Arena Football [PS2]

Arena Football fans might not like this very much, but their game feels like it was produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It's gotta be fun to play, and in person it's so immediate that it's great fun to watch. But with an overload of big passes and impossible hits, the appeal is pretty specific. In that respect, EA's new Arena Football is great at replicating the game. Just don't expect it to dethrone Madden or any other franchise.

If you're not familiar with the sport, there are a few differences between Arena and regular football. The field is only 50 yards long and bounded by boards that are considered in-bounds. The boards keep the game moving and also offer a surface for players to be smashed against. Repeatedly.

The game is played iron man style, with six of the eight men per squad playing both offense and defense. It's largely a passing game, as only one defensive player can blitz the QB. There's little reason to run, except as a surprise move. Thankfully, the game makes all these rules and more clear in an intro film for newbies.

Accordingly, EA's game plays like a stripped down version of basic football. Without much of a crush by the defense, the QB is frequently free to hang back and wait for his receivers to be in place. Good thing, too, as Arena isn't kind to passes thrown too early; there isn't much AI to track the receiver as he runs a route. Dump the rock and you'll be nowhere near the mark.

Consequently, interceptions are far more prominent than in any other game, and offensive and defensive controls alike are geared towards catching and keeping the ball. Jukes and spins are on hand, but you're more likely to use the trap move, which wraps both hands around the ball. If it gets loose, the bouncy Astroturf will have it flying all over the place.

But that's life in the arena, where scores regularly hover in the 50-point range. We've played more than a couple hundred point games. For gamers who could never get the hang of Madden's intricacies, the simplified approach could be a saving grace, and there's definitely an arcade satisfaction to Arena's huge numbers and crunchy hits. But if complexity is what you're after, this isn't the place.

Altered rules aside, a big difference between Arena and Madden is telemetry. As players get tired, their performance degrades noticeably, and the telemetry display is an attempt to keep players on top of their team's energy level. You can get a brief readout on the play select screen, or before the snap by tilting the right stick back. Tilting it forward displays info on both sides, but you can only do this a few times per game. With the analog kicking control, which punts by rocking the right stick back and forward, you'll inadvertently call the opposite team's telemetry up more than once.