Introduction:Football is a fun leisure sport that most red blooded male enjoys. When you’re dealing with sports games or any other with fanatic event there is always the decision weather to develop a game for the die-hard fans, causal enthusiasts, or the guy who just wants to play some ball and have fun. NFL Fever 2004 lands a game for the causal enthusiasts, while adding features for the die-hard and the guy who just wants to play.

The Game:Its time for some football or ‘foo-ball’ as Al Pachino says in ‘Any Giving Sunday’. NFL Fever brings a more balanced game this time around then last years. The AI seems more realistic is more challenging at times. The teams each have their strong and weak points which come through vividly in the gameplay. The AI can seem to counter you approach if you are not using a variety of different moves, therefore making you switch up those favorite plays to combat their defenses.

I found the controls to be a little revamped in this year’s edition. The controls can be surprisingly adjusted to give the player allot of play control and freedom, or leave it alone and stick to the ‘one touch passing’ which allows you to hit one corresponding button to throw a pass. The Coach also helps you out with some fast picks of his choice for plays and the coach will also offer verbal cues and strategies to help you move the ball up the field.

Graphics & Sound:The graphics are an improvement over last years as it should be. The models are excellent and are very polished, but just maybe slightly over polished. A more un-finished look might make the game look more like TV then a game. That aside this game looks extremely good and is very detailed. The real stadiums along with the fantasy stadiums look huge and impressive. The Marines field on the battleship is a nice touch which can break up the monotony of the average field. The Xbox again showcases itself to be the leader in console graphics.

In the sound department Fever isn’t as impressive as the graphics and it mainly lends itself to the commentary. Although not horrible in my mind, it still seems a little dry and unemotional. Besides the commentary the sound is great! The players on the field seem ready for action, the crowd roars and hits sounds like hits.

Innovation:Xbox Live Sports Network (XSN) anyone! XSN is great addition to the Fever franchise which gives the game a competitive edge. Online playability is a must and it can only add to the experience. Playing against friends in tournaments, leagues…. hold your breath even a whole season online is wild. On your computer you can check your stats to see how you hold up to other players and create or join online leagues. This is invaluable to all gamers who love competition and love proving their skills against others.

NFL Fever also adds another innovation onto this year’s game in the form of the head coach. The head coach will appear on the side line before you make your play. The coach will give you advice on plays, comment on your opponent’s strengths and moves, and get emotional when you are winning or loosing a game. I myself not knowing allot of football strategies loved this feature and it helped me to delve deeper into the game of football.

Mojo:Personally I enjoy the NFL Fever series a great deal. The mojo is present, the mojo is here, and NFL Fever gives me the mad fever and makes me want to do an end zone dance. I love the addition of the coach in this year’s game, even though sometimes they can be repetitive, it’s still cool. The graphics are upped, the gameplay is upped, and don’t forget… online play! This game reeks of awesomeness!

Lowdown:The Fever series from Microsoft brings a polished package, and creates a great football game. It seems to be a step behind its competition by a few steps, yet gaining respect for the game that has it roots in PC gaming. With XSN you can’t go wrong with NFL Fever, it adds another level to online sports gaming. If you’re not that big into the online deal, explore the other games on the market and see which gameplay you prefer.

Gameplay: 8, Graphics/Sound: 8, Innovation: 8, Mojo: 8. Final: 8