Genesis

Joe Montana II: Sports Talk Football

The players are fairly small, but when the ball is passed or handed off, the camera zooms in six times closer. This is especially helpful for runners trying to find room. Although running up the middle is still very difficult, this is one of the few Genesis football games where you can actually "break away" on a run. After each quarter or score, a great looking statistic screen is presented, complete with little graphs. Montana II lacks Madden's polished look. The players are animated fine until they are hit, at which time they immediately fall flat on their stomachs or backs, and it looks pretty stupid. The controls seem to have been intentionally designed to be different from Madden, and as a result they are not very intuitive. For example, before the play the C button switches players, but the B button performs that function during the play. The B button is supposed to choose the closet player, but rarely does. Joe Montana II isn't a great game, but it's fun to look back on.

Zumindest seinem Namen wird "Sports Talk Football" gerecht: Die Stimme des Modulkommentators ist durchdacht und präzise aus vielen einzelnen Wortblöcken zusammengesetzt. Doch was bringt der rasanteste Reporter, wenn das Spiel selber nicht gerade den flottesten Gang einlegt: In der Gesamtdarstellung ist Übersicht ein Fremdwort, glücklicherweise wird nach Paßwurf oder während eines Laufspiels auf einen detaillierten Ausschnitt runtergezoomt. In Punkto Scrolling und Animationsablauf haben sich die Programmierer nicht mit Ruhm bekleckert - die Sprites flackern im Getümmel. Footballfans sollten sich "Sports Talk Football" einmal ansehen, allen anderen wird "John Madden Football" von Electronic Arts mehr Freude bereiten.

It's a game without a soul, sold simply on the technology present in the cartridge. Even titles such as Mutant League Football and Pigskin 621 A.D. pack more personality and gameplay than the far more vocal Joe Montana II. That's the problem with the game – with the technology now commonplace, there needs to be another reason to visit the game. It could be enjoyable gameplay as in the titles above or to rekindle an old roster from past years, but Sports Talk has neither. Strip away the voice commentary, and the game is as generic as the "GO TEAM" and "Rah!" signs which the animated crowd shake on notable plays.