Let’s face it. If you’re name isn’t Electronic Arts, you’ll probably have a difficult time breaking into the football videogame market. Since the inception of
Madden, other companies have been struggling to compete for years. So what would make you want to play
Maximum Football? Well, the fact is that
Maximum Football doesn’t require a whole lot graphically, so those with older or slower computers may care to check it out. It’s also an interesting specimen for those wanting to modify uniforms, create their own teams and playbooks, and manage nearly every aspect of the game. And there is no hacking involved... just take the textures into a paint program, open up the game’s player/team editor, and create real National Football League teams, if you please.
Since the cats over at EA have the exclusive rights to the NFL, games like Maximum Football have lost some of their appeal because you would have to completely recreate the NFL, if that’s your cup of tea. But in this case, it’s not only that the game doesn’t include real players, but it really doesn’t include real gameplay either. Unfortunately, the lack of good animations takes away from Maximum Football greatly. On the other hand, the playbook editor is probably the best in the business, as you can create the players’ patterns by simply pointing and clicking your mouse for truly custom routes.
Within Maximum Football, you basically have two types of play. One is to control the players on the field, and the other is a coaching mode in which you call out the plays, but sit back and watch as your players take the field. Due to the simplistic style that is Maximum Football, I actually found that the coaching option is much better, because on the field, I felt like there just wasn’t enough control. But with the many options to customize your game, those of you who like to play Monday Morning Quarterback will probably love all of the strategy allowed in the development process. You’ll not only be able to customize the players, however. You’ll also have full control over which types of fields you play on (NFL, AFL, CFL), but also the rules on the field.
