Its wannabe-gangsta attitude was grating, but the NFL Street series was still a theatrical thug-life version of football. NFL Tour is sort of a neutered remix, and it splits the difference between the comic-book fantasy of wall-flipping ballers and the earthbound glamour of televised sport.

Two squads of seven tread an abbreviated AstroTurf arena bounded by unyielding padded walls while genuinely entertaining commentary prattles on. Most of the sport’s more conventional trappings are stripped away, leaving a drastically simplified set of rules: there are no penalties, injuries, kickers, audibles, special teams, or time-outs. Even the interface for selecting a receiver defaults to a minimalist approach — one button to switch receivers, another to throw — though you’re free to revert to the time-honored three-button arrangement if you choose.



All this pruning results in a remarkably tight interpretation of field play, mixed with enjoyable arcade-style mechanics. Any time the ball carrier intersects with a defender or two walking slabs of beef get into a tussle, time slows for a moment, and the player who initiated the contact sprouts an overhead button indicator. Hit the button in time, and you’ll shrug off the exchange just as long as your opponent doesn’t counter your reversal in identical fashion. You won’t see any of NFL Street’s over-the-top superhero acrobatics or debris-strewn back alleys, but skillful timing of the button-mashing mechanics makes for exciting — albeit highly unrealistic — highlights. Players can carve up the exploitable A.I. over a 38-game career; noodle around with rule sets that award points for turnovers and let scoring teams retain possession; or ruin a friend’s game day online.



It all makes for an approachable but enjoyable bit of gridiron fantasy, complete with jukes, wall-runs, ball-stripping, streaking turbo boosts, and a painfully slow-to-fill smash meter that you can empty for spectacular performance. The same changes that’ll aggravate aficionados used to creating their own cunning new plays will attract benchwarmers used to being driven away by the more abstruse elements. Toss in a Smash & Dash mini-game version of “kill the carrier,” and quickie one-on-one and two-on-two Redzone Rush match-ups, and the whole package seems tailored for the casual player’s fleeting free time.

NFL Tour doesn’t go to cartoonish extremes, and its self-imposed limitations send some long-term potential off the field on a stretcher, but the smooth play and slick presentation keep it a worthwhile sport.

ON XBOX 360

+ Very simplified rules and controls instill renewed urgency.

+ Vibrant graphics; unique rule sets; funny commentary.

- Forgettable career

- Some dumb A.I. quirks

- May be <i>too</i> simple

? No gold teeth? Where's the stereotype service, yo?

7.5