Arena Football

by Electronic Arts

Product Features

• Go old-school with Ironman Football -- six of eight players on both sides of the ball
• From scoring history and passing tendencies to coverage maneuvers and player health
• Pulverize the competition as you hand out huge hits that crush players into (and over) the walls
• In-game telemetry system - Get eal-time information about your opponent instantly, from scoring history and passing tendencies to coverage maneuvers and player health

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000CRSBJS
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches ; 4.5 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: November 13, 2006
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,551 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #40 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Sports > Football

Product Description

The speed. The scoring. The spectacle. Experience the intensity and passion of the indoor gridiron for the first time with EA SPORTS Arena Football. All the devastating hits and non-stop passing thrills are brought to life as you're put in the middle of the action from opening day all the way to the Arena Bowl. Rediscover football and play the game in a new way with EA SPORTS Arena Football.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional Start for Arena Football Franchise; Excellent EA Sports Work, February 14, 2006

By 

minibronco "da reviewer" (Cypress, CA USA) - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Arena Football (Video Game)

I am a long-time Madden player, but I do also enjoy watching the AFL and my Avengers during the offseason. I knew this game was going to rock since it was made by EA Sports (who creates the Madden line), and I purchased the game on the first day it was released.

Graphics:

EA Sports seems to use the same player graphics machine as the Madden series, so you can't go wrong there. However, the atmosphere is not quite as sharp. The surrounding fans are still the old 2-d fuzzy figures, the music is limited, and the opening sequences do not replicate the Arena style. Electronic Arts does take a swing at cheerleaders and routines, but don't expect too much from that end of the game. :)

Controls:

Same as Madden, except turbo is "R1" and not "X" on defense and kick returns. Each receiver has own icon to pass to, "Triangle" is throw away, and there are options to tuck the ball to prevent fumbles. The kicking meter is easy to grasp after a while, and everything else is simple to remember. The manual does a great job of explaining the controls, the rules, and the ideals of Arena Football to first-time players.

Gameplay/Realism:

Running is as hard as in the real game, so look to rely on passing. The fatigue option is exceptional, and you can pick on tired players in the opponent's defense. It is easy to control wide receivers with the "Be the Receiver" feature. The game is fast paced as usual, and referee penalties are scarce. Wall hits are fun, especially flying over the walls into the stands to dive for out-of-reach passes. Telemetry helps you spot weaks areas in your or your opponent's defense, and repetitions or signs of passing or running situations in real time. The playbook is ultra-limited, which means gameplay does get a little boring after quite some time, but that's easy to deal with. Receivers run yo-yo and loop motion routes as in the real game, and they realistically tire from running too many streak or fly/go routes down the field. On defense, the playbook offers limited but sufficient schemes in zone and man defenses. Artificial Intelligence is reasonable and adjustable.

Modes:

As with all upstart games, Arena Football offers limited gameplay modes. In addition to the common "Play Now" mode, there is the "Season" mode where you can lead a team to an Arena Bowl Championship. You can also start a new team or adjust the uniforms of an old one.

Rewards:

In addition to the regular bonus and game preview footage from EA Sports, you can also unlock a seemingly endless amount of classic teams, including as the New England Steamrollers. These can be unlocked by completing milestones such as intercepting 4 passes in game, stopping a team 4 times during a game, setting records, doing different moves for the first time, or completing training tutorial challenges.

