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Well
what can we say about this that hasn't already been written a thousand times.
Basically this is Acclaims attempt to dethrone Madden as the king of the
American Football Simulations and like so many annual revisions to sports games
this is the latest 1997 version of the game, featuring more up to date
statistics and a whole host of extras that the software writers hope will have
you reaching for your wallets yet again.
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This
is a multiplayer three dimensional American Football simulation that has been
created for all of us that admire the sport, but don't really want to get our
legs broken playing it.
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The
nice intro. sequence sets the mood for you to jump straight into quick game. The
options screens look great and the tension is high as you wait for the first
matchup to load, the screen changes and then it hits you......
You
double take at the screen and quickly check to see if this is a Megadrive or a
PlayStation that you are playing because the player graphics are blocky and more
cartoon-like than realistic. You can see the individual numbers on the Jerseys
sure enough, but I would rather have sacrificed this detail for crisper sprites.
Activision tell us that the player graphics were motion captured from the New
York Jets players Adrian Murrell and Lonnie Young, so in theory what you see on
the field, is what you see in the game..... Hmmm
The game has some
great camera angles including one which allows you to set the camera angle to
your own favorite angle, a nice touch.
The stadiums are also nice, but
why are the crowds not animated, instead they are made up of a flat blurred
texture that does nothing to improve the realism of the game.
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Again,
everything starts off very well. The rear speakers of my surround sound system
burst into life as the opening introductory sequence went through its paces and
it must be said, sounded fantastic. The in-game sounds are reasonable, but at no
point did they "blow my socks off". The crowd sound samples are very
average and after a short time you stop noticing this constant monotone
background noise. The crunching of player-on-player is crisp and clean, not
realistic enough to make you wince, but good enough not to complain about and I
liked the way that you could get your players to taunt the opposition with
various macho shouts.
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To
be fair, they have crammed in loads of statistical information into the game,
which will no doubt please the die hard fans of the sport. Stick in a memory
card and you can keep a running record of the longest pass, rush and more.
The
rosters are as up to date as possible and they have added loads of new plays to
keep the gameplay as varied as possible and improve the longevity of the game.
The
A.I of the computer players has been improved over the original version of this
game and will present a real challenge to anyone who plays on the higher
difficulty settings.
Variable weather conditions also add to the
difficulty of the game and are a nice inclusion.
As with most
simulations, there is always a fine line between true realism and playability. I
feel that the programmers may have got it slightly wrong with the pace of the
players in this game. Giving them the benefit of the doubt (in that its not
simply that the game engine runs too slowly), it may well be the case that they
run at exactly the same pace as the real players do, but regardless of accuracy,
you are constantly left with the feeling that you are always watching a
slo-motion replay, rather than athletes at the peak of their form. However this
may suit some people who prefer a more relaxed pace to their football.
A
very nice feature of the game is the ability to change the course of history. By
replaying famous old games at critical points, you get to see if you can change
the outcome within the final few minutes of play.
The actual playing of
the game is fine, its pretty easy to pick up if you concentrate on getting used
to two or three plays at a time, rather than trying to be smart and using them
all in your first few games. You may find that the quickest way to start
enjoying this game is via the multiplayer modes. Either you and a friend, or up
to 8 human players can play at once. Its far easier to learn the game mechanics
when you are playing another human, due to the simple fact that they will almost
surely make all of the same mistakes as you will, unlike the computer, who will
just make you look incompetent. After a few games you will feel confident enough
to challenge the PlayStations brain to a game or two!
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It
will take some time to master this game, but this is what you want. The way that
you can set-up the game to your liking adds a nice individual touch to it and
the massive amount of statistical information that is available will please the
true fans of this genre.
As a multiplayer game this is a blast to play
and would be worth purchasing if you have a multi-tap, a handful of joypads and
a bunch of friends.
If you have got the original, then rent this first,
just to make sure that all of the additions are to your liking.
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JIM |
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GRAPHICS: |
Average |
Unfortunately
I think we will have to wait for the 1998 version of this game before we see the
definitive American Football Simulation. Don't get me wrong this is a very
playable game, its just that we were all hoping for a little bit more. |
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SOUND: |
Good |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Good |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
7.5/10 |
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MARTIN |
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GRAPHICS: |
Average |
A
good game , but not a classic. |
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SOUND: |
Good |
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PLAYABILITY: |
Average |
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VALUE: |
Good |
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OVERALL
7/10 |
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