NFL Street 3 (Sony PlayStation 2, 2006)

I had played the previous two NFL street games and liked both of them a lot, with 2 being the best. I skipped the third one when reviews weren't so great (plus I had already encountered Street 3 letdown with NBA Street 3.) I was playing Street 2 recently and I decided to give 3 a look to see if I missed a good game or not.

Bottom line, this game is Street 2 with a different interface, soundtrack, updated rosters, and some minor changes to the gameplay. It seems like much less thought went into this game, as the jump from Street 2 to this game is far less than the jump from 1 to 2. You could almost call this a typical "madden update" because besides updated rosters, there's not a whole lot that is noticeably different. Most of the gameplay modes from 2 are here, with NFL Gauntlet and Own the City strangely missing and new modes like PLaybooj Elimination and Bank scoring. The new Campaign mode is Respect the Street, where you create a team of players and play local guys to work your way into the NFL ranks. It's basically the same as NFL Challenge in 2. It all feels very familiar if you've played Street 2.

Now let's talk about what's different. First off the visual look of the menus and the playbook has changed. It's more grainy than 2, and frankly I think it's a step backward. The cleaner interface of 2 was much easier on the eyes. The game graphics are still the same, though all the NFL players just have the regular NFL jerseys instead varied outfits like the previous games. It doesn;t change the gameplay at all but it makes it seem less like you are playing a "street game" of football. Second, the soundtrack. I loved the tunes in Street 2 and 3 seems like it's trying to be hardcore with music that is mostly metal rock and gansta rap, neither which I particularly enjoy but if you like that type of stuff there's a lot of it here.

The biggest change in 3 is that the jump button while carrying the ball is now X instead of Square, and you jump much higher. The game allows you to pull off "aerial moves" off of object on the field. For example if there is a trash can on the field you can vault off it to avoid defenders. It is pretty cool but it's not like objects are littering the field so you don't use it much. Plus now it's a lot harder to pull off wall moves. The other major change is the gamebreakers. Instead of sending your whole team into God mode for a limited time, the gamebreakers are tied to moves. You get a gamebreaker and you can choose how to use it i.e. you can throw a lighting pass that is always caught by the intended receiver. Or on D you can automatically tackle the ball carrier and force a fumble, or instantly intercept a pass. It's an interesting system and it's better than the auto-score level 2 gamebreakers from 2, but I;m not sure if they are better than powering up your whole team. I suppose it's a matter of personal preference.

Other than that, like I keep saying, this is Street 2 with a new coat of paint. The updated rosters are cool, as it's always interesting to see what players from each team made the game. But overall, I think Street 2 is the more polished, more fully-featured, and better game. If you can't find 2 and want a great arcade-style football game, then don't hesitate to get this as it is still pretty fun. But if you have the choice of this or 2, definitely get Street 2.

And just skip NFL Tour all together...trust me.

This is a great football game. The moves are the best. They jump 12 feet in the air to catch an interception. They also jump off walls and do flips. Cool characters, good graphics. Soundtracks playing during the games are great. You can also create your own players. You choose where to play (any state) and any NFL team. Players do a celebration dance after an amazing catch. Never get tired of playing this! I would recommend this game to any football fan.

I purchased this game for my son for christmas and he loves it. He already has the first and second series of this game and he loves them also.
It is a fast paced action filled game where you play street football with professional players from the NFL, you do all these crazy moves with the players in order to score or stop your opponent from scoring. It is quite fun to watch let alone play. It is a game that is good for all ages for there is no real violence in the game except some heavy hitting tackles. I highly recommend this game to all who love to play and to those who don't play the sport because it is quite an amusing twist on the game of football.

WANT TO HAVE SOME REAL FUN! CHAD JOHNSON FROM THE BENGALS REALLY GETS TO SHOW OFF HIS MOVES IN THIS ACTION PACKED GAME! GOD I WISH THEY COULD DO ALL THESE MOVES IN REAL LIFE! IT WOULD MAKE THE NFL EVEN MORE EXCITING! GAMES ARE GAMES BUT THIS GAME IS EVEN BETTER THAN REAL LIFE WHERE THERE ARE LIMITATIONS. THIS GAMES IS AWSOME AND A MUST HAVE FOR ALL YOU VIDIOTS!

Well, the NFL Street franchise is really starting to age after 3 games. The third installment is better than the second, but just starts to get so old, it's unbearable to finish. Gameplay: Okay, so it's got some changes. You can actually control the Gamebreakers, and it adds more strategic elements, rather than a cutscene. It's got Bank, Defensive Scoring and some other new ones, but the overall game, gameplay is just the same old average arcade, street football. Graphics: This game sure doesn't look too good compared to, maybe, oh I don't know JAK II!!! There choppy, oddly shaped characters and way too many glitches to be a good. Average, but bad. Sound: Better. It's got just Rap and Metal. "Taunts" get repetitve and start off stupid, and it's just okay. Value: Not really worth it. If you're new, sure, pick it up if you got NOTHING ELSE TO PLAY. If you've played the first, second or both, just pass it.

Overall, this is just not that great of a game. It's fair, average and gets repetitive way too quickly.