Mount Rushmore of NFL(-ish) Video Games

[oldecapecod11]

Hardly a mount but maybe a hill (like the hills of Connemara.)

Likely, some here grew up before video games but still enjoyed the "electric" thrill of simulated action.
There was an earlier version of this game and many a runner became a "Jim Marshall" as he vibrated
toward the wrong end zone.

Some children, of course, could not have this game because the corners and the goal posts were the
equivalent of sharp objects. For those kids, there were coloring books and crayons where they could
design plays and color the little men. Some still do that.

For the game, two "A" batteries were required - or maybe it was one "D" battery. It was so long ago -
long before Scissorhands but about the same time as The West Point Story.

Be sure to watch the little kicker and passer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7i_74N0U9w

[7DnBrnc53]

There were later versions on the Genesis and Super Nintendo which were fine but didn't match the fun of the original. The game is still popular today with tournaments and modified versions that can be played on computers and smartphones with not only current rosters but with older rosters going back to 1978. Ever wanted to replay Super Bowl XIII on TSB? You can.

20 years ago, the original Playstation also had a version of Tecmo Bowl. You could edit the old players out and make new ones. I had that game in 1997 and 98, but I got rid of it in early 99 because of the new Cleveland expansion team.

BTW, here is the Tecmo Bowl site: http://tecmobowl.org/

I also remember playing a football game with my friend on his Commodore 64 30 years ago. Don't know what it was called, though.

[JohnTurney]

Football Pro '96 by Sierra is one of my all-time favorites that I still play with rosters I made for teams from the '70s. I started a franchise league in 1974 and am now in the '77 season.

I had that game, but it never worked well, I think my PC at the time was subpar. So, I never even played it.

[NWebster]

Paper and cards. I loved Stats Pro Football by Avalon Hill.

[Rupert Patrick]

Paper and cards. I loved Stats Pro Football by Avalon Hill.

Statis Pro Football was one game I didn't care for; I found it too complex as you had to consult all the cards for each player before every play. On the other hand, Statis Pro Baseball was hands down the best baseball board game ever invented. Statistically accurate, yet it allowed for weird instances like games being rained out and injuries and players getting ejected, and it was easy to create your own cards.

Paydirt was my favorite of the football board games. Fans are still creating new charts for the game; you can find them on ebay. About ten or twelve years ago I was brought in by a guy who used to post here (I think he was eventually banned on this forum) named Matt Floray with a group of other Paydirt fans to create a set of 30 greatest teams of the Super Bowl era, and we argued back and forth about the design concept and got nothing done except the 1998 Denver Broncos chart. Apparently Matt purchased the formula for creating the charts from one of the guys who created them (there were three different variations of Paydirt charts, which made it difficult to play teams from different seasons against one another) and when Matt died about five years ago one of his friends took over the formula for the charts and is selling new Paydirt charts on Ebay.

[Bryan]

-Super Bowl Sunday (Avalon Hill, C64) (Bryan, nice call on this one - first video game I played with actual players)

I was always fascinated with the defensive player ratings in that game. Each defensive player was given a run rating (5=best, 1=worst) and a pass rating, with the majority of the starters given 3/3 ratings. I have no idea how those ratings were calculated...even if it was purely subjective, the system had it quirks. I remember Mel Blount on the 1975 Steelers was given a below average 2/3 rating (11 INTs, Team MVP), while Minnesota Viking Bobby Bryant was the best CB in the game with a max 5/5 rating. I also learned that the worst defensive player in NFL history was Miami Dolphin DB Bob Petrella, who had a 1/1 rating.

[lastcat3]

Surprised no one has mentioned Front Office Football yet. It's more of a simulation for stats junkies than a game you can actually control the action on but still fun. If I ever get around to playing video games again that is the only game I will consider.

[JohnH19]

Paper and cards. I loved Stats Pro Football by Avalon Hill.

I'm also a board game guy. Off the top of my head, I have APBA, Strat-O-Matic, Statis Pro, TSG1, T.H.E., Paydirt/SI Pro Football, Fran Tarkenton's Game/Vince Lombardi's Game/Be A Pro Quarterback (different editions of the same game but the Tark game had beautiful much higher quality components), Canadian Pro Football, 21-Zip, and Booth's Pro Conference in my collection...not to mention multiple seasons of most.

My friends and I replayed the full 1972, 73 and 74 seasons on Vince Lombardi's Game back in the day. A simple, but mostly realistic, game that played smoothly. It was somewhat similar to Paydirt except you had 23 offensive plays and 8 defensive calls to choose from, rather than only 9 and 6.

The 23 offensive plays were broken down to inside and outside runs, draw plays, screen passes, and short, medium and long passes, each to individual running back and receiver positions. Each player on every team was rated in the advanced version but I preferred the intermediate version where I would rate each team's effectiveness on each individual play. The play rating was usually 6 (weak), 7 (average), or 8 (strong). The intermediate version of the game gave each team's defense one overall rating, again usually 6, 7, or 8, but I split the rating into effectiveness against the run and pass so a team strong against the run but weak against the pass would have an 8/6 rating. The offensive play rating would compare to the applicable defense rating on each play to see if an up or down adjustment of the dice roll is required and the defensive call impacts the level of success the offensive play can have.

Games only took about an hour which is pretty quick for a board football game. Thankfully, I still have the records of all of the game scores from the three seasons. After 40+ years I can still remember playing a few of the more memorable games with fantastic finishes when I see the scores.

[lastcat3]

Hardly a mount but maybe a hill (like the hills of Connemara.)

Likely, some here grew up before video games but still enjoyed the "electric" thrill of simulated action.
There was an earlier version of this game and many a runner became a "Jim Marshall" as he vibrated
toward the wrong end zone.

Some children, of course, could not have this game because the corners and the goal posts were the
equivalent of sharp objects. For those kids, there were coloring books and crayons where they could
design plays and color the little men. Some still do that.

For the game, two "A" batteries were required - or maybe it was one "D" battery. It was so long ago -
long before Scissorhands but about the same time as The West Point Story.

Be sure to watch the little kicker and passer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7i_74N0U9w

See this is why kids spent so much more time playing outside back in the day then they do now. Playing outside was heaven compared to this.

[oldecapecod11]

Hardly a mount but maybe a hill (like the hills of Connemara.)

Likely, some here grew up before video games but still enjoyed the "electric" thrill of simulated action.
There was an earlier version of this game and many a runner became a "Jim Marshall" as he vibrated
toward the wrong end zone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7i_74N0U9w

See this is why kids spent so much more time playing outside back in the day then they do now. Playing outside was heaven compared to this.

That's for sure.
And we didn't have to worry about pedophiles and drug pushers; we knew who our parents were;
and the air was not filled with sweet perfume.
Some weren't allowed outside and those poor kids stayed home and played with their dolls and crayons.
Some of them still do.