TV Sports Football
Reviewed by Michael LoCascio
NEC had very high expectations for TV Sports Football when
Cinemaware initially released it. The Turbo had never
offered players much of a selection when it came to sports
game, but TV Sports Football was intended to be the
beginning of a series that would lure video game jocks to
NEC's supersystem. The TV Sports line of games was quite
successful on the PC, and the version of football that came
out for the TG-16 featured something that no other system's
sports games were able to boast of at the time: five-player
simultaneous play. Unfortunately, around the same time that
the game was hitting the shelves, Electronic Arts released
John Madden Football for the Sega Genesis. Following Madden,
football games simply couldn't be looked at in the same
light as before; expectations went through the roof. TV
Sports Football went from being a potential hit to an
outdated afterthought before it could even put up a fight.
Well, the game had a number of flaws that would have plagued
it whether Madden had ever been released or not. There are
no real NFL teams or players in this title; you must select
from clubs such as the 'sharks? and ?Tidal Waves?. Each team
wears the exact same uniforms; if you're on the road, you?ll
be decked out in red, while the home club dons equally dull
blue jerseys. Each game takes place on the exact same
generic field. The game scrolls vertically presenting you
with an overhead, bird's eye view of the action - of which
there is very little. TV Sports Football has very little
personality - which isn't helped any by the poor graphics,
obnoxious music and dull sound effects.
There are very few plays to choose from on the play
selection screen, and once you find out that running plays
are virtually useless, your options become even fewer. You
can't plow through the defense in this game; in order to run
the ball, it's necessary for your running back to run around
your entire offensive line. Needless to say, by the time
you're ready to turn the corner, numerous defenders will be
awaiting you.
The passing game is also severely flawed. In order to pass,
you must direct your quarterback's arm in the exact
direction that you want to throw the ball. Then you have to
hold the passing button down to determine how deep your
throw will go. It's not a very effective system to begin
with, and it certainly paled in comparison to the passing
windows that were introduced in Madden. Nonetheless, you?ll
eventually stumble upon a play that allows you to throw to a
receiver whose route crosses the center of the field - in
other words, you won't have to aim your QB's arm at all.
Choosing this type of play over and over again is a surefire
way to drive right down the field on your opponent's defense.
You won't have very much fun using this type of cheap tactic,
but it's not like you?d have much fun anyway, regardless of
the plays you use.
The graphics in TV Sports Football are dull but adequate
enough. An obvious problem is that the game looks exactly
the same each time you play it, as the field and uniform
colors are never altered in the slightest, regardless of
which teams are playing. The field has a very flat look to
it, which might have been acceptable had Electronic Arts not
given gamers a playfield with actual depth to it in John
Madden Football. One bright spot are the close-up shots of
attempted field goals. You get a nicely-drawn view of your
kicker and holder with the goalposts in the distance.
Unfortunately, this single bright spot serves to remind one
of numerous aspects that could use some improvement. Field
goals cannot be blocked; if you're the defending team, your
only hope will be to sit by and hope that your opponent
misses the kick. While we're on the subject of the kicking
game, it's impossible to ignore the fact that the game does
not even allow you to perform your own kick-offs. The
designers of TV Sports Football apparently didn't feel like
putting in the effort that it would take to allow gamers to
participate in every facet of the game play. As a result,
most players will feel like they are watching the action
from the sidelines rather than actually participating in it.
Also as a result, the game was slaughtered in sales by John
Madden Football, a game which actually allows players to..
well.. play.
With the game as dull as it is, it would have been nice to
have some decent music in the background, simply to spice up
the lackadaisical action. Unfortunately, there isn't any
music during the games in TV Sports Football. There is a
rather annoying tune that plays during the title screen
however. If nothing else, this track will prompt you to
begin a game as quickly as possible, just so that you won?t
have to listen to it. Of course, once you do begin a game,
you'll wish you never wasted your time in the first place.
At least the sound effects are rather neat. All the hits and
grunts of a real football game are presented in fine fashion
here, and Cinemaware did include plenty of voice effects.
Interestingly enough, the crowd noise increases as a team
marches closer towards the goalline. It may seem like
nothing special these days, but such attention to detail was
typically nonexistent in most sports titles during the era
in which TV Sports Football was released.
Ironically enough, a version of John Madden Football was
eventually released years later for the Turboduo. By that
time, the basic mechanics of Madden were somewhat outdated
(NEC was just never able to do anything right, were they).
However, its definitely a more viable option than a dull,
uninspired title like TV Sports Football.
Overall: 4 out of 10
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