Genesis

Joe Montana Football

After playing this game for several hours over the past ten or so years, I have decided that this is the second best football game available for the Genesis, behind only Tecmo Super Bowl for eternal enshrinement in the Sega football trophy case. The fun in this game that I have had playing and reviewing it outweighs everything that is not exactly perfect with this groundbreaking title. This title is quite a gem in the Genesis library and is totally worth the money spent picking it up and tossing a few touchdowns with your friends. Just don't forget to run the score up on them either.

Personally I think releasing this is a completely daft idea. The graphics, sound, playability and presentation, good though they are, are nowhere near the standards set by John Madden's Football, so who's going to buy it? It's a far simpler game, so while it might take ten minutes less to learn, the comparatively limited gameplay results in its appeal waning quickly. It also suffers from an amazingly easy-to-beat computer opponent, resulting in swift single-player boredom. If you've already got John Madden's, don't bother buying this as you'll find it too simple and limited to be enjoyable. And if you haven't got an American Football game and want one, buy John Madden's.

Mit Joe Montana Football ist Sega eine saubere, gut spielbare Sportsimulation gelungen. Sie hat freilich einen kleinen Haken: In so ziemlich jeder Hinsicht ist sie dem Konkurrenten "John Madden Football" von Electronic Arts unterlegen. Egal, ob bei Grafik, Sound, Steuerung, Turniermodus oder Taktikvielfalt: So ziemlich überall erntet Joe Montana ein "befriedigend bis gut"; John Madden aber ein "gut bis sehr gut". Ich kann diesen Football-Nachzügler trotz spielerischer Qualitäten nicht empfehlen. Wer auf diese Sportart steht, wird bei John Madden Football schlicht und einfach eine Klasse besser bedient.

Joe Montana is a surprisingly entertaining title, especially considering it was Sega's first attempt at football on the Genesis. Montana Football actually looks very much like John Madden Football, except the players here look sharper. There are also fewer lulls in the action -- you can select plays and hike the ball much quicker. One very innovative feature is the passing system. When you choose to pass, you get a first-person "helmet view" of your receiver, and you use crosshairs to "lead" your throw. This is fun and it works surprisingly well. Unfortunately, you can only see one receiver at a time, which may be why the system was not used in subsequent games. As I was playing Joe Montana, its main flaw became obvious: bad AI. The computer is a really lousy opponent, dropping easy catches and missing tackles all over the place. There are 16 teams to choose from, but the options are very limited. Still, as a two player game, this isn't half bad.