To me, one of the biggest gaming surprises this year was Madden NFL 10 (Wii). I was extremely skeptical when I received the game, but shortly thereafter, the inferior-looking game spiked a football right in my face. The game was widely addictive in the arc
ade realm, but also provided enough depth to satisfy my simulation needs. EA took the casual trend and implemented it in a very successful fashion.
This is why I’m happy to cover Family Fun Football, which seems perfect for anyone who enjoys local multiplayer or co-op. The game caters to the casual market as well as providing incentive for Madden-diehards, and even those unfamiliar to the sport, to give it a try.
I emailed some questions to Tecmo and was able to get a producer’s response on what to expect with Family Fun Football.
Hit the jump to learn more!
As you may have guessed, the reality of football is absent, but don’t let that stray you away. With multiple game modes and a solid amount of mini-games and content, Family Fun Football is sure to wet your casual and competitive appetite.
Here’s a quick glance at the game’s features, followed by a Q&A with one of the producers :
- Power Ups: Based on your performance, teams are given various boosts including speed, strength, passing and interception.
- Quick Play: Pick a couple of teams and a stadium. Up to 4 players can battle it out 2v2 style.
- Season: 9-game season.
- Tournament: Last team standing, double elimination.
- Mii compatibility: Good thing; not many 3rd-party games allow you to use one’s Mii.
Family Fun Football looks to be great arcade fun for a casual demographic, but what about the ‘hardcore’ gamers? Can a simulation veteran enjoy Family Fun Football?
Family Fun Football is designed to be an entry level football game for everyone to enjoy. If someone has never played a football game before, they should be able to ‘pick up and play’ the game with relative ease whether it be a child or an adult who is unfamiliar with games. At the same time, we recognized that some people may be more hardcore gamers looking for something other than the typical “sim” experience that’s out there right now so we did add three levels of difficulty into the game. These should give people looking for more of a challenge ample gameplay to wet their pallet.
With all game modes and mini-games considered, how much content and replay value can one expect?
A lot of the things in game need to be unlocked in order to use them, from the mascots, stadiums, minigames, and Mii capability, you’re looking at a 10-20 hour gameplay experience depending on the level of ability the person has who’s playing.
How are the laws of football redrawn in Family Fun Football game?
To put it simply – light hearted. We didn’t want to bog down entry level players with too many “sim” experiences like penalties or injuries so we kept the rule set simple. The game just follows the basic fundamentals of football and lets the player sit back and enjoy the ride.
What kinds of characters are featured?
Well, I don’t want to give them all away but we kept them fun and simple. You’ll find mascots like pandas, ninjas, lions, aliens, frogs, etc. All in all there are 20 mascots that you’re able to unlock and play as.
How do users unlock new content?
Players will unlock most of the items by just progressing through the game naturally. Items are unlocked by winning football games, winning mini games at half time, and achieving certain goals like 1000 passing or running yards.
How does playbook navigation work?
This is another item we wanted to keep very simple for players. There are twenty plays total in the game that the player will have access to. The game will randomly choose four plays after every down for the player to pick and will continuously cycle through the twenty. This does two things: it keeps players from picking the same play every time and it keeps it simple so the player can focus more of on the fun of the game rather than the “sim” aspect of play picking. There are 4 different types of plays that will always be available – long pass, short pass, inside run, and outside run.
Describe the power-up system. Can users save power-ups for crucial moments?
There are three power-ups that you’re able to get in the game: a speed boost, a strength boost, and a completion/interception boost. Speed will make you run faster, strength will allow you to knock down the ball carrier (or the guys trying to tackle you), and the completion/interception boost will give you the ability to throw a perfect pass or to snatch the ball out of the air with precision.
Abilities are earned for doing good things in the game, like sacking the QB or getting a touchdown. We didn’t allow players to horde them because you’ll be earning them so often that we wanted people to feel free to use them as they get them.
Was local multiplayer and cooperative play the primary focus for Family Fun Football?
From the beginning our goal was to make a game that the whole family could enjoy…..together. We did focus a lot of our attention on making local co op feel as good as the regular competitive gameplay.
Are there any game modes for single players?
For Single Player, you can play through a Season Mode where you must defeat the other 9 teams in the game and you also have a double elimination Tournament Mode that is a continuation of your Season playthrough . There’s a pretty hefty amount of gameplay for everyone whether they’re looking for a solo, cooperative, or competitive experience.
After unlocking the Mii compatibility, can users have an entire