<strong>MaxConsole Review: NFL Arcade for PS3 </strong>
Publisher: EA Sports
Available: PSN and XBLA

Introduction and initial impressions

If you’re anything like us, you’re probably intrigued by all the promise of big hits in NFL but less intrigued by all the tactics that go into a good game. However, fear not as EA is here with NFL ARCADE, a new 5 on 5 ‘ARCADE’ version of their NFL video game franchise. In our quick review of this casual game, we assess whether EA is successful in bringing NFL to the masses with some fun and quirky action.

<center><img src="http://www.maxconsole.net/content_img/nflarcade.jpg"></center></a>

So first things first, the game appears to come with all the big teams as well as real player rosters (minus a few players we’re told). Next up, one of the first things you’ll notice is the looks of the game, while not jaw-droppingly brilliant, they are still ‘pretty’ enough not to make you feel as if you aren’t playing an older generation game. Prior to starting a game, you can also select a variety of options such as how many ‘downs’ are allowed per team before conceding possession and how far away the re-start commences from.

Gameplay

Now let’s move onto what really counts – the gameplay. The way the game works is that you are assigned five players on your team and you simply select from a limited set of options such as deep pass, medium pass or blitz and the same goes for the defence respectively. Once you gather the ball, you are free to try and run it pass the defence, pull off a skill move or whatever else you need to do in order to get that all important touch-down. One of the ‘BIG’ additions to this version of the game is what we refer to as ‘game changers’, these are little features such as turbo charges and slow-downs which can be activated during game play depending on what you have built up.

Final Verdict - no pain, no gain

So that brings us onto the final verdict. We have to say we found the game fun and novel at first, but it soon seemed to become limited and tedious. It doesn’t offer the same excitement and casual fun that NHL ARCADE offered, and will do little to draw in casual/new fans to the world of NFL. However, with that said, it isn’t a ‘bad’ game and we’re sure NFL fans would highly enjoy a few games of it during half-time. All in all, if you were expecting a ‘rules free’ NFL game, with big hits, faced paced and fun action, then this isn’t it.

<strong>Overall Score:</strong> 6.5/10