NFL Pro League Football is an excellent example of a sports strategy game using American rules fooball as its base. The user takes the part of an NFL coach in this game, and has to make the decisions credited to the coach, as well as some general management of the team.
In NFL Pro Football, the user cannot choose to play the quarterback or a wide receiver etc. as in other football games, especially the popular modern-day John Madden series. Instead, the game is more of a simulation, with the gamer watching the games from the sidelines as the coach.
This is not to say that the game is without action.
The game is NFL licensed, meaning the players, teams and coaches are based on real NFL personnel, in this case ranging from 1965 to the time of the game’s inception in the early nineties. The teams have historically accurate records, strengths and statistics. It also features a complete list of recorded injuries. The uniforms are also similar to what we know term “the throwbacks.”
The user must first choose what mode of game is to be played. Gamer can choose from exhibition games and league play. This allows the user to try improving on a historical team using his own knowledge of the game or build a team from available players and put together a true powerhouse.
The game can feature single player against very competent AI, or multiplayer against a human competitor over the Internet via a modem. The user is also able to select a difficulty level that is appropriate for his age and skill. From there, the gamer calls all the shots, literally. Make trades, draft players to improve the team and choose the plays that will baffle the opposition on both sides of the ball. The game comes with hundreds of standard plays, but also features an editor so the user can create custom plays.
NFL Pro League Football is mostly a text-based game. It does not feature the great animations or cinematics that other games offer, but it is statistically and realistically superior. The game is so realistic, that USA today used its simulation model to predict the playoff and Super Bowl teams for eight years running. Because of its lack of first-hand action, it can probably only be truly appreciated by a real fan of NFL football, but if you fit that bill, this is a definite must-have simulation game.
