Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Countless people play the game on makeshift pitches where they use anything they can as a goal. FIFA Street 2 is trying to catch the eye if these pick-up fiends, but don’t let your eyes be fooled. FIFA Street 2 is swimming in mediocrity.
 
The idea behind FIFA Street 2 is the same as any other “street” game on the market today. You create a character with the expansive character editor, you build up their skills by participating in a variety of challenges, and you eventually become the greatest player in the world. It’s an overly simple formula that has been completely exhausted. The story is laughably boring and it will only remind you of all the better “street” games out there.
 
But really, FIFA Street 2 is not about the story at all, it’s about the fancy footwork of your favorite soccer stars. Touting a roster of 320 pro superstars, FIFA Street 2 offers up a broad range of players from Wayne Rooney of England, to American superstar Landon Donovan. While the list of players is expansive, there are many superstars inexplicably missing (Where’s Ruud Van Nistelrooy?). EA has the license to use all national teams across the globe, leaving many key countries out just seems lazy.
 
Of course, the key gameplay element in FIFA Street 2 is to make your opponent look foolish while you light up the scorecard. Again, this is exactly the same as every other “street” style game out there. You run around the pitch doing “tricks” until your gamebreaker meter is full (sound familiar?).   Like other EA Sports “Big” titles, pulling off moves only requires that you flick the analog stick and watch the fireworks.  The moves look great, but they work on your opponents all too easily. Beating your foe only requires that you be within a certain distance of them. Many times defenders will fall on their bums for apparently no reason. This really cheapens the experience, it feels like no matter which trick you do you will beat the defender every time.
 
While defenders are easy to beat, the goalies are a completely different story. The net minders are more agile than Spider-Man on speed, but they can be very unpredictable. Often times the only way to score a goal is to build up your gamebreaker or shoot the ball after a long trick combo. While the Gamebreakers and combo shots are the best shooting options they will only beat the goalie by random chance. Sometimes, you will set up a perfect shot, but somehow the goalie will find a way to block it. Other times you will shoot a completely crap shot and have it blow past the keeper like he was wearing a blindfold. This inconsistency in goaltending is extremely frustrating and completely lame.
 
The exasperating goalies and the overly effective trick moves are annoying enough, but the addition of repetitive game modes makes FIFA Street 2 all but excruciating. As you advance through your career, you must play different types of matches. The contests range from your standard soccer game to certain skill challenges. Some matches have you trying to “nutmeg” your opponent three times to win. A “nutmeg,” or “panna” as it’s called here, is when you kick the ball through a defenders legs rendering him useless. The variety in objectives is nice, but ultimately all the challenges play the same. You run around the pitch doing as many trick moves as you can until you can score a goal or “nutmeg” someone enough times to win. The only game type that really feels innovative is the juggle mode. This is probably the best addition to the FIFA Street series, but it still ends up being a bore. The juggle challenge has you matching trick stick movements that pop up on screen, much like Dance Dance Revolution. Pulling off juggle moves in actual games can be fun, but the juggle challenges suck more than a Hoover vacuum.
 
Inconsistencies boil over from the gameplay department into the graphics department. On the surface, FIFA Street 2 looks prettier than their cover boy Christiano Ronaldo, but dig a little deeper and the game looks more like Meatwad from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. On the pretty side are the player models and the trick animations. Players look remarkably like their real-life counterparts, albeit a little cartoonish. And the trick animations are as smooth as a baby’s bottom. On the negative side are the cut-scene animations and the scenery. The cut-scenes in FIFA Street 2 are appalling to say the least. The stiff movements look unnatural and just plain stupid. Not nearly as bad, but still disappointing are the environments. The backgrounds are just a little too plain, and there is no ambiance to them whatsoever. It would help a great deal, if there were spectators around the pitch, or some animals running around in the background. As it is, FIFA Street 2 is just too static.
 
Sound wise there is not much going on. Your typical soccer noises, like the poomph of the ball being kicked and the clang of the post being hit, are spot on. However, there are basically no other noises, and the few sounds you do get are pretty aggravating. The players do not chatter, and there is a super annoying shotgun blast sound every time you take a shot. On top of that, you have to put up with EA Trax.
 
The best way to describe FIFA Street 2 is ordinary. While the game is not necessarily terrible, it is nowhere near fantastic. The status-quo is met perfectly and nothing more is achieved. Every “street” standard is here and it will drive you mad. Unless you are obsessed with “street” style games steer clear of FIFA Street 2.