by
Ted Kritsonis
Faze Technology Editor

What it’s about: You've got soccer hearthrob Christiano Ronaldo as the cover boy for this one, but this was a game that needed more than a pretty face to prove it's worth the $60 you would pay for it. See, last year's version wasn't the best. Sure, it was pretty cool to see soccer played in an urban setting, which is how most around the globe play the game, but it was also sloppy and too repetitive to keep people interested. Let's see how this one stacks up.

What’s good about it: FIFA Street 2 doesn't look all that different from last year's game, but the gameplay options are a little better this time around. Rule the Street is the game's "career mode" and it requires that you create your own player. You start small by playing your 3-man team in local circuits and then get bigger by winning more matches. Before you know it, the superstars will want to play on your team too. And winning matches isn't as simple as scoring more goals because different gimmicks will be attached. So, for instance, each team has a "Gamebreaker meter" that fills up with all the fancy moves you can pull off against your opponent. Once it's full, you pretty much become unstoppable and if you score, you also take goals away from the opposition. Some matches are based on rules that involve the Gamebreaker.

What’s NOT good about it: Mixing up the rules is great, but it doesn't make the game much less repetitive. Plus, it's too easy to score in Gamebreaker mode, so it pretty much just forces players to chalk up the Gamebreaker meter and shoot at the net. It's not so bad if you're playing with friends, but otherwise, you might not feel so hot playing this one. Worse yet, there's no online play again this year.

What’s the verdict: It's better than last year's but it doesn't go far enough in really turning the corner and making a name for itself. There probably will be a third one, which will hopefully be for the PlayStation 3, but for it to be successful, it needs more depth and online gamplay.

Publisher:
EA Sports
Developer:
EA Canada

Platform:
PlayStation 2

Rating: 7/10