Everyone is very much aware of the game NBA Street, which provides players an awesome step back to a time when virtual coins were not even a thought in anyone’s mind, and being the best on the blacktop gave you incredible bragging rights. But who remembers the violent NFL equivalent of that, NFL Street?

Last mass produced back in 2006, EA Sports’ NFL Street video game was a hit for the fans of violent football that also carried with it the same edge that its NBA counterpart did. From chucking opponents into cinderblock walls to taunting down the sideline and instantly regretting it when you got lit up at the goal line, the three installments of this video game franchise (NFL Street 1, 2, & 3) were immensely popular and still hold a sense of popularity within the video game community.

Being able to rack up style points to juice up your ‘game-breaker meter’ through the spacious seven-on-seven gameplay was a welcomed addition to this franchise, which offered up advanced graphics (for its time) and an off-brand approach to visually playing a jailyard-style of football. And while Madden reigned supreme during that time and obviously outlasted the Street franchise, the violent, swaggy side of football sure was fun to embody through the Street franchise.

But what would it look like if EA Sports brought it back today? What if NFL Street 4 came out in 2020, pleasing the salivating fans of a classic video game brought back from the dead and back into living rooms everywhere?

Pristine Graphics – with a twist

The graphical aspect of NFL Street showed the grimy nature of a no-holds-barred football video game, and if it were to be brought back now, that aspect would most certainly need to be embodied with any processing speeds or graphic card utilization.

Matching the clarity and crispness of what Madden games are, NFL Street would become a sticky combination of refined and proper gameplay mixed with the dirty side of football that helped make the game so awesome in the first place.

The two-way aspects that each player was a part of through the 7-on-7 mantra was fascinating to watch, as the likes of Chad Johnson and Ricky Williams were able to finally show their defensive abilities, while Champ Bailey and Brian Urlacher tried their respective hands on the offensive side of the ball.

The bone-crushing hits, the taunting down the sidelines, the wall-running abilities – all would need to be in the new version of the game, but made easier than some of the juking abilities that the Madden franchise relies on for its flashiness.

Rosters

Brett Favre, to this day, remains as the only player in the history of the NFL Street franchise to have been listed on the ‘Legends’ team as well as being a current player for the Green Bay Packers, a high honor for the Mississippi gunslinger that was among the greats like Thurman Thomas, Reggie White, and fellow former Packer Ray Nitschke on the ‘Legends’ team.

But for the current-day rosters available in the game, one must wonder how OP and unstoppable players like Lamar Jackson, Michael Thomas, and DeAndre Hopkins would be on offense, and how downright scary Aaron Donald, Marcus Lattimore, and Tyrann Mathieu would be screaming through the offensive line ready to light your ass up.

Jackson, as much as he deserves to be compared to no one, would have a very similar impact on the game as what Michael Vick did, being able to run all over the defense, perform crazy moves all while keeping the defense honest through his throwing abilities. Thomas would eat on his slant routes over the middle, cooking linebackers and destroying safeties in his wake. Hopkins would be that vertical threat that could win every jump ball and taunt you as he leaves you in the dust.

For the defense, Donald would just be that absolute behemoth in the trenches, throwing hapless offensive linemen to the side and destroying plays in the backfield before they even get going. Lattimore’s in-your-face coverage would give wide receivers fits at the line, and his playmaking abilities would force many turnovers that he would oh so love to make you remember. Mathieu’s role would be the defense’s Swiss Army knife of sorts, from flying in for a sack to thrashing receivers into the boundary walls and forcing fumbles.

Outside of those stars, some other dominating players would include Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson at QB, Christian McCaffrey and Saquon Barkley at RB, George Kittle at TE, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill at WR, and Quenton Nelson and La’el Collins on the offensive line. Defensively, Kenny Clark and Jadaveon Clowney on the defensive line, Darius Leonard at LB, Jaire Alexander and Darius Slay at CB, and Derwin James and Earl Thomas wreaking havoc from the safety position.

Gameplay Options

Exhibition, Season, Pick-up game, Own the City, 4-on-4, Crush the Carrier, and NFL Gauntlet – all of these are options that popped up throughout different stages of the three-tiered Street series. These could all easily survive in the new game as well, but a fresh twist should be put on it as well.

Ultimate Team would be an interesting addition to this game type, but not have it be based on the VC-earning strategy that the current Madden is. Instead, through having users choose a team, offensive and defensive scheme, and player attributes they most value (speed, vision, physicality, ball-hawk, etc.), they could then use those results to create a team and have certain thresholds (1,000-yard rusher earns upgraded RB, shutout opponent earns 75+ overall DEF player, etc.) could act as the reward system dynamic instead.

Thematic community challenges would be huge attractions in this game as well, turning in-game rewards into achievable goals through Roadmap Challenges, Locational Events, and Time-Centric opportunities for users to upgrades their teams by taking advantage of a limited-time player grouping.

While rough at the edges, any sort of re-entry into the current gaming sphere that this game would bring would be an immense addition to an already-stacked sports-geared gaming universe. The Street franchise would bring a very unique sense of gameplay not seen since the likes of MLB The Bigs 2, NBA Street, and other highly-physical games disappeared off the face of the world.

EA Sports, do us fans a favor – bring it back. You would not regret it.