Total Pro Football Preview, PC Gamer Preview - Pages 28-34

[maximus]

I caught this over at the TPF forums. Thanks to Valhalla Express for the info. Here is what he had to say;

In the most recent PC Gamer (January 2004 Issue) is a preview of two new football titles. The article is entitled "Are You Ready For Some INDIE Football?" You can find this preview on pages 28-34.

The article talks about Maximum-Football and Total Pro Football. The article is well written and gives the reader a nice feel for what the two creative parties are trying to accomplish.


I thought some of you might be interested. I'll be picking me up a copy today.

NOTE: However, I am not sure what INDIE means...must be a typo on his part. :confused:

6 page review...not bad. I hope that they aren't filled up with ads.

[Deattribution]

Independant, neither game has real players or teams. So they're Indie football.

[maximus]

Originally posted by Deattribution
Independant, neither game has real players or teams. So they're Indie football.

OH, .....Blah! I should have thought of that. Thanks.

[Sloan]

Actually I think it refers to the fact that these games aren't from major developers like EA and SEGA.

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Originally posted by maximus
NOTE: However, I am not sure what INDIE means...must be a typo on his part. :confused:

Indie is short for independent and why PC Gamer would preview TPF is beyond me.

[FBPro]

Originally posted by Sloan
Actually I think it refers to the fact that these games aren't from major developers like EA and SEGA.

Yep

[maximus]

Originally posted by FargoFreez aka fof playa
why PC Gamer would preview TPF is beyond me.

Why is it beyond you?
I think this is great. I mean, we need the mainstream to catch on. If ANYTHING else, this could push EA to make a better product. FOF/TPF games are enough for me but this will allow exposure to companies who make text sim games. Wouldn't you agree?


As far as MaxFB (Maximum Football) There anre't enough features in that game to turn me on to it. No player development, no college draft, no retirments........ that about says it all.

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Originally posted by maximus
Why is it beyond you?
I think this is great. I mean, we need the mainstream to catch on. If ANYTHING else, this could push EA to make a better product. FOF/TPF games are enough for me but this will allow exposure to companies who make text sim games. Wouldn't you agree?

I agree to some extent about exposure, but I do not believe that an "iffy" first-generation product should receive a preview of this magnitude. Sounds like some connections may have played a part.

[maximus]

Originally posted by FargoFreez aka fof playa
I agree to some extent about exposure, but I do not believe that an "iffy" first-generation product should receive a preview of this magnitude. Sounds like some connections may have played a part.

Well, we do not know if it is an "iffy" product just yet. WE are not sure. There may be people in the gaming press that have been allowed to play the game and they may have loved it. I guess that is where connections could come in. Having said that, I agree, connections are probably the case. But if you have'em.... might as well use'em.

[Draft Dodger]

Originally posted by FargoFreez aka fof playa
I agree to some extent about exposure, but I do not believe that an "iffy" first-generation product should receive a preview of this magnitude. Sounds like some connections may have played a part.

PC Gamer has previewed TONS of first-generations products. Lots of them have been worse than "iffy".

PC Gamer has reviewed sport sims in the past. No reason to exclude first-gen versions of releases.

[maximus]

Now that I think of it, Arlie or Joe (can't remember which one) did say that there were going to be previews with a broad range of the gaming press. I believe they said this about a month ago.

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Originally posted by maximus
Well, we do not know if it is an "iffy" product just yet. WE are not sure. There may be people in the gaming press that have been allowed to play the game and they may have loved it. I guess that is where connections could come in. Having said that, I agree, connections are probably the case. But if you have'em.... might as well use'em.

Yes, connections are good, very guuuud. By iffy I mean it has a high volatility rating. :)

[The_herd]

Originally posted by maximus
Well, we do not know if it is an "iffy" product just yet. WE are not sure.

This is one of the reasons it is an iffy product. We aren't sure. Unfortunately all we can base what it could be off of right now is previous releases by .400, and that further blurs what we can expect from the game. When looking at the game, you have to look past all the hype that has surrounded it since it was announced and look at the facts.

[maximus]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
PC Gamer has previewed TONS of first-generations products. Lots of them have been worse than "iffy".

PC Gamer has reviewed sport sims in the past. No reason to exclude first-gen versions of releases.

There is one thing that I do like about PC Gamer and that is that they are pretty good with previews/reviews. I know that it mostly depends on who is actually doing the review but they do a lot of sim type games and from my point, they do a decent job.

I don't know, I'll just have to pick it up and check it out. I'll try to scan the article and the post it.

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Originally posted by Draft Dodger
PC Gamer has reviewed sport sims in the past. No reason to exclude first-gen versions of releases.

Whatever happened to prestige??

