Street D

There’s a reason it’s a cliché: The best offense is a good defense. NFL Street from EA SPORTS BIG is a laid-back, arcade-style football game that takes the pros out of the stadium and into the back lot, proving that, in seven-on-seven football, defense really does make all the difference. With no field goals or punting (these are schoolyard rules played out against a landscape of fantasy stadiums based on real world locales—so no goal posts), defenders gain an edge. Effective management of your team’s defense will usually decide who wins or loses … especially if those defenders are big fat show-offs in the process. In NFL Street, the style is the substance.

Look for your opportunity to intercept.

The Moves
Handling your defensive line is just as intuitive and easy to pick up as the offense. And, that’s a good thing, since your defenders and your offense will be made up of the same guys.

Tackle
The simplest way to stop the opposing offensive players in their tracks is to knock ‘em out of their shoes. And, they come complete with teeth-rattling impacts that might just knock the wind out of you. To perform a tackle, simply move the defender toward whoever has the ball. If it looks like you might come up short, hit the right trigger to lay on the Turbo.

Tackle Dive
The Tackle Dive has a better chance of taking down your target, but if you miss, you’ve taken a defender out of the play. To perform a Tackle Dive, move toward the ball carrier and hit X.

Defensive Power Play
The Defensive Power Play is a stylin’ move that’s hard to control, but it almost guarantees a hard hit and a good chance of knocking the ball loose for a conversion. If you pull it off, you’ll also help your Gamebreaker meter. To perform a Defensive Power Play, hold the left trigger as you hit X.

Defensive Line Moves
You can send orders to your whole defensive line with the A button, which lets defenders swim, bend, and shove.

Interception
Sometimes the best way to get possession of the ball is to just take it.

Gamebreaker
Gamebreakers work just as well for the defenders. To initiate a Gamebreaker, fill up the meter with stylin’ moves (you can build up the meter on offense and defense) and hit X before the ball snap. But, do it quickly. If your opponent notices the Gamebreaker meter is full, he won’t give you the chance.

Welcome back, Fridge.

The Great Defenders
Since your defenders will also form your offense, try to build a team comprised of players that perform well in both modes—in some cases, the best defender is an offensive powerhouse. These NFL legends will definitely help:

Larry Csonka
One of the greatest running backs of all time, Larry Csonka was an unstoppable offensive force for the Miami Dolphins in the early seventies, and he is given much credit for the team’s perfect 1972 season. In NFL Street, Zonk (or Csonk, to purists) is a blitzing machine, able to drive through the offensive line like a pile driver and bring the mightiest quarterback to his knees in tears.

The Fridge
William “Refrigerator” Perry became one of the most recognizable football players of the eighties, thanks to a showboating Chicago Bears team, a memorable moniker that fit him to a T, and real talent within his massive frame. The NFL Street version of the Fridge might be mistaken for the Hulk in the wrong light. Properly positioned, no one is getting around, over, under, or through this human wall. He’s also one of the few players in this game that ever seems to smile, so I’m giving him bonus points.

Lester Hayes
No one cheats creatively anymore. Back in the day, Raider defensive back Lester Hayes became infamous for his sticky fingers, and I don’t mean he got caught shoplifting. Hayes reportedly covered his palms in Stick ‘Em (now banned by the NFL) to make physically impossible catches a reality. Hayes is suited perfectly to NFL Street, which takes his mind-bending catching ability to ridiculous extremes. Place him between the quarterback and the receiver, and just watch him work.

By Danny Chihdo