Take Command of a Virtual NFL Team!
A Review of Total Control Football
Jason Bednarik
Fourth down and seven to go. Thirty-five yards from the end zone. This next play will decide whether your team loses it all or goes on to the playoffs. Should you kick for the field goal or have your quarterback execute a button-hook? You send the kicker out for the game-saving field goal. What's this? Oh no, the kicker missed the field goal! You put a rookie on the field!
This could just be one of the many outcomes of a game in Total Control Football. In this game, you are the owner and manager of the team. Hire or fire staff members as you please. You choose the strategies. Trade or release players. You call the plays. In Total Control Football, you call all the shots.
Rather than taking the approach of many sports games, TC Football does more than put you in the game, it puts you in control. You're not just limited to directly controlling the players' actions on the field, you are also responsible for the indirect actions that affect your chosen team as a whole. Just like in the real games, the decisions you make early in the season will affect its outcome.
The graphics on Total Control Football are almost what you'd expect from other popular sports titles. With the absence of 3D, the quality and ability to see the playing field are good. At some times, changes in color switching occurred, but it was most likely due to the video card or Windows 95 anomolies. Even weather variables can be set to vary the types of games you can play.
The sound quality was average, but was most used in parts of the game where it is needed, and not much extra was added like background sound effects or the crowd cheering/jeering. Basically, the sounds reflected exactly what is happening in the game -- a team of guys throwing around a pigskin and tackling each other.
As far as playability is concerned, Total Control Football is not actually about playing each game separately, but rather it focuses on the season as a whole. The approach taken is not winning or losing each individual game, but using a combination of winning and losing in a grand strategy to claim victory in the Superbowl. The controls are not fine-tuned for complete accuracy of each individual player, nor are "signature plays" or unique moves programmed into big-name team members. After all, the exact nature of a given player is not the most important thing. Utilizing all of your team's assets and using them to win the season is what Total Control Football is all about.
All in all, Total Control Football is a game that any football fan or fanatic would love. It comes jam-packed with detailed features (hence the "Total Control" part of the title) which provides a realistic approach to the game. Its fresh twist on the sports genre of computer games is a welcome addition to my prize collection of software. Possibly the best thing about Total Control Football is that it allows you to own, manage, and coach a football team without spending millions of dollars. When you lose, there's no worry about losing your job as head coach; just start a new season! Better than Sports Illustrated (no swimsuit issue here) and no subscription fee. Just one game allows you to pursue an almost infinite number of football seasons without having to worry about paying for all those tickets!
Gamer's Zone Scorecard
| Product: | Total Control Football |
| Company: | Philips Media |
| Cost: | $39.99 |
System Requirements:
IBM compatible PC with Pentium 90Mhz or higher CPU,
Windows 95, 16MB RAM,
Quad Speed CD-ROM drive,16-bit color SVGA monitor
Windows 95 compatible mouse,
sound card, joystick recommended.
Breakdown:
Fun Factor 4
Graphics 4
Sound 3
Interface 3
Replayability 5
Overall Score:
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