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NFL Gameday 98

NFL Gameday 98

Sorry for no post last week, got a little busy.  Figured I would get back into it with another genre I haven’t touched yet, sports games.

Yes, there used to be football games other than Madden.  Way back in the old days, we had options.  Tecmo Super Bowl was the first king of the digital gridiron, but that didn’t last past the 90s.  In the early 'aughts, the NFL 2K series (which I find to be massively overrated) scared EA so much that they decided to buy exclusive rights to the NFL license, essentially cornering the market on football video games.
 Image result for nfl gameday 98

Of course, this exclusivity wouldn’t apply to first party developers.  It’s how Sony was able to keep making “MLB: The Show” titles after 2K sports bought exclusivity to the MLB license as a measure of revenge against EA.  They could have continued making Gameday titles as well, but decided against it.  Why?  The PS1 era Gameday’s were widely considered to be superior to the Madden titles of that era, so why stop.  Well, the PS2 Gameday’s (I think they ran through ‘02 or ‘03) sucked. A lot. EA left them in the dust, but today, we are talking about the 98 edition on PS1.

The game had excellent presentation for its time.  As with all of the first party Sony/989 sports games, it starts with live action video of highlights, featuring a number of hits the NFL would never allow to be featured anywhere today.  Jerry Rice, Troy Aikman, John Elway and others get absolutely crushed in this vid.  It has appropriate music and all 30 teams (remember, no Browns 2.0 until '99 or Texans until ‘02).  Each has correct uniforms and actual stadiums.  It was kind of cool playing in places like the Silverdome, Veterans Stadium and Candlestick Park again.  Also of note, no Titans, they are still the Tennessee Oilers here.  The graphics are laughable by Madden ‘19 standards, but for their time they were top notch.

You could play a single game or a full season, with actual stats, pick up free agents and trade players.  It sounds pretty limited next to what sports games feature now, but at the time that was pretty standard.  All the players you loved (or hated) from the era are here and it serves as a digital time capsule.  Pre Eli Manning era?  This was the pre Kerry Collins in New York era!  And the virtual Dave Brown is as lousy as I remember the real one being!  I am sure if you are a 49er or Cowboy fan, a throwback to this era would be much more positive.

I hate dumping on games because they are “dated” as I feel a lot of critics use that as an excuse to criticize old games while putting over newer ones that, while technically impressive, aren’t any fun.  However, I have to say that is kind of the case here, at least if you are looking at this as a simulation rather than an arcade style football game.  The line of scrimmage always turns into a mess, receivers can’t catch in stride and tackling is a crapshoot.  The sure fire way to lose in Gameday?  Actually follow the plays as they are drawn up.  Forget everything you knew about football.  Always cut back runs.  Always throw across your body.  Forget trying to run up the middle.  It won’t work.  

Offense is generally fun, but defense is a chore.  Running backs are damn near impossible to tackle in the open field and if you are up against Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders or Terrell Davis, just forget about it.  Alternatively, defending the pass is too easy.  Receivers never make catches in traffic ever and always seem to be covered.  I thought it might have had to do with my team selection, as the 98 Giants had a criminally underrated secondary (Jason Sehorn, Percy Ellsworth, Felipe Sparks and Tito Wooten were all way better than most people  remember them being) but this happened with any team I played as or against.

However, there is still fun to be had here.  Sometimes its just fun to pull off ridiculous plays as some of your old favorites from the 90’s.  The controls are responsive and it’s easy to pick up and play.  You don’t really need to know much about football, which is a positive here.  Games don’t take too long and once you figure out how the game behaves it removes any frustration factor that may have been left.  

I am not going to say you should play this over Madden, because if you are looking for a football sim you will be disappointed.  I think football games peaked with the PS2/XBox/GameCube era Maddens, but that’s probably just me.  Gameday lacks the options and realism to make it a true football sim, but its good fun to play with your buddies after a few drinks.

7/10

Play this game if
You like arcade style football
You are a fan of teams like San Fran, Dallas, Denver, Etc. that had their glory years in the 90s
Older sports games are your thing

Avoid if
You prefer more realistic football simulations
You need tons of game modes, like franchise, etc.
You are a Giants fan that had successfully blocked Danny Kannell and Dave Brown from your memory
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