Reviews / previews
Microsoft's NFL Fever 2000 is a fascinating look into what could be a new trend in minimalist game development. While most football games throw dozens of features and play modes at gamers, Fever stands out for its bare-bones simplicity.
First off, there are no superstar celebrities (Matt Millen and Dick Stockton just aren't on the John Madden level.) Gone are the flashy, multi-media intros and polished in-game menus. Cumulative statistics, career modes, salary caps, Internet play, and a bevy of selectable classic teams are missing.
However, what's left is a solid-playing and great-looking football game with a few single player modes, an extraordinary replay system, and an unbelievable price tag of $19.99.
The price wouldn't be a big deal if the game turned out to be second-string, but the graphical power and sheer playability of NFL Fever make this title a legitimate contender--Madden 2000 not withstanding, Fever is the best looking football game to date, period. Not only does the game support resolutions up to 1024x768 with a number of graphical bells and whistles, but presents these dazzling graphics at high frame rates with a variety of fluid player animations.
The dozens of moves-including spectacular tackles, leaping grabs and crunching hits--are the key to Fever's success. Receivers and defensive backs actually turn their heads to look for the ball. Catching and interceptions provide a level of realism not yet seen in football games. Receivers actually look like they are catching the ball. Defensive players are shown batting the ball away or deflecting it from the receiver's hands at the last second.
Of course, all of this would be all for naught if gameplay was awful, but Fever's control is spot on. Using a MicroSoft Sidewinder Game Pad, gamers will find that controlling the players becomes second nature after only a few minutes of play.
With great graphics, tight control, and a budget price tag, Fever may seem too good to be true. And to a certain extent, it is. Fever has several problems.
The most obvious and annoying of them all is the computer AI. It stinks. While the overall difficulty levels are executed well, the decisions the computer makes during the games are sometimes baffling. On more than one occasion, the computer chose to continuously run the ball with under two minutes to go--even though it was on the short end of the score board.
The color commentary is god-awful. The canned sayings of Millen and Stockton are a step backward. They provide little insight and are often either flat wrong or inappropriate. You could be up on the computer by 40 points with minutes to go, and, if one of you're receivers drops a third-down pass, Millen or Stockton might comment that such a mistake could cost the team the game.
However, in the end, NFL Fever 2000's strengths outweigh its weaknesses. Its superb graphics, fluid animations, and exciting game play bring it very close-but not close enough-to knocking Madden 2000 off its pedestal. And that low price tag will give casual sports-gamers pause for thought. If you enjoy football, don't need a lot of fancy stats, and don't want to spend $40 dollars on a football game this year, then catch this Fever.-- Thomas Crymes / GamePro
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