It ain’t Madden
In the early ’90s, games developer SNK were well known for filling the arcades with over-the-top, futuristic cyber-sports titles such asSuper Baseball 2020,or rule-breaking, cartoonish titles likeSoccer Brawl. But the developer did attempt a straight NFL-style title,Football Frenzy.
Launching in arcades and on the home Neo Geo platform in 1992, Football Frenzyattempted to translate the complex and lengthy sport to the arcade format.Football Frenzyshould be praised for having some depth, featuring multiple offensive and defensive plays, as well as an in-game announcer and chunky sprites, but it just isn’t much fun to play.
With sluggish controls movement,Football Frenzyis a bit of a fight, not helped by its casual speed and its weird “grappling” approach to tackles. In an arcade environment, when you’re trying to capture a deep and complex sport, it’s probably a better bet to just fill it with robots, or put land-mines and spike strips on the field.
Still, if you want to check it out, thenFootball Frenzyis available today as the latest in Hamster’s ACA range of classic arcade titles. You can pick it up on PS4 in Japan and worldwide on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, priced at around $8.
