One thing about NFL Fever 2004 that may be appreciated more by beginners than
by veteran players is the fact that plays develop and move slowly. Part of
this is due to the occasional slow downs and choppiness that can occur right
after the ball is snapped, but overall the game moves at a slightly slower pace
than other football games. When this is combined with the game's less than
precise control you get an experience that will probably prove frustrating to
veteran players. On defense it is hard to precisely place players before
the snap and to close off holes that open up in the line. On offense,
running is made tricky by the difficulty in reacting to and taking advantage of holes in the line before
they disappear.
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| I'll help myself to the ball if you don't mind. |
To help you adjust to the game's controls, NFL Fever 2004 provides a Training
Camp mode that provides a series of drills that give you a chance to test out
the controls for each facet of the game. Successfully completing a drill
will unlock the next drill in the sequence until you've had the chance to
practice different aspects of running, passing, defense, and kicking.
There is also an Open Practice mode that lets you run the same play a number of
times in a row in a practice situation so that you will be able to execute in a
game situation. You can hit the field in either single game matches or in
Dynasty mode which gives you control over a team (or teams) over multiple
seasons. Primetime players may be disappointed to find that there is no
playoffs only game mode.
Where NFL Fever 2004 really shines is in its Xbox Live support. XSN is
Microsoft's new sports gaming network, and it is fully supported by NFL Fever
2004. Getting going requires you to first access the XSN website through a
web browser, so you won't be able to start play directly from your Xbox.
Once you're signed-up, you can look for a quick match or create your own game
settings and wait for an opponent to join. So far this is standard online
stuff, right? What sets NFL Fever 2004 apart is that XSN allows you to
create your own leagues or to join an existing open league. XSN will
maintain league standings, rankings, generate your schedule, and allow you to
stay in touch with leaguemates via email. Players have a timeframe in
which they must log on and play their game after which a computer coin flip will
declare a default winner, so an out of touch player can not hold up an entire
league. If you're not sure if you want to commit yourself to an entire
season, XSN also supports tournaments to challenge your skills. XSN is the
future of online sports gaming.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
70%. Xbox Live gamers should
seriously consider hooking into XSN with NFL Fever 2004. For everyone
else, the game will be more appealing to the casual football gamer than the
hardcore veteran crowd.
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