FIFA Street 2

FIFA Street 2 Nintendo DS brings EA Sports BIG's arcade-style football series to Nintendo's dual-screen handheld. Developed by Exient Entertainment and published by EA Sports BIG, this 2006 release is the first FIFA Street game on DS. It turns international football into compact four-a-side contests on enclosed urban pitches, putting individual skill moves and quick attacks ahead of a conventional full-size match.

A regular game places four players on each side and is viewed from a sideline camera. Match rules can be set around a time limit or a target number of goals, while the small playing areas keep the ball and opposing defenders close. Passing, shooting, and defending use the DS buttons, and play is built around finding space for a break toward goal. The format is an arcade interpretation of football rather than a simulation of eleven-a-side play.

Tricks are central to the Nintendo DS version. The touch screen displays a virtual stick that can be moved to select dribble moves, while a separate button can trigger a random trick. Performing tricks earns trick points; building the meter enables a powerful Gamebreaker shot that is especially difficult for the opposing goalkeeper to stop. This control arrangement gives the DS edition a distinct identity from versions made for systems with an analogue right stick, and it asks players to alternate between the face buttons and the touch screen during live play.

FIFA Street 2 on DS includes national sides populated by real players, with a roster of more than 300 footballers. Friendly matches offer a direct way to choose teams, venues, difficulty, and match conditions. Wireless head-to-head play lets two people compete locally when each has a copy of the game. The package also features several street-football locations, trading stadium presentation for tight, walled-off courts and a deliberately informal setting.

The main progression mode, Rule the Street, begins with a custom player. Players can select an appearance, outfit, and attributes, then assemble a squad and play kick-about matches to earn Skill Bills. That currency improves player abilities, while meeting the required skill levels opens tournaments and new places to play. Victories in special matches can also add players to the team, giving the career structure an incentive to keep moving through its events.

Although it shares its title with FIFA Street 2 on GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox, the Nintendo DS game is not a straightforward equivalent of those releases. Its handheld design omits elements associated with the console sequel, including its ball-juggling mechanics and risk-and-reward version of Gamebreakers. As a result, FIFA Street 2 Nintendo DS is best understood as a portable, touch-screen-focused branch of EA Sports BIG's 2006 street-football follow-up, built around quick four-a-side games, player customisation, and trick-driven scoring.