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A.P.I Review:	NFL GAMEDAY '99
Developer:	Red Zone Interactive Inc.	OPTIONS:	SCREENSHOTS: No.1   No.2   No.3
Distributor:	989 Sports	1-4 Player
Game Type:	Sports Sim	Memory Card
Review Date:	September 1998	Dual Shock.

Setting the Scene

It's the end of the summer, the pre-season is wrapping up, and kids are on 
their way back to school.  Football Fever is heavy in the air and even
Philadelphia Eagles fans are eager to start the season.  I can't think 
of any better way to kick off the year then with the best football game 
I have ever seen.  If your football motor isn't running, this game will 
surely rev you up.  Let's check it out.

Genre

Simulation of American football.

Graphics

Incredible!!  These players are so realistic you'd think you were 
watching a real game.  The high polygon count allows for extremely  
smooth and very realistic player movements.  It's unbelievable how 
life-like these guys are, right down to the saunter of the QB on 
his way to the line.    

The only minor problems I had with the look were the stadiums and  
sidelines.  Each stadium resembles the real thing but there is  
little attention to detail and there aren't any players standing 
around on the sidelines.  It looks a little goofy but the game is 
usually so intense that you don't care.  It would have been nice 
to see a little crowd detail when the Packers jump into the stands. 
Yea, that's right, they jump into the stands after they score, and 
the Broncos do the "Salute" too, as well as all the celebratory 
dances after big plays.    

You also have the ability to change the time of day and the weather.  
This is really neat because it means you can play at night (Monday  
Night Football), in the rain or snow, or in the wind.  
Extremely realistic.    

The detail in the players and other smaller aspects is amazing,  
including the American Flag used to show wind direction instead of 
a wind sock.  That scores big points in my book.  There's even a 
great video FMV in the beginning to really get you pumped for play.    

All in all, the graphics of NFL Gameday '99 are the best I have  
seen in a sports game to date on the Playstation.

Sounds and Effects

Another key part in the realism of NFL Gameday '99 is the sounds of the  
game.  The background crowd noise is about all you could expect, but  
the game sounds are excellent.  You would think they taped real games  
and played them back on the CD.  The crunch of a hard hit, the thud  
of a diving player crashing back to the turf, these are the effects  
that make games great.    

The commentary and analysis by Dick Enberg and Phil Simms is pretty  
good too.  The only problem I had is that Phil never shuts up; but  
you can turn him off in the options. However, if you don't mind his  
babbling, he does have some expert analysis to provide.    

The sounds of NFL Gameday '99 are excellent and help to provide a  
late December Sunday realism unrivaled in football games out to date.

Playability

Well, where do I start?  This game is absolutely fantastic!    

'NFL Gameday '99 has every aspect of football imaginable with multi- 
tap capabilities for up to eight players so you and your friends can  
really get into it.

Controlling the players is really not as difficult as it may first  
seem.  As you experienced football gamers know there is always a  
slight learning curve in the beginning.  But once you get the  
beginner offense/defense controls down, there's no stopping you.   

Basic running, passing, and catching are really quite easy.   
Eventually, you'll be running the no huddle offense, high stepping, 
pitching the ball (like the old Buddy Ryan defenses), and stiff  
arming opponents without even thinking about it.  You can even dive  
over piles at the goal line and Forearm Shiver an opponent at the  
line of scrimmage.  Beyond the actual player controls there are all  
the GM and Coaching responsibilities.  There is every play imaginable 
in the playbook.  

If you're not already football savvy it might even be a little 
confusing. This  could be a bit frustrating if you're playing a 
good team and have selected total control.   On the GM side, NFL 
Gameday '99 really gives you some power.  There are free agent 
signing and releases, trading, drafting, and there is even a 
salary cap.  Don't worry though, you can turn it off to create 
the super team of your dreams.    

You can also create players with abilities from the puny kicker to  
the 6'6" 300 pound D-Lineman.  As far as game modes go you get the  
basic pre-season and season modes but you also get a Tournament mode  
where you can compete in an 8 or 16 player tournament.  Saving to 
memory card will ensure you have your season results including every 
football stat imaginable.  

Unfortunately, if I were to go into detail about every aspect of 
this game and how good it is, this review would become entirely too 
long. But to sum things up knowing that I am repeating myself, 
"This game is FANTASTIC!!"  It looks great and is extremely good 
fun to play.  Once you break through the wall into the realm of the 
complex player moves, you'd be amazed at what you can make them do.  

Oh, one other thing - the dual shock works superbly with this game.   
Every bone crunching tackle is highlighted with a response from the  
controller.  Even catching the ball for a return issues a slight  
vibration!  Ah, it's just icing on the cake.

Value for Money

This game is worth whatever price you can find it for.  
I don't recommend wasting any time in purchasing it because it will clear  
the shelves pretty quickly once the word gets around.  

There has never been a better football game on any system!  Although some  
playing schemes can be difficult to get a hold of at first, this  
just adds to the replay value of this game.  With so many teams,  
and season and tournament modes to master, you will be sure to 
spend a lot of time playing NFL Gameday '99.  It is definitely  
worth the investment!