Overview: Play football against NFL greats (and the Arizona Cardinals) on the beach, in parks, in vacant lots and other places. Unlock NFL legends such as Barry Sanders and Walter Payton.

NFL Street Platform(s): Playstation 2, XBox, GameCube Company: EA Sports Type/Genre: Sports Rating: E (for "Everyone") • Official Site • Arcade360 Index

Within games, you can play to a set point total (first one to 40, say) or to a set "style points" total (earned by making big plays, strutting or otherwise showing off).

Game Play: Pretty standard EA play-selection grids, although not nearly as encyclopedic as the more realistic games. Head-to-head was a little bit of a problem, because if my opponent selects his defensive play before I pick my offensive play, the screens disappear the second I make that selection … giving him a fairly good idea of what I was running. (Not, of course, that it mattered.)

The surface selection is important -- running is harder on the beach than in the vacant lot, for example -- so choose your plays accordingly.

There's no punting or kicking … so if you pull a four-and-out from your initial starting point (about five yards out of your own end zone), it's probably a quick six points for your opponent. So learn those mid-range plays and stick with 'em.

Ease of Use: Surprisingly easy once you work your way through the nicely-constructed tutorials. You'll be strutting, showboating and trash-talkin' in no time. I managed to notch a victory in my very first game (Browns over Titans by about four points).

Nice Surprise: The trash talk is mildly amusing. And, again, I expected to take a while to work my way up to strutting down the sideline, holding the ball back behind me at arm's length, mocking my opponent. As it is, I had it down almost immediately.

Enraging Quirk: During the nobodies sequence, you have to accomplish tasks to advance … one of which is diving into the end zone for a touchdown. I scored every which way I could imagine, but couldn't get my guy to dive into the zone for the longest time. Very frustrating.

Tip: Running the ball is way more effective than in traditional pass-happy videogames.

Also, beware too much showboating. It can lead to fumbles. A lot of fumbles.

Bottom Line: Where else are you gonna get to see Cleveland Browns quarterback Kelly Holcomb talking smack? (Certainly not in Cleveland.)