10-Yard Fight

"I'd rather be sacked by L. Taylor..."

Ten Yard Fight is one the games from the NES’s freshman group of games and it just shows in every way. This game is just a waste of money that should be banished to some far off landfill where no one could dig it up by accident and try to have fun. For those who do not know, there appear to be two versions of Ten Yard Fight, one where you play another team on offense and defense and one with a point scoring system where you cannot play defense. This review is about the version where you can actually play defense, not that makes the game much better.

Graphics 2 /10-Can anyone find a single positive thing about the visuals in this game? The players are freakishly similar to their teammates. Every player is identical to the other members of their team! They could have at least lightened up or darkened some of the team skin for variety instead of the blandness they chucked at us. The most inexcusable part about Ten Yard Fight’s graphics is that a football is brown and not black.

Music and sounds 3/10-The music and sound department is another chance for Ten Yard Fight to make us realizes how bad this game is and TYF scores a touchdown. There is only one song in the entire thing, a really poor drum cadence that last only around ten seconds before looping a few seconds later. The sound effects do not save this mockery of football either. The ball being kicked, the 'ball going through air' noise reminds me of a cat scraping a chalkboard while being hit with a brick. The only other sound effect is the whistle blowing after every play that thankfully is not as annoying as the wind effect.

Fun and Replay 4/10- This game does have some redeeming moments, and that is in the fun factor. Just chuck it to the running back and have him dance until he makes the other team feel as bad as anyone who paid money for this game. The amount of replay value playing this game borders on non-existent. Once you get past the final game you can replay it repeatedly until you or the Nintendo explodes.

Football Authenticity 1/10- Ten Yard Fight has committed atrocities against football and the sport’s rules. First, the clock keeps running even if you are tackled, run out of bounds, or are kicking an extra point. The lack of quarters is not really that much of a problem, just annoying to anyone who knows football is four quarters and not two halves. Each team only has nine players on the field, not the regulation eleven. The amount, or lack of, plays are just horrendous. You have one play on offense you always run, with an option to throw it to your halfback, fullback, receiver, a halfback pass, a fullback pass, or a scramble with you quarter back. Did the programmers ever hear of football before they started this train wreck?

Challenge 2/10- Sadly, there is no challenge in playing the computer in football. They dive at least a second too early, they can not take you down without at least five seconds of a struggle, and you can do the same play repeatedly until you hit the end zone. The game pace is just too slow to be a challenge for a remotely experienced gamer.

Overall 2/10-Ten Yard Fight pretends to be football but it is not. It attempts to be fun and fails miserably there as well. The only thing it does do right is keep score and boot up properly.

Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/00, Updated 05/19/03