Front Page Sports Football Pro 97
Review, 05/25/97
Preview, 09/30/96
by Al Giovetti
Price:
Genre: sports simulation
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Publisher: Sierra
Phone: 800-757-7707
Website: http://www.sierra.com/games/fb97/
Requirements: 486DX2, 66 MHz, 8 MB RAM, Super VGA, Windows 95, 2 X CD ROM,
Company line: How do you improve on a legend? You keep all of the great features that gamers have come to expect, and add updated stats and teams, some tweaks here and there to enhance gameplay and graphics, make it completely Windows-based, to take advantage of the increased hardware compatibility offered by plug and play technology, and then also add one heck of a cool new twist. This time, we're giving you modem and network play! Challenge a friend to a not-so-social game of pigskin abuse, loser buys the pizza. No matter whether you're a joystick jockey or an armchair manager, this game has something for everyone! And we're going to give it to you for cheap. If you have a copy of Football Pro `96, you can upgrade to the new version just by calling our Direct Sales folks at 1-800-757-7707 and parting with $29.95.
Game play: a new play wizard allows you to create simple plays fast while still retaining the detail for those who want to create plays with complex paths and maneuvers. The game is a complete rewrite in an attempt to eliminate the bugs and foibles of the prior game. The new game requires 8 MB of RAM while the old one needed 16.
Scenarios: You can play as Commissioner, General Manager, Coach, or individual Player.
Editors: A new play editor makes calling plays easier. Just call the play once and save it then the next time just recall the play from your playbook. You can change all stats or one stat with the statistics editor. Quick changes of team features is easy now with quick change features.
League News: You are kept abreast of changes in other teams and the new rosters in a single screen.
Licenses: Football Pro has every NFL player due to the Players Inc. license, and the National Football League allows the game to use the NFL teams.
Views: The Camera Angle Management System (CAMS) provides a multitude of views to watch the action from any location on the field.
Grahics: Texture mapping of players puts the numbers on the jerseys complete with wrinkles and shadows.
Animation: Black spots simulate rain.
Multi-player: Null modem (direct serial), phone modem, network, and internet play will support multiple players.
Journalists: Jason feels that the numerous bugs, screen clutter, slow animation, and problems with the multi-player make this a useless downgrade from previous DOS versions.
References:
http://www.sierra.com/games/fb97/
http://www.nfl.com/
http://www.sportsline.com/u/NFLPlayers/licensees/
Steve Bauman, Computer Games Strategy Plus, issue 71, October, 1996, pg.
116.
Jason Bates, PC Gamer, volume 4, number 4, April, 1997, pg. 117, 65%.