NES Play Action Football
Encyclopedia
NES Play Action Football is a football
video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System
. It was developed by TOSE
, published by Nintendo
, and was released in 1990. The game was also ported to the Game Boy
as Play Action Football, and received a follow up on the Super Nintendo
, Super Play Action Football
, in 1992. On September 10, 2007, the game was re-released on the Wii
's Virtual Console
in North America.
. The teams were: Chicago Bears
, Denver Broncos
, Houston Oilers
, Los Angeles Rams
, Miami Dolphins
, New York Giants
, San Francisco 49ers
and Washington Redskins
.
The game used an isometric
view, presenting the game at an angle to make it appear 3-D
, and the game allowed a very large number of moving objects (all the players) to be on screen at the same time; in earlier games, the system couldn't handle it. In a typical NES game, few moving objects could be onscreen before they all started flashing, because the system couldn't render them all at once, but NES PAF managed to avoid this somehow and allow the system to render two entire football teams onscreen simultaneously.
Another feature that was ahead of its time was the use of real voices. NES PAF was one of an extremely small number of NES games to feature voices. Most games never bothered to implement this feature because of the primitive sound capabilities, but in NES PAF, players hear the referee
say in a real voice "Touchdown!" or "First down!" You can even hear the football players yell "Ready! Set! Hut, hut.." before the play begins. At the end of each game, Nester appears as a commentator, announcing who wins and who lost.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
. It was developed by TOSE
TOSE
is a video game development company based in Kyoto, Japan. It is most known for developing Nintendo's Game & Watch Gallery series, various Dragon Ball games, as well as other Nintendo products...
, published by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
, and was released in 1990. The game was also ported to the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
as Play Action Football, and received a follow up on the Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
, Super Play Action Football
Super Play Action Football
Super Play Action Football is an American football video game developed by Nintendo for the Super NES. It is the follow-up to NES Play Action Football....
, in 1992. On September 10, 2007, the game was re-released on the Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
in North America.
Overview
This game was highly impressive for its time. It allowed players to choose from eight real teams from various cities, and each team featured all the actual players that were currently playing for them during the 1989 NFL season1989 NFL season
The 1989 NFL season was the 70th regular season of the National Football League. Before the season, NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced his retirement...
. The teams were: Chicago Bears
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Denver Broncos
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver, Colorado. They are currently members of the West Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Houston Oilers
Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...
, Los Angeles Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
, Miami Dolphins
Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a Professional football team based in the Miami metropolitan area in Florida. The team is part of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers are a professional American football team based in San Francisco, California, playing in the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team was founded in 1946 as a charter member of the All-America Football Conference and...
and Washington Redskins
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team and members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team plays at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, while its headquarters and training facility are at Redskin Park in Ashburn,...
.
The game used an isometric
Isometric projection
Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings...
view, presenting the game at an angle to make it appear 3-D
Three-dimensional space
Three-dimensional space is a geometric 3-parameters model of the physical universe in which we live. These three dimensions are commonly called length, width, and depth , although any three directions can be chosen, provided that they do not lie in the same plane.In physics and mathematics, a...
, and the game allowed a very large number of moving objects (all the players) to be on screen at the same time; in earlier games, the system couldn't handle it. In a typical NES game, few moving objects could be onscreen before they all started flashing, because the system couldn't render them all at once, but NES PAF managed to avoid this somehow and allow the system to render two entire football teams onscreen simultaneously.
Another feature that was ahead of its time was the use of real voices. NES PAF was one of an extremely small number of NES games to feature voices. Most games never bothered to implement this feature because of the primitive sound capabilities, but in NES PAF, players hear the referee
Referee
A referee is the person of authority, in a variety of sports, who is responsible for presiding over the game from a neutral point of view and making on the fly decisions that enforce the rules of the sport...
say in a real voice "Touchdown!" or "First down!" You can even hear the football players yell "Ready! Set! Hut, hut.." before the play begins. At the end of each game, Nester appears as a commentator, announcing who wins and who lost.