Playmaker Football
Ever play a game that you desperately wanted to love? Playmaker Football is that game for me.
Playmaker Football is the iPhone port of the successful PC game. It’s a strategy based game that allows you to create your own team, right down to the attributes. The game’s big hook is that you can design your own plays. Sounds perfect for the iPhone toting pigskin nut, right?
Unfortunately, the game comes up a bit short. The Chalkboard feature can be confusing for someone new to the series. The icons aren’t intuitive, so you may not remember what each of them do. Even worse, there is no undo function, so if you mistakenly make your quarterback a blocker, well, you’re going to have to delete the play and do it again. And when you’re trying to design defensive plays, the defensive icons don’t always come up on cue. The instructions that come with the game aren’t clear on what you have to do to make that happen.
And if you’re using the team you created, there’s no way around using the Chalkboard feature, because your team doesn’t come with any plays. However, once you get the hang of play making, there’s a satisfying feeling in seeing your play turning into a 40-yard gain, or a sack.
Designing your team is interesting. It’s also another area that could use some work, because the attributes are all the same, even if they have different meanings for different positions. Pumping points into the Strength attribute means different things for different positions. Not a big deal, but it can be confusing. Still, being able to design and name your own team is fun.
Once you get the game out on the field it’s a solid game. Players (ok helmets) react as you’d expect. Quarterbacks try to escape the rush, and players perform as you tell them to. The game advances the clock based on when you choose your play. Choosing your play is simple, you’re given three categories: run, pass, other. You’ll chose the category, and scroll to the play you want.
Sadly, that’s it. There’s no league play, no tournament mode, or multiplayer options. That leaves the game coming up a little short.
With some work, and hopefully updates, Playmaker Football could be a real winning option for iPhone football fans. As it stands, it’s on the field for the winning drive.
The Final Score
| The Good | The Bad |
|---|---|
| Incredibly realistic simulation of football. Team building is fun. Designing a play, once you get the hang of it, is alot of fun. | No modes beyond an exhibition mode. No multi-player. Lack of undo button in play design makes for a frustrating experience. Game crashes on occassion. |
| Gamer Rating | |
| Pops Rating | |
| Unless your child is the next Bear Bryant, I doubt they will get much enjoyment out of it. |
Playmaker Football for the Iphone is developed by Playmaker Software and is rated 4+. It is available through Itunes for $1.99. A review copy was provided to GamerPops.
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