"I used to love that game!" #3 - Back 2 the (Fifa) Street

Building on the huge success of the original, Fifa Street 2 was a much-loved title on the PS2 and original XBOX. EA enjoyed almost total monopolisation of the 'small-sided football' market, due to the little variety of options out there.

Games like this never really captured the imagination of football fans.

What did Fifa Street 2 had over the other games that tried to tap into this market? High production values were a key part of it. As EA are a big company with huge funding they could make a very good game, without flaws and market it well. The other two games are almost unknown (though I had both) because they had no marketing and lower production values. This made the game less glitchy, more accessible and just a generally better game. 

Licenses are something that generally don't bother me, but knowing the players makes the game more comfortable. Fifa Street 2 had a unique career-mode type mode, where you start off with a bunch of rag-tag unknowns and your player, slowing bringing in better players as you beat better teams. It was fresh, innovative and a whole lot of fun. The time you get the first professional you recognise is an awesome moment. 

Gameplay-wise, the game is slick and easy to control. Standard Fifa controls apply, but with a twist. Using the right stick the player initiates 'beats', skill moves to take you past players. The more elaborate and difficult tricks earn more points. Beats are used to go past players, but gain points so that you can earn GameBreakers. This is where your shot becomes insanely powerful and accurate, but for every player you beat with skill, your shot counts as an extra goal. Beating all outfield players then scoring wins you the game instantly. 

There are many different match-types to add variety to the game. Standard time games, first to 3/5/7 goals, panna, first to a certain score and more. My personal favourite is panna, where nutmegs count as a goal, so it would be like a normal first to 10 game, but nutmegs, or pannas, count as one goal each.

As well as a fantastic game, FS2 had one of my favourite soundtracks on a video game of all time. Songs like this:

That I still enjoy to this day.

In conclusion, Fifa Street 2 was a game that I loved as a kid and would probably still enjoy know. I hope that nostalgia hasn't clouded my view, and it is genuinely still a good game.