"Excuse me, but you got your arcade in my simulation!"

Finally! An Arena Football game! This is what I've been waiting for for years! This game is a very entertaining game that for the most part, portrays Arena Football as the way it is. Ever since it's creation 20 years ago, the sport has been known for it's fast paced, high scoring, passing dominated action. The downfall of the sport has been its big brother, NFL. Because of this, each team is all over the place and just not as popular as the NFL. Well, since NBC started airing AFL games, the sport has skyrocketed and EA Sports jumped on the AFL bandwagon, grabbing a license.

Gameplay- 9/10

The gameplay is what you expect from EA. Very comfortable and accessible. This game is a pick up and play game, where you might only need to watch the AFL 101 video to get all of the rules. The game really captures the claustrophobia of an AFL game, with the 50 yard field and walled in sidelines. It's very entertaining to slam your opponent over the wall the first 5,000 times, but that fun wears off. The late hit option was uncalled for and silly. My biggest complaint is the controls. I think they should have modeled it right after madden because it's kinda difficult to have some of the most important buttons in different places, but that's okay.

Graphics- 9/10

The graphics are at EA level, and if you don't know EA, it means they are pretty good. The crowd is a horrible attempt at 3D fans, and the cheerleaders aren't Dead or Alive hot, but that stuff is pretty minor. The players look way too beefy. They took a page right out of Blitz's book. They are absurdly muscular.

Sound- 7/10

The sound is all right. The announcer is usually dull and the effects are what saved this score. It sounds realistic, but the walls are a little too extreme. The walls are extremely padded in real life, so it shouldn't sound like a truck doing 150 hit you. It's mildly entertaining, though.

Season Mode- 7/10

The season mode is just simply meh… It's what you expect. Total roster control, total offseason control, etc. It's not madden, but it's not 2k sports.

Buy, Borrow Or Rent – Buy

If you are a fan of the AFL then this is a buy. If you're not, then I would rent it, just to make sure you're okay with it. Hey it might just convert you.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 03/08/06