FIFA Street however, had different ideas. FIFA games at the time did provide the player the chance to beat opponents with some style and skill, but they definitely valued strategy and the fundamentals of the game first and foremost. This was the first exposure I had ever had to the style and flair that wasn’t always prevalent in FIFA’s mainstay franchise or even real-world football to an extent. The gameplay itself holds up a decade-and-a-half later, but the impact these games had on my 9-year-old brain is what makes me think fondly on them to this day. FIFA Street 2 expanded on “Rule the Street” mode with a little more to do as far as challenges other than simply beating the opponent, but both remain more or less the same. The game modes on both titles were largely based around the “play now” option or its “Rule the Street” career mode that allowed you to create your own player and form a team of real-world stars by defeating their teams or winning certain battles like getting the most pannas or racking up the most skill points. The gameplay was simple enough for anyone to pick up on relatively easy. That’s especially the case for the first two FIFA Street games, which are now hitting their 15th and 16th anniversaries since their initial North American releases. All of those are fine additions to some pretty good games, and even Volta occasionally has me feeling a bit of nostalgia from time to time, but none come close to capturing that rapid fire energy and wall-to-wall adrenaline rush created from the OGs. Lately, we’ve seen attempts to revive the popularity of the series with in-game features such as “The Yard” in Madden, “MyPark” in NBA 2K and of course “Volta Football” from the last two FIFA titles. The series was a giant in the early 2000s with titles like NFL Street, NBA Street, and FIFA Street that created fast-paced, arcade-style games with constant energy, and a spark that made them a favorite of the Xbox/PlayStation 2/Gamecube-generation of kids fighting to stay on the sticks. The sports video game genre, particularly games under the Electronic Arts umbrella, has been taking this exact route over the last few years with its attempts at recreating the magic of EA’s massively popular Street series. It always happens, and probably always will happen, but that newly recreated trend almost never recaptures the initial lightning in a bottle that comes from the original. It’s often said that clothing becomes vintage after around 20 years, and in that time, it becomes a new form of familiar trend thanks to a blend of nostalgia and rebranding. What was once cool and popular will ultimately return in some way eventually. The popularity and trends in video games can almost be compared to those in fashion. Celebrating their respective 15th and 16th anniversaries in North America this week, we take a look back at the iconic FIFA Street and FIFA Street 2 titles - from their simple-yet-unforgettable gameplay to their nostalgic soundtracks.
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