When fans of football console games take NFL 97 for a spin they may ask themselves, why did Sega release this game? The poor quality of the graphics, sound, control, and gameplay indicates that this game could have used another year of development.
NFL 97 does have a few positive points: Every NFL player and every one of the 30 NFL teams are present; all NFL stadiums are available (complete with mid-field and end-zone logos); players have the ability to build and create their own teams; and best of all, the play editor makes its debut. In NFL 97 it's possible for players to create as many as 30 different plays - and choose a name of their own making for each. Players pick the formation, the type of play, the direction, the receiver routes, and so on. No other football game currently has this feature, and it works pretty well.
NFL 97 could use a major graphical facelift. Where other football games have multiple animations (and use motion capture technology), NFL 97's animations are limited to a couple of frames. What's worse, when players run, they look as though they're dashing for the nearest restroom (the receivers look equally uncool when they go up for a catch - it's as if they're trying too hard to make the play). The fields look good, but that's hardly a reason to buy the game. And while many games offer multiple camera angles, NFL 97 only allows gamers to change the viewpoint with the directional pad at the line of scrimmage. Equally lacking are the sound effects and music - Sega tried to employ a "surround effect" with the stadium announcer, but in practice it sounds as though he's talking through a low quality speakerphone.
The gameplay does its part to drop NFL 97 down few more rungs on the value ladder - it actually hurt to play this game. To be fair, the play calling, player movements, substitutions, and the like are all simple enough. But as soon as a play begins, the game falls apart. For example, it's hard to distinguish who the receiver is, and the quarterback takes too long to hand the ball off. Even executing a kickoff was painful. And with only 84 offensive and 66 defensive plays to chose from, (compared to Madden's 500 plays), the playbook weighs in on the light side of lean.
One word sums up the play and feel of NFL 97: Frustrating! This game had potential, especially considering Sega's many other sports masterpieces. It's sad that the end result of their 32-bit football foray is a game that isn't even worth renting.
