For the real game that is in its 20th season, the video game will also need some time to age and grow before it becomes a household name. That’s correct; the AFL is a replacement for football fanatics that can’t get enough football during the year when the NFL has shut down. I do not think this game has enough to it to replace the other football games that go so deeply in depth and give the gamer so many options to play with.

The game sets up and plays like many of the football games that are out on the market now. The tutorial videos of offense and defense will give any novice or experienced player a good start in understanding the controls. Though the video cycles through many of the controls at a quick pace, they are short enough to watch over at different times when you might be struggling with particular moves. Thumbsticks move players while triggers aid in speed boosts, and the four buttons play as receivers you will be passing the ball too and once they catch it, moves they will make to avoid tacklers. Playing defense is just as easy as with the same type of controls and only a few really needed buttons to bring a player down. I found the controls easy to work with and similar to ones I have used before in football games. This made it much easier to pick up the controller and play full games without skipping a beat. Calling plays is extremely easy with smaller playbooks due to the restrictions of players and the “ask the coach” section is easy to scroll to. By mastering the passing game (which seems to be 90% of the play calling) this will help guarantee that you are going to be in for a close game in each game you play. This might also give a chance to many of the young Kurt Warners out there who can use this game as a stepping stone in developing their skills to reach the higher ground of the NFL game.

Graphics are good, but short of spectacular. Arena Football lives up to its image as a second class football league where it is still working to become a premiere sport. Since the game is played indoors, you get the stale feeling of indoor arenas that do not have the history or uniqueness as many of the outdoor stadiums have. Cut scenes are displayed well, but the taunting and trash talking can only go so far. Sounds of the game are real, and do bring some credit to the game. I did get caught up in the action of the game, but it was the competition of the game that did it, not the excitement of the graphics.

The game does have some unique features in it that make it a little different from other football games. I found the kicking portion to be the best change that the game has from other games. By having to pull back on the analog stick, then thrust it forward, it made kicking the ball more difficult (and realistic) than the games predecessors. The telemetry feature that shows a player's fatigue level was also easier to use and gave more of an idea of how to exploit players. I did find the challenge modes to be extremely easy, except for executing a wall hit. This was made difficult by the running back that didn’t seem very eager to go near the wall before my defense rushed to him. There were not enough peripherals in this game to warrant it sitting around on my shelf very long.

Since there were very limited options to play with and a scaled down practice mode that didn’t leave much for imagination, Arena Football played like a scaled down version of its own minor league system AFL2. The game was fun to play the first few times, but room for growth and maturity in the game is very limited. One of the more difficult coaching moves was controlling the clock well enough to be the last person with the ball to win the game. I found the game lacked in graphics as well as overall fun. I would suggest spending your football off season refining your NCAA Football or Madden skills, because this will be a game that will take awhile for people to really catch on. It is just difficult to immerse yourself in a game that doesn’t take the gamer to the next level of interactive play.