10-Yard Fight

"9 route, on sound, on soun... ah, what the heck, lets just run it freestyle."

Most other reviews for 10 Yard Fight will simply bash this game into the ground. They look at this game with the standard, sectioned ''Graphics: ?/10, Sound:?/10''. But you cannot look at 10 Yard Fight that judgmentally. Of course you would say that the game simply sucks beyond belief, but it is too simplistic to be viewed that way. Sound is nonexistent, the controls are awful, the computer AI is slightly smarter than the average bear, and once, I stepped in crap then wiped it on the grass and the shape it made was a better depiction of a football player than these graphics. Not to mention that NFL football and all of it's rules wandered off somewhere far, far away from here. But that's not what makes this game great. It's fun. Flat out, no excuses fun. All of today's football games are so in depth and scrutinized that the fun has almost essentially disappeared. In 10 Yard Fight, there are no plays to be made, no choice of teams, and no penalties to worry about. All you need to concern yourself with is making sure that the ball reaches the endzone. And I think that is what makes this particular football game so darn fun.

You can't say that this is a horrible game. For a shot at programming a football game in 1983, this is not bad at all. All you need is there for you. It has the bare essentials and that's what I like about it. Think about it: this game is really the same as today's next-gen football games, except that these new games make it a lot harder to move it up the field, which is your only goal in 10 Yard Fight. Which, I guess can be fun for a while with the nice graphics and all. But for me, 15 minutes of this and still not having scored a touchdown has me throwing the controller up against the wall and having it come back and hit me in the face. Why not just save all that trouble with this misfit of the gaming world? The point is don't be lured by awesome graphics and shun this game because you think it's mediocre. Give it a chance.

Ah, the tranquility of a spring morning. That's what 10 Yard Fight feels like. Sort of. Football games today are filled with a loud, cheering audience, the grunts of the players, the SET!s and HIKE!s of the quarterbacks, and all other sounds you could possibly think of. There was no sound in this game, and that, to me, added to the experience. If you have to, you can just make up tunes in your head or play a CD. It strays off from other games with it's peaceful gameplay and no music. Don't worry, it gets better...

Well, not really. 10 Yard Fight is actually to old to be looked at critically and is just a game to have fun with. No real goals, like making it to the Superbowl, except making it to SUPER, I think it was called, kinda like the Superbowl. It was nothing to get excited over, as there was no season mode, and it was not too terribly difficult to make it there. If your looking for realistic football, this game will turn you away like most other people, but for those of you looking for a true classic, this is one awesome, fun filled game and you will like it.

But, in reality, only one person can make the decision to like this game. You. I can only try to convince you to enjoy it. Whatever you do, don't go into this game looking for some serious football action. Be open minded about it, 'cause hey, they tried, loosen up a bit, and take a stroll through the mid 80's with this half forgotten classic, and most important, have fun.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 12/20/02, Updated 12/20/02