different. The play is different. The overall feel is different.

That said, this game is a lot of fun to play. I will admit, until my hometown (KC) got our Arena League team, the attention paid to the AFL by me was minimal. I'd watch a game every now and then if I caught one one TV, but that's about it.

Now that we have one, I'm into it.

When I heard that EA Sports was doing an AFL video game, I was excited. My excitement wasn't in vain.

Yes, the graphics aren't top-of-the-line in comparison to say Madden, but give EA a break folks. They aren't going to break the bank investing in a "first-of" sports game before it proves itself in the market.

On to the game...Basically, as another reviewer put it, the controls are similar to the Madden setup. The main difference I noticed was that there are fewer options both defensively and offensively than in the NFL games. Running is difficult and passing must be quick, so that makes for some challenging scenarios. You have to stay in the pocket to avoid being sacked (I know that sounds weird if you're not familiar with the AFL rules), but sometimes you need to move out to give your receivers more time to get open and avoid the knocked down passes you get when you try to throw over the middle. It's very fast, so you have to get used to that, but it went pretty easy for me, and if you're a Madden-player, you'll catch on quick too.

The defensive play was a little tough to get used to. I kept sacking the QB, but getting penalized for it because unless the QB leaves the pocket, or it is a running play, it is illegal to blitz the QB. Once he leaves the "box" however, you can darn near take his head off. This too, became easier for me to get used to the longer I played the game.

Special teams stuff was interesting...particularly the kicking. Instead of setting the power with one hit of the "x" button and then actually kicking the ball by hitting "x" again, you aim the kick with the Directional pad (or left analog stick) then use the right analog stick to set the power by pulling it back and then forward (as straight as you can) to kick it off. It's not as difficult as it sounds and it's fun to do.

I managed an interception, and caused a fumble in my first game last night and was only beat by a touchdown, so I was pretty happy to have spent the $30 on it.

Like Madden, you can create-a-player/team with various logos, custom colors and names, and all that. The multiple options of facial features and such were very good, I doubt anyone would have a hard time finding one that looks similar to themselves should they wish to put "themselves" into the game.

Also madden-esque is the presence of a "challenge" aspect. For instance, when I completed a 34-yard pass to Pope (Arizona Rattlers), a little banner popped up that said something like "Congratulations-you just completed a 30+ yard pass". So that was cool.

Overall, this is a good start for an AFL game. I DO hope that they make enough off of it to continue (and improve) the series. My suggestions are similar to the others' here:

More realistic graphics & expanded playbooks would be the most important to me.

Give it a shot, I think you'll like it!

Better than I expected!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: April 05, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is for people who like games that go very quickly. I also liked the crushing hits you can deliver to players. I've played this game hours on end. This was a great game idea for all people. (Unless you like slow games). I'd buy this for sure if I were you because it pulls out the thrills in Arena Football. This game is a Must buy!

Good, but not quite great

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: September 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Unlike what many people think, this is a pretty good game and I'd say it's a solid review for an Arena Football game. However, as the title suggests, it isn't quite great. I put 5 stars for fun because the gameplay is pretty good overall; the reason that it only has 4 stars is because it fails mainly in presentation.
Gameplay wise, this is exactly like Arena Football. It is very pass-heavy and it has an arcade feel to it that I expected. On the downside, the run is not only weak, it's practically useless. On defense unless you are good with cornerbacks you are pretty much a spectator, but at least it gives you practice at a position most people don't control themselves on a football game.
As mentioned earlier, the game fails in its presentation. The first thing that is annoying is the fact that there's no commentary. Seriously, all there is as far as sound is the pretty weak sounds of the crowd, repetitive rock guitar, and the PA announcer. Some color commentary that is in EVERY sports game would make the game more lively. Also, the crowd animation is kinda blah, not something that bothewrs me too much but when there's not enough ear candy, give me something to look at.
The create-a-team is pretty weak as well. In the AFL, teams have very modern looking uniforms as compared to the NFL where more teams have more classic style uniforms. In the create a team, the number options and jersey options are exactly the same as in Madden, meaning the chance to have one of those modern or futuristic style uniforms is pretty limited; the only place you can make it look more modern is in colors and the logo selection is pretty cool.
So, to wrap up the game has some gameplay that is pretty fun and there are things you may need to adjust to as far as AFL rules, but its fun to play. The only problem is that the games themselves are kinda bland and the graphics could be better. I would say that it's worth the $20 price tag and I want to say that I hope EA keeps this francise going because it has a lot of potential if it just fixes a few things.

Arena Football Really Puts You in the Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 15
Date: February 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Arena football is the best spectator sport in the country. And now it's the best video game! This is a very real to life game that's a blast. Fast action. No where to run. The field is small and you have got to be on your game and get your plays off quickly. This is a fantastic video game version of a fantastic professional sport. Check this game out and then check out an actual game. You'll appreciate video game even more after seeing an actual game. And you'll appreciate the actual game more after playing the video game.

Thanks EA Sports. And Go Georgia Force! They are the best AFL team in the league.

Fun game but...

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: March 03, 2006
Author: Amazon User

When EA announced the release of this Arena Football game, I was excited. Arena Football has always been one of my favorite games and I wanted a video game to simulate the game. However, I was disapointed.

I decided to rent this game first, saving my money for the upcoming baseball titles. And boy, I was glad that I did. I would have paid $20 for it, but not the $30 it is priced at.

Overall the game was mostly fun, but it definatley not up with EA standards. Emphasis was put on the passing game and each game was fast paced and put up big scores. This was good because that's what Arena Football is about. Arena Football is not the average NFL and the game definitley simulated it.

However, EA also simulated the AFL in bad ways too. AFL is about ironman football, but EA went over the edge in this aspect. The hitting and tackling in the AFL is not too much different than the NFL and you definatley don't see late hits after celebrations for touchdowns in the AFL. Also like the AFL, the running game is limited, but too limited. I was lucky if I got more than 3 yards on a rush.

Finally, the game seem limited and it looked like it was put together by a group college kids for a class rather than a big name game producer, who has also produced the greatest selling sport series of all time (Madden). The game lacked depth, especially in the season mode where all you do is play games and then release and sign players at the end of the season. There are only 4 game modes (season, pick up, omline, practice). There is no commentary during games; instead, this replaced by annoying cuts betweeen plays where either a coach is motivating his players (which are so badly done, I laughed the first time I saw one) or the PS1-looking fans are reacting to the play. The telemetry system was a good idea, but to hard to use, especially since it was the first time being done. Finally, I found the only good idea is rewarding the gamer with locked classic teams for each milestone. It was fun to try to accomplish a milestone so that I could learn about teams from the 80s.

Overall this game was a good idea and fun, but largley a disappointment. It surley isn't worth the price but with more time I am sure EA could have produced a better game. Hopefully good comes out of this and these mistakes aren't made in any other upcoming EA titles.

decent but not good

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: March 17, 2006
Author: Amazon User

If you're really into NCAA, and Madden and are used to quality football games like that, then stay away from this game. Also if you have a good knowledge of those games and like the challenging nature of those games, don't get this game. If you are a child or have a child, this game would be fun for them to learn a little bit about football. It is a good game to rent and mess around with, but that's about it. If you are a big football fan and are very tempted to purchase this game, just keep playing on your dynasty mode.

Great game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: March 13, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Purchased for 10 yr old grandson and he absolutely loves it. Says that it is better than Madden Football.

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