Computing counts down the best ever titles released on the Amiga
21. TV Sports Football
TV Sports Football is a great game even if you don't care for American Football. If you do, it's an even better game, but the fact that its superb gameplay translates even to the uninitiated just goes to show how well its mechanics work (and you don't have to sit through endless ads every quarter).
The game is framed around a TV show, with presenters introducing you to the game and running you through the teams, and little camera cut-aways during the action (during a break in play you might be taken to a scene where a player waves to the camera and shouts 'Hi mom!', for instance. It could grate, but it's so well presented, and so consistent in tone that it's still clever and cute after years of playing).
Brilliantly, you get to assign stats to your team before you start, bringing in a mild RPG element to proceedings. This is especially useful when you define how good you want your defensive players to be, as when it comes to the game, you can give yourself control of the uber-powerful quarterback sacking linebacker you created, and single-handedly break down the opposition's play consistently.
Or maybe there's a particular offensive play you like, in which case you give your favourite receiver or running back the top stats, and be confident that that play should land you a healthy number of points across the season.
Like most good sports simulations, the replayability comes from the fact that no two on-pitch scenarios are ever precisely alike, and every win is a genuine thrill. The icing on the cake is the beautiful and innovative presentation. One of Cinemaware's oft-forgotten, but greatest titles.
