NFL GameDay (video game)

NFL GameDay is the first video game in the NFL GameDay series, and was released in 1995 on the PlayStation video game console as a competitor to the Madden football game series.

NFL GameDay
North American cover art
Developer(s)Sony Interactive Studios America
Publisher(s)Sony Computer Entertainment
SeriesNFL GameDay
Platform(s)PlayStation
Release1995

The cover athlete is William Floyd.

Gameplay

The game makes use of motion capture for its animations.[1]

Reception

The game was a success for Sony, selling over 300,000 copies[5] and briefly holding the record for best-selling PlayStation game (it was overtaken by Resident Evil in 1996).[6] It was also a critical success. Both of the sports reviewers for Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the game a 9 out of 10, saying it "could very well be the Madden killer that everyone is waiting for."[2] Scary Larry of GamePro called it "the best football CD to date", citing the graphics, accurate gameplay performance of each individual player, appropriately sized sprites, and comprehensive sound effects.[7] A reviewer for Next Generation found that in addition to the comprehensive teams, stadiums, and playbooks, NFL Gameday benefited from truly modern graphics, animation, and sounds, as well as an innovative level of control over individual players and an AI which creates an authentic football experience. He criticized the unrealistic results of breaking up a pass, but concluded, "NFL Gameday isn't the perfect football game, but it is the best football game ever made, so far."[3] David Hodgson of Maximum remarked that the graphics suffer from jerky animation and a general last-generation appearance, but are outweighed by the outstanding gameplay and reliable player AI. He summarized that the game "plays quite a mean game of American football without ever becoming bogged down in horrific amounts of tactical decisions."[4]

GamePro awarded it Best Sports Game of 1995.[8] Next Generation ranked it number 28 on their 1996 "Top 100 Games of All Time", citing its authentic football gameplay and looks, and its combination of accessibility and depth.[9] It was a finalist for the Computer Game Developers Conference's 1996 "Best Sports Game" Spotlight Award,[10] but lost the prize to NHL 97.[11]

Reviews

References
  1. "The Next Generation 1996 Lexicon A to Z: Motion Capture". Next Generation. No. 15. Imagine Media. March 1996. p. 37.
  2. "Box Score: NFL GameDay". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 78. Ziff Davis. January 1996. p. 188.
  3. "NFL Gameday". Next Generation. No. 14. Imagine Media. February 1996. pp. 156–7.
  4. Hodgson, David (May 1996). "Maximum Reviews: NFL Game Day". Maximum: the Video Game Magazine. No. 6. Emap International Limited. p. 121.
  5. "NFL GameDay" at the top of the charts". Business Wire. April 8, 1996. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
  6. "NG Alphas: NFL GameDay '97". Next Generation. No. 23. Imagine Media. November 1996. p. 92.
  7. "GameDay Could Go All the Way". GamePro. No. 88. IDG. January 1996. p. 124.
  8. "Editor's Choice Awards 1995". GamePro. No. 89. IDG. February 1996. p. 26.
  9. "Top 100 Games of All Time". Next Generation. No. 21. Imagine Media. September 1996. p. 60.
  10. Staff (April 15, 1997). "And the Nominees Are..." Next Generation. Archived from the original on June 5, 1997. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  11. "Spotlight Awards Winners Announced for Best Computer Games of 1996" (Press release). Santa Clara, California: Game Developers Conference. April 28, 1997. Archived from the original on July 3, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2018.
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