Despite their frequency, these moves rarely lose their ability to exhilarate, especially in close-fought matches, and are only slightly dampened by the rather bizarre lack of an action replay (instead you get a close-up of the scorer's head – hmm).Īlthough the action is served in short bursts, there's a good few hours' play on offer if you're up for it.
Successfully combine these elements (either by luck or judgement) and the results are some truly stunning soccer moments, with players flicking one-touch passes off back-heels and shoulders, shimmying past defenders and turning to volley a cross beyond the keeper. The shooting system, which requires simultaneous control of the shooter's movement and the picking of a spot in the net, certainly takes some getting used to and you'll increasingly want to use the analogue pad to trigger specific tricks rather than simply jab the triangle button in hope of a useful 'beat' move. There are subtleties to be mastered, too. Indeed, rhythm is something of a key theme here, with matches being backed by pumping techno, jungle and samba tracks that become an integral part of the experience.
The control system, though far simpler than in most sports sims, is well suited to both the PSP and a playing experience that favours quick reactions and flowing rhythm over strategy. And there is definitely joy to be had for those prepared to make the leap of faith. Only when you begin to accept that fact (and it took us a good half-hour) are you likely to gain any real joy from FIFA Street 2. With its focus on showy skills, frequent and repetitive goal-scoring and short, sharp matches, the experience has far more in common with US sports such as basketball than our own beautiful game. Despite its gratuitous employment of some 320 pro-footballers, this isn't football as we know it in fact, it's barely in the same stadium. What on earth had EA done to the beautiful game? Where were all our familiar teams? Where were the subtleties of strategy and intricate passing? For that matter, where were all the other players? This wasn't the game we knew and loved!Īfter playing for another 20 minutes we realised our initial suspicions had been spot on. Mere seconds into our first four-player match-up our inner footie fan started asking questions.
We recognise the sentiment because it's precisely the way we felt upon encountering FIFA Street 2. The prospect of Le God treading the boards rather than the turf was one thing, but hanging up his boots for a kick about on the sand just seemed too demeaning – why couldn't he play proper football? When he subsequently declared himself an ambassador for beach football, however, the response was much less forgiving. When the mighty Eric 'Kung Fu' Cantona announced he was departing football to become an actor, football fans were understandably shocked, yet they were prepared to give the collared one a chance.