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Show COMICS > GAMING Arena Football scores David Betancourt SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST 0 punting on fourth \ down? The difference betweena “jack” linebacker and a “mac”linebacker? Wherearethe offensive tackles andtight ends? If you've ever had questions about indoor football, the answers can be found in Arena Football, the newest football game from EA Sports, the makers of the world-famous Madden NFL franchise. The AFL (Arena Football League)is onfull displayin this well-put-togethersimulation. Fans of Maddenwill recognize from a graphics standpointthat manyfeatures of the Madden gameenginewereused for Arena Football,but it is far from a Maddenclone. : ArenaFootball stands onits ownas a surprisingly fun gaming experience that might go a long wayto increase the popularity of indoorfootball. For a gaming fan playing Arena Football for the first time, there are obvious differences to adjust to. Shorter fields. Eight-on-eight play instead of 11-on-1]. Three down linemen oneachsideofthe ball. Blitzing is complex. The aforementioned “jack” Jinebackeris the only linebacker (out of the ~ ~ » e Daily Herald, Thursday, February 23, 2006 twoonthe defensiveside of the ball) allowed toblitz. EA does greatjob of ensur| ing that new fans to the sport don't have a hard time with the gameplay; ArenaFootball has an excellent tutorial mode for offense, defense and special teams. The tutorial mode also explains the rules of the game while teaching youthe controls. Offensive and defensive controls are easy to master after practice. Gameplayis fun and extremely fast. Little things such as having your quarterbacksit in the pocket hoping for that extra second for a receiver to get open won't guarantee you success but possibly can guarantee your quarterback being thrownto the ground by a defender. As soon as the ball is snapped, look to getrid ofit or lookto get hit. Passing is obviously the main aspect of the game,and there are an array of passing formations and receivingroutes. Pumpfakes by the quarter- UNDULATING GRAFFITI FOXTROT T NEED A FivELETTER WORD FOR “COMPUTER HAVOC-WREAKER.’ \ TLL LEAVE {T BLANK FOR NOW. back are a great wayto bait defensive backsandget your receivers open,but again, time is money. The pocketcollapses quickly. Some quarterbacks are extremely mobile, and thereis a scrambling option, but don’t look to get your Michael Vick on and think you're going to Tun amokas soonas theball is snapped. Rushing your quarterbacka lot is a good wayto get him injured. : Therealso are multiple runningplaysfor the one player who maybe forgotten the most in Arena Football, the running back. Running backs should primarily be used in short yardagesituations or for the rare occasionthat you get tackled at the l-yard line.If it’s second and nine,don'tlookto get the first downby handingthe ball off. Newfeatures, such as taking controlof your receiver before the snap and running your own routes and a new analog kicking control that one hopes will be installed in all of EA’s future football games, highlight what should be the start of a successful franchise. Visually the gameis great to look at. One minus is that there is no announce team for games, ‘but maybe that will be added in a future version. Details: ARENA FOOTBALL, EASports, Rated: Everyone, 10 andolder. Xbox, PlayStation 2, $30. Local Businesses * Phone Numbers Sameer DO I HAVE LETTUCE Do T HAVE Lee IN MY TEETH? IN MY TEETH? NO,\M STOPPING By THE DOCKS IRST, Fi I HAVE SOME THINGS TO THINK THROUGH, AND BEING NEAR WATER HELPS!, eng | } E SOME utHAV IME... WANT | 1 OF CCASASVPTN TO TALK? /- IT’S. A LOT MORE FUN — IF YOU THINK OF wwwheraldextra.com/yellowpages <_ YOURSELF AS A “RECORDING ARTIST”! |