Not much has been added to the 360 version as far as I can tell; a few new teams, maybe some new modes, achievements and
However, in small doses the game is very fun. It’s just sad that Midway had to resort to underhanded tactics to make this game “competitive”. When the game is going good, there are tons of amazing plays, bone-breaking tackles, and loads of touch downs that it makes me wish I could save instant replays on my hard drive. The action is fast, fun and furious and rarely lets up.
Graphically the game isn’t very impressive on the 360. They did improve the lighting and weather effects immensely but they still aren't on par with other titles on this system. The animations and tackle animations are still pretty fluid but the player models, on the other hand, are stiff making this game easily recognizable as a port. This is mostly apparent during “juicing” scenes and when people come back from the injured list. Speaking of injuries, not since the days of NHLPA 95’s little bleeding head injuries has hurting someone in a sports game been this enjoyable. A brutal hit will cause the camera to zoom in in CSI x-ray fashion and give a close look at the broken bone or torn ligament. Unfortunately the time a player spends on the injury list seems to be random. I’ve seen sprained wrists take players out longer than spinal contusions.
Sound effects are perfect but the sound track is too pop music for me. The playlist goes from gangsta rap bravado to hardcore punk screaming in a matter of seconds. Thankfully that these songs only play very briefly while plays are being picked or during the menus. Back to sound effects, they are all well done but again, the injury sounds stand out the most. Muscles being torn, bones breaking, the hits themselves are music to my ears. Voice acting is done well also but it’s nothing spectacular.
There is a story but it’s what you can expect from a non-licensed football game meaning drugs, swearing, parties and betrayal all show there faces here. The plot resembles a more mature Bad News Bears tale of a team rising through the ranks. A rags to riches story.
Not much has been added to the 360 version as far as I can tell; a few new teams, maybe some new modes, achievements and a little better graphics but that's it.
Like I mentioned before, this game would have been great if the AC (Artificial Cheapness) was more difficult because of stats not because of the computer’s ability to process reactions faster or capitalize off of random occurrences. Don’t think I’m bitter because so far my franchise team has 15 wins and only 1 loss, it’s just that fighting for those wins should be rewarding not laughably frustrating because of cheap AI.