--------------------------------------------------

I highly recommend buying this game. It will be a keepsake (after all, it is the first-ever Arena Football game excluding Kurt Warner's), and you will enjoy the speed of the game compared to Madden. The game is both high-scoring and very morally rewarding, in a sense. Your view on how the game is played with drastically change for the better after you play this game.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Most Underrated Game Of The Year (So Far), March 26, 2006

A Kid's Review

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Arena Football (Video Game)

I rented this game at a Movie Gallery and I have to tell you, this is one of the surprise games of the year in my opinion. I expected this game to be just a normal fan-based game, but I was wrong. I saw a preview of the game on Madden NFL 06 last August (when I rented it), I wanted to try it for the heck of it. On that note, I am not an AFL fan. The first thing I noticed was the soundtrack. It was pretty good, featuring groups such as Avenged Sevenfold and Korn. You can listen to your favorite songs in the menu and during a game (which you can't do in Madden). Secondly, even though the field's only 50 yards (1/2 the size of an NFL field), the gameplay is still as good. Third, there is more attitude than Madden 06. The attitude in this game can be compared to Blitz: The League and easily win. Not only that, it has plenty of humor for those needing a laugh. There's a few more, but I don't want to spoil them. The cons are what give this a 4-star rating. First, there is no Tournament, Create-A-Fan, Create-A-Playbook, or Stadium Creator in Create-A-Team. Second, the Create-A-Team isn't all that good. Third, the controls can be harder to master because of the fact that the field is only 50 yards.
The bottom line: This is a defitinite must-rent for anyone, and a must-buy for any AFL fan.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad first for AFL, March 2, 2006

By 

Vader "SG" (Kansas City, MO. United States) - See all my reviews

= Fun:4.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Arena Football (Video Game)

First of all, if you base your opinion on this game on your love for the NFL, then you're starting off on the wrong foot right out the gate.

This is the AFL. The rules are different. The play is different. The overall feel is different.

That said, this game is a lot of fun to play. I will admit, until my hometown (KC) got our Arena League team, the attention paid to the AFL by me was minimal. I'd watch a game every now and then if I caught one one TV, but that's about it.

Now that we have one, I'm into it.

When I heard that EA Sports was doing an AFL video game, I was excited. My excitement wasn't in vain.

Yes, the graphics aren't top-of-the-line in comparison to say Madden, but give EA a break folks. They aren't going to break the bank investing in a "first-of" sports game before it proves itself in the market.

On to the game...Basically, as another reviewer put it, the controls are similar to the Madden setup. The main difference I noticed was that there are fewer options both defensively and offensively than in the NFL games. Running is difficult and passing must be quick, so that makes for some challenging scenarios. You have to stay in the pocket to avoid being sacked (I know that sounds weird if you're not familiar with the AFL rules), but sometimes you need to move out to give your receivers more time to get open and avoid the knocked down passes you get when you try to throw over the middle. It's very fast, so you have to get used to that, but it went pretty easy for me, and if you're a Madden-player, you'll catch on quick too.

The defensive play was a little tough to get used to. I kept sacking the QB, but getting penalized for it because unless the QB leaves the pocket, or it is a running play, it is illegal to blitz the QB. Once he leaves the "box" however, you can darn near take his head off. This too, became easier for me to get used to the longer I played the game.

Special teams stuff was interesting...particularly the kicking. Instead of setting the power with one hit of the "x" button and then actually kicking the ball by hitting "x" again, you aim the kick with the Directional pad (or left analog stick) then use the right analog stick to set the power by pulling it back and then forward (as straight as you can) to kick it off. It's not as difficult as it sounds and it's fun to do.

I managed an interception, and caused a fumble in my first game last night and was only beat by a touchdown, so I was pretty happy to have spent the $30 on it.

Like Madden, you can create-a-player/team with various logos, custom colors and names, and all that. The multiple options of facial features and such were very good, I doubt anyone would have a hard time finding one that looks similar to themselves should they wish to put "themselves" into the game.

Also madden-esque is the presence of a "challenge" aspect. For instance, when I completed a 34-yard pass to Pope (Arizona Rattlers), a little banner popped up that said something like "Congratulations-you just completed a 30+ yard pass". So that was cool.

Overall, this is a good start for an AFL game. I DO hope that they make enough off of it to continue (and improve) the series. My suggestions are similar to the others' here:

More realistic graphics & expanded playbooks would be the most important to me.

Give it a shot, I think you'll like it!