football

NFL Fever 2002 attempts to be a best-of-both-worlds football game that truly feels like a Madden football game but plays more like NFL 2K2. While this may sound like the game everyone was hoping for, actually playing a game that has a mix of simulation physics and overriding arcade control is really anticlimactic since it doesn't do quite as good of a job at either style of play. Be that as it may, NFL Fever 2002 is still a very solid game of football in its own right, and it certainly looks and plays quite well.
The game includes several standard modes of play, such as practice, single game, and season. NFL Fever 2002 of course carries the full NFL license, which means it has all of the real teams, players, and stadiums. You can also go into the game's dynasty mode and build your own team and take it through 25 consecutive seasons. The game also has a fantasy challenge mode that lets you go up against 15 fictional teams, which have names like the DaRuhlas, the Crocs, and the Cows. Defeating these teams will unlock them for play. The game also features five unique stadiums to unlock, such as the Roman Colosseum. NFL Fever also includes a fairly robust create-a-player feature. You can set your created player's ability to what you'd like it to be in several different categories, such as acceleration, strength, agility, speed, and endurance.

Increasing your created player's abilities also increases the amount of money it takes to sign him. A first-year star quarterback can go for two million, so you'll have to be smart about the team you create and how you spend your money, since the salary cap is in effect. On top of that, your created player's abilities fluctuate from game to game based on his performance. So if you create a mediocre running back and use him effectively throughout the season, his performance ratings will be higher at the end of the season than when he started. Of course if the player has some tough games and simply doesn't perform that well, his ratings will actually degrade. This fluctuating performance-rating system also directly affects the player's salary, so if your all-star quarterback has a great season, it's going to cost you even more money to re-sign him to a new contract than it did initially. If you can't juggle the money and re-sign him to a new contract, he'll go back into the free-agent pool and will most likely get picked up by one of the AI teams in the game.

The gameplay of NFL Fever 2002 feels like a mix of Madden 2002 and NFL 2K2. The controls are quite responsive and feature a slight touch of the Madden-style momentum-based physics system. The gameplay, however, is quite fast, much like the gameplay in NFL 2K2. Getting used to the game's default control setup takes a few games, but once you do, the gameplay is pretty solid. Holding the A button gives you a short turbo boost. When you press the button, a little lighting-bolt symbol appears above your player, indicating that you're using the speed boost. To switch players you can either press the X button after the snap or press the shoulder buttons prior to the snap. In addition to the standard actions of tackling, spinning, and hurdling, you can even put your hands up in the air with the shoulder buttons. This comes in extremely handy when you're rushing the quarterback and it looks like he's about to throw the ball. Another unique gameplay feature in NFL Fever 2002 is the ability to change a receiver's route on the fly. When your offense steps up to the line, you can simply press a button and select the receiver and the new route you want him to run.

The running game in NFL Fever 2002 is very solid, which is also tied into the impressive offensive and defensive line AI. Passing and receiving is easy in NFL Fever 2002 since it's icon-based, and the only decision you have to make beyond which receiver to throw the ball to is whether it's going to be a bullet or a lob pass. You can throw a bullet pass by tapping the button, and if you hold the button the quarterback will throw a softer lob pass through the air. At a great distance, however, whether you hold or tap the button, the quarterback will throw a high lob that's up for grabs. Pulling down a pass as a receiver is fairly easy to do, especially when hitting a receiver on an out pattern.

NFL Fever 2002 stands out as a first-party, first-time effort of Microsoft's, and has made a prominent stand against the Madden and Sega NFL 2K series as a football game to be contended with.

Lush graphics, detailed animations, a very deep running and passing system that is virtually flawless, and a Dynasty mode that is both original and unrivaled serve to vault Fever into the hearts and hands of football fans everywhere. A seemingly arcade-esque presentation may turn diehard simulation-football fans off at first, but after finishing one game Fever's offerings are overwhelming.

The controls are as close to perfection as is currently possible, the levels of realism are currently unmatched, and the overall presentation is highly addictive. Fever steps forward to relieve football fans who appreciate Madden's attention to detail, yet yearn for the overall speed and sleek presentation of the NFL 2K series.

Overall, Fever is more than just another football game: it is the new standard for football games to come. Microsoft has gambled and won with this great game, and hopefully next year's offering will provide more of the same. Fever is truly the pinnacle of football games for all consoles.

madden does not even come close to this game. madden gets way to boring and the game play is bland. fever on the other hand has outstanding graphics and the players look like their out of nfl blitz. the game play isn't as acurate as madden but they make it interesting. i could play this game for 6 months strait and take a day off before i play another 6 months. the gm side of the game is accurate with the draft, trades, free agentcy, and more. the best part is that unlike madden you can rely on a 76 overall runner to get a hundred yards insted of having to trade of sign a guy for 7 mil. my friend got michel bates to run 2000 yards in a year. the best thing is that your players stats switch during the season to improve or to get worse. in madden you have to wait till the year is over before you can develop players. the newer fevers tried to be too much like madden so do yourself a favor and get the best game ever for a really low price. you must be crazy not to get it