NFL Quarterback Club '96

Review

by Anthony Baize

NFL Quarterback Club '96 for the Sega Genesis is a game that suffers from split-personality disorder. There are two modes of play: the NFL football game (exhibition and season games) and the Quarterback Challenge.

Most gamers would expect the developers at Iguana and Acclaim to focus on the actual football simulation and simply throw in the QB Challenge as a side dish. The opposite appears to be true, however. The QB Challenge is fun and interesting, while the gridiron simulations are fairly poor.

The Quarterback Challenge allows players to select their favorite quarterback and face off against the other strong arms in the NFL. The distance, mobility, obstacle, and accuracy competitions are very fun. If you own a Genesis controller with turbo capabilities, you can cheat to win in at least some of the events. Up to four human opponents can participate and what was supposed to be this game's throwaway feature turns out to be its best.

On the flip side of the coin, we have the poorly developed gridiron simulation. When you buy a football game, you want to play football. NFL Quarterback Club '96 does not really provide that opportunity. Poor design, weak graphics, and an odd point-of-view all conspire to drag this mode of play into the mud.

Passing and rushing are both terribly frustrating. Even the elite teams like the San Francisco 49ers, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Buffalo Bills appear inept in this game. The graphics are weak and crude. The odd camera angle at which the game is played simply adds to the confusion.

Basically, if you pick up a copy of NFL Quarterback Club '96 for the Sega Genesis, stick with the Quarterback Challenge. There is no reason to play in the other mode. The QB Challenge almost compensates for the weakness of the gridiron battle, but not quite.