NFL '97

"One of the worst football garbages!!!"

Firstly, let me stress that i am not really a true football fan and don't blame me if you think this review is too bias. Giving NFL '97 a 1. That's ridiculously too low. But, that's what i think the game deserves. I may not be able to appreciate football games, but at least, i have played games like Madden on Genesis. NFL '97 can't even be compared to Madden on Genesis. Why?

Sports games are what made the Genesis a success but it seems like Sega has forgotten about that. Not only did NFL '97 take two years to put out a dismal football but Sega didn't even bother to make it. They just purchased the game from sports newcomer Gametek who also sold the PlayStation version to Konami and made Jimmy Johnson's NFL '97, which by far looks much better than the Saturn's NFL '97. [I read this from a review in one of the game magazines.]

The graphics can't even be compared to Madden on the Genesis and the characters look very lifeless on the field. When passing, an arc will appear, showing the QB exactly where the pass is going to go, then you take control of the receiver and try to get to the ball. One problem: Often, the location of the ball is offscreen such that you have to guess which way to run to. If the passing arc had been used to allow you to pinpoint your passes, it would still be forgivable but it doesn't. The only apparent purpose of the arc is to let the defense know exactly where the ball is going. Forget about all the stadium graphics and the play editor in NFL '97. The atrocious passing has already ruined the entire gameplay.

Seeing that the game is such a crap, there is nothing much which i can say about NFL '97. The lifeless graphics and ill-conceived passing arc are just two perfect examples of what makes NFL '97 one of the worst football games. The only question is what happened to the people at Sega who is responsible for good football games like NFL '95. Stay away from it as much as possible.

Graphics : 1.0/10.0
Concept : 1.0/10.0
Control : 0.0/10.0
Musics : 0.0/10.0
Sound : 3.0/10.0
Gameplay : 2.0/10.0
Replay : 0.0/10.0
Challenge : 1.5/10.0
Overall : 1.0/10.0

Reviewer's Score: 1/10, Originally Posted: 02/07/00, Updated 12/16/02