Mutant League Football

Moby ID: 10318
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Description official descriptions

Futuristic, intergalactic war disguised as American Football, Mutant League Football was one of the most unique football games ever to hit the gaming market. It's a unique blend of sports and sci-fi, and the actual football is the good ol' smash-mouth kind, literally.

Dynamite throwing running backs, blitzing trolls, robots that bleed oil, it's all here. Opposing quarterback connecting on too many passes? Blitz him 'til he's dead. Suspect the ref's been bribed by the other side? Call a Kill Ref audible; it's a 5 yard penalty though.

Take your pick from nineteen teams, including three All-Star teams. There are five difficulty levels and a slow/fast game speed toggle. A tournament mode awaits those who want something more than a quick game versus the computer or a friend.

There are nineteen different fields to play on, all with there own special quirks. The Hellfield is littered with mines and fire pits to put an end to a careless runner, while The Pen is a slippery sheet of ice.

Spellings

  • ミュータント リーグ フットボール - Japanese spelling

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Screenshots

Promos

Credits (Genesis version)

46 People (41 developers, 5 thanks) · View all

Starring
  • Bones Jackson
  • Mo and Spew Puke
  • Coach Bricka
Created by
Design
Lead Artist
Animators
Graphics
Crowd and Blood
Music & Sound
Lead programmer
Programmers
Producer
Associate Producer
Assistant Producer
Technical Director
Product Testing
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 75% (based on 20 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 14 ratings with 2 reviews)

These guys could kick Madden's ass any day!

The Good
Oh man, where do I begin, this game is described in one word. Awesome. There was a whole hell of a lot to love about this game, I mean what game can you play that lets up control skeleton, trolls, supermen and aliens bashing each other, tearing each other apart, stepping on land mines and falling in fire pits or even destroy the ref.

This game had awesome graphics and very large sprites and the sounds were spectacular. I love this voices for each and the little fun things they would say once they decimated an opponent. The gore level was fantastic and the funny pokes at real NFL teams like the San Fransisco 49ers (or as the called refers to them as the Whiners).

To put it bluntly, there is hardly anything wrong about this game.

The Bad
Well, there were a few things, the one is some slowdown, but nothing you can't help, hard for the Genesis to process close to 20 different players, not including the ref, a ball in the air trying to follow it and three different players getting torn apart at the same time. It's nothing serious.

The one thing I was this game would have would be a field editor. There is a good bit of variety of fields to begin with, but I love to create a super death field, complete with land mines, fire pits and holes complete with the voids into space.

The Bottom Line
In the end, this is one hell of a game, I still wish they would bring this game back. There is a PSP version on EA's Replay Pack, but I love to see it redone on the consoles or even a retro release. If you ever get a chance, pop this sucker in and have some fun.

Genesis · by Big John WV (26955) · 2008

Legendary, but has not aged well

The Good
Mutant League Football is one of those storied games of yore - one that is well-remembered and considered by some to be a classic.

The whole concept is cool. An ultra-violent monster football league, with players (and refs!) that don't make it through the entire game in one piece? Awesome. Some of the players are modeled and named after great NFL players of the time (like "Bones Jackson" and "Reggie Fright"). Victory can be achieved through scoring more points than your opponent, but it can also be achieved by destroying all of the opposing team's players.

That's about where the good stuff ends.

The Bad
Some things are best left to nostalgia. Mutant League's play control is not very tight. Oftentimes, it seems like you are not really in control. The control simply is not responsive.

On-field action is also not very good. Against the computer, it is child's play to dominate the competition. All one really has to do is be slightly competent. Despite that, the football play is really awkward. There's really no "making plays". You simply can't control things well enough to, say, make quick cut-backs to use your blockers. Rather, you run to the outside, and you either get caught before turning the corner, or you don't.

Passing is similarly unintuitive. You don't actually see the pass routes unfold. Instead, you get little windows that show each receiver. You can see if someone's immediately covering them, but you can't tell if your pass is going to be thrown into traffic or not. It's also impossible to tell if a receiver is 15 yards downfield, or 15 feet. If you pay close attention to the play call, you can have an idea of where they will be, but it's still not ideal.

Audio is pretty sparse. Outside of the occasional "great hit!", there's not much to hear.

The Bottom Line
Mutant League Football is the subject of many tales of the Genesis heyday, but it is not a great game. The play control is shoddy, and the gameplay is flawed (partially as a result of the former). The cool idea basically goes to waste on a poor execution. The flaws may have been more tolerable in years gone by, but while some games hold up very well today, Mutant League Football does not.

Genesis · by *Legion* (136) · 2003

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  • MobyGames ID: 10318
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by RKL.

Additional contributors: j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】.

Game added September 12, 2003. Last modified January 27, 2024.