I don't know what it is about this game that keeps me playing it time and time again. Maybe it is the fact that it is so simple a person with no knowledge of the sport can play it. Maybe I am just a sucker for this game. Maybe the game was so well made back then that it still stands as a fun game to play. In any case the game is super fun to play and one of the best NES titles.
First the bad stuff. There is no season mode or nothing of that nature. This game is really stripped down. In fact there are no teams. There is just 2 different color teams on the field. The color depends on which difficulty setting the game is on. You will need to use your imagination when playing this game. Also the game moves very slow. If you break away you can't speed burst. In fact if you were to put the controller, the player with the ball would run straight up field until either tackled or scoring a touchdown. The play selection consists of a pass a run and a punt. Not too much diversity. And once you beat every difficulty, high school all the way to the superbowl, there is nothing left to play.
The good things about this game are that it is fun to play. I can't explain it but I love playing this game. If you gave me a choice between any SNES Madden game or this I would pick this one easy. Also the simplicity of the game lets anyone jump in a play.
Now wait a second. I am in no means saying this is the best game of all time or saying that YOU would have fun with it. I am simply saying that I enjoyed the game myself. Therefore I can give this game a thumbs up buy. You can probably find it for a quarter so it is not really a gamble or risk, as is the case with most NES games. Even with the lack of features I still found this game is enjoyable. If you hate slower football titles or simple games then you may want to pass.