[maximus]

Originally posted by The_herd
This is one of the reasons it is an iffy product. We aren't sure. Unfortunately all we can base what it could be off of right now is previous releases by .400, and that further blurs what we can expect from the game. When looking at the game, you have to look past all the hype that has surrounded it since it was announced and look at the facts.

Very true. I agree completely. .400 has released some games that have not gone over so well....thats a fact. I guess I am kinda curious as to what PC Gamer will say. If the guy who is doing the preview is a clear-cut type of guy, we'll get a good preview and some of the clouds may disappear. If not, then TPF will still remain behind all those clouds.

[Franklinnoble]

Did any magazines review FOF2K4?

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Originally posted by Franklinnoble
Did any magazines review FOF2K4?

I think Untouchablefootballsims.com Magazine did but their site seems to be down. ;)

[Philliesfan980]

Isn't Maximum Football the FBPro clone game thats been in development forever?

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Originally posted by Philliesfan980
Isn't Maximum Football the FBPro clone game thats been in development forever?

I thought that was the "Nevada Project".

[FargoFreez aka fof playa]

Nope. Maximum Football is made by the guy who created CFL Football ’99.

[maximus]

Here is that preview of TPF. Its really not that deep but it does give the game a bit of justice. There were no screen shots posted either. There are screen shots in the actual preview but not in this post. John C. from the .400 forums (Assistant Community Manager, Total Pro Football) posted this on the TPF forums;

CREDIT: PC GAMER MAGAZINE

ON THE OTHER SIDE of the spectrum from games like Madden and
Maximum-Football, which offer 3D graphics and let you control the action on
the field, are games that simulate every aspect of running a professional
football team — from an office. Instead of worrying whether you’ll hit the
speed-burst button in time to hit the corner, these games have you setting
ticket prices, hiring and releasing players, and working to secure better
facilities for your team. In short, everything that real-life general
managers in the NFL need to do.

Independent developer and publisher .400 Software Studios is currently
working on Total Pro Football. According to President Arlie Rahn, .400
believes that plenty of flashy, Madden-esque games are already available.

‘We feel that the management side of the sports-gaming genre has
generally been underrepresented in the retail market” Rahn tells us,
“particularly when com pared to the number of arcade- oriented titles
released each year. So, given our team’s passion for sports-management
games, this situation presented an opening for us to come in and try to make
our mark with gamers.”

Besides all of the team-management features that you’d expect from a
simulation, Total Pro Football will also feature a graphical play-by-play
screen that’ll update you with every thing happening on the field.

“The play-by-play also lists descriptions that give you keys to how each
player is doing,” Rahn explains. “If someone misses a block, runs the wrong
route, or makes a great pass, the commentators will mention it in the
real-time play-by-play.”

Of course, all of that information is valuable when it’s time to offer
new contracts or head out onto the free agent market- Rent, says the game
will feature a multi-step bidding process for obtaining free agents in the
off season, and you’ll be able to sign tenders— which let you get draft-pick
compensation from teams that sign your restricted free agents —with your own
restricted free agents. {Just like Maximum Football, Total Pro Football’s
players will all be fictional, as the publisher doesn’t have any
professional licenses.)

The draft also looks to be a lot of fun. TPF will offer full combine
reports, scout rankings college stats, and personalized scouting reports for
all eligible rookies.

Once the draft begins,” says Rahn, “.400’s own resident draft guru, Sid
Nyquist, breaks down every pick as it happens, and he isn’t bashful with his
criticism or praise. Overall, it makes for a realistic and completely
engrossing process that TPF fans will be sure to enjoy.

An online mode will let you create a league and then compete against your
friends. To help simplify this process for online commissioners, TPF will
ship with a built-in online console that makes it easy to gather files from
the coaches, run the draft, and track free agents and depth-chart changes.
And as you’d expect, all of this information can be converted into HTML for
easy website creation.

Unlike some pundits who feel that the sports-game genre is dead on the
PC, Rahn views the category — especially the sports-management niche — as a
viable prospect.

“The success of management games like SimCity, the ‘tycoon’ genre, and
classical wargaming shows that there is definitely a small but dedicated
core group of gamer for whom these types of games hold much appeal,” he
tells us.

“Gamers still flock to PC games because of flexibility in the interface
and this option for increased gaming immersion. You simply aren’t going to
he able to enjoy highly complex games like Civ III, Age of Mythology or
Europa Universalias a console,”

Evidence of hardcore fans making this game play style a success is
available in Europe where soccer-management sim Championship Manager sells
hundreds of thousands of copies every season. It’s about time that deep,
satisfying management sims let us take control of our own NFL franchises.
We’ll keep you updated on how these two promising projects develop.