When you hit the field in a game of NFL Fever 2004, you’ll have a wide array of coaching options available to help you lead your team to gridiron glory. From the flexible and adaptable Playpicker mode to the most varied cameras in the business, NFL Fever 2004 ensures that you have the tools to unleash your inner Lombardi upon the opposition.
First and foremost, you’ll need to get the right guys on the field and find the best view of the action. Both can be accomplished using the Pause menu.
Select Subs to make sure the players you think will help your team most are on the field. Select Camera Views to pick out the camera that you’d prefer to use to see the field. There are 10 preset camera options, but if one of those still doesn’t suit your particular tastes, there’s a Custom option available for you to create your own.
Now you’re ready to call the plays. NFL Fever 2004’s Playpicker mode has everything you need to succeed right at your fingertips.
The first thing you may notice is that you have some help. A fully animated coach will appear in cut-scenes and in your Playpicker to help give you some guidance. He’ll point out your opponent’s tendencies, dispense play-calling advice, and offer encouragement when you’re playing well. Of course, he’ll get on your case if you’re stinking up the joint, too—but you won’t let that happen, will you?
You’ll also notice pertinent coaching information on the left side of your Playpicker. It will show you the alignment of the other team and your stats on either the offensive or defensive side of the ball. Pay close attention to this information—knowledge is power!
On the right side of the Playpicker, you’ll be able to scroll through all the sets and formations available to your team. After you’ve located the play you wish to call, you have a few more options available to you. By pressing the X button, you can flip your play to send it toward the other side of the field. If you’d like some helpful tips on executing the play to perfection, press the Y button. Your coach will tell you more details about the play, and how to run it most effectively. Are you playing head-to-head with a friend, and don’t want him to know what you’ve called? Use the Bluff. Pull the right trigger, and the four available plays on screen will each be assigned to a different button on your Xbox Controller. He won’t know what you’ve picked until you spring it on him!
From the Playpicker, you’ll also have three other selections available along with your formations: Coach’s Choice, Recent Plays, and Basic. Coach’s Choice is exactly what you’d expect—the coach selects a handful of plays for you to fit the game situation. If you’re stumped or pressed for time, the Coach’s Choice can be a big help. Recent Plays is rather self-explanatory. This selection holds the plays you’ve called lately, so you can quickly get back to the ones that you’ve had success with.
Basic changes the nature of the Playpicker entirely. Designed with the armchair quarterback in mind, Basic mode streamlines the play selection process. Instead of shuffling through complex sets and formations to find the best play for you, it simplifies play selection by asking what you want to do. For example, on offense, that would start with the simple choice of Run or Pass. Choose Run, and the picker will offer you Run Left, Run Right, or Run Middle selections. From there you’ll have a choice of plays at your disposal—all of which will go in the direction you chose. Simple!
With NFL Fever 2004, it’s easy for you to make the call—now get out there and show ‘em what you’re made of!
Shawn Drotar pens the weekly columns “Splinters From The Pine” and “Starting 5” for OperationSports.com and is proud to provide exclusive coverage for Xbox.com. Shawn’s e-mail address isshawn@operationsports.com.
