Developer: Iguana Entertainment Publisher: Acclaim
Released: October 24, 1997 Rated: E 4/10
Looking back on the two series’ efforts as a whole for the N64, it seems impossible that Acclaim and the NFL Quarterback Club franchise that made their respective homes on the N64 could have ever competed with the Madden franchise. Pick up any two competing titles from the same year, and the gameplay of EA’s efforts, in spite of their comparative flaws to future entries, still holds up to some degree. Quarterback Club consistently fails in several major areas of gameplay, but in 1997, the difference in presentation and content would have been a night-and-day difference.
Unfortunately, almost nothing about Quarterback Club ‘98 plays well. On offense, almost half your playbook is worthless right from the start, as the run game, particularly interior running, is useless. Every single rush is stopped at the line of scrimmage as rushers slip off of blockers the second they utilize any angle but straight ahead, and crush the ball carrier’s momentum at first contact. While you may fare a bit better in open space, if you can get there, the risk isn’t worth it. Simply do not run the ball, and leave your fortune to the gods of RNG. What do I mean by that? Well, I really can’t think of a better way to describe the “Jesus take the wheel” sensation of launching the ball into the air, not having any clue of your receiver’s likelihood of actually catching the damn thing. Coverage? Distance? Location? All seemingly useless, as the ball can easily ricochet off of even the sure hands of Rice, Irvin, or Terry Glenn. Maybe the sun’s in their eyes. Or maybe a threshold for failure being so low makes for neither a fun nor realistic game of football. On defense, these problems may save your bacon, but the AI of your defenders on about 75% of plays will still cause your hands to grip and sweat on the controller handles a little too intensely.
Although you’ll inevitably decide after one game, or maybe one half, of your first quickstart game that you’re not going to play Quarterback Club ‘98, take a quick look around the menus before you turn it off and think of how cool this would have been as your first 3D football game way back in 1997. Scenario modes that featured both historic and customizable moments to set up and choose from, options for custom teams and custom players, a fantasy draft and other pretty deep roster management options for the time, and probably the biggest seller over Madden 64 – the actual NFL license, which it proudly boasts about on the front of the box, and probably for good reason. The game doesn’t even look half bad for the time, with decent renders of the stadiums and fields, and some pretty solid motion-captured animation, even if the player models are just so-so. Rarely does such a severely flawed game still boast such justification for its sales and its right to continue, but the first outing of NFL Quarterback Club took some big swings at the competition, flashing lots of potential for improvement, especially with Acclaim settling in as the superior brand for realism and simulation style play.
Additional Information
Saves: Controller Pak
Compatible With: Rumble Pak
Players: 1-2
Print Guides: None
Aggregate Critical Reception (GameRankings): 76.31% based on 12 reviews
Other Releases: EU, December 1997
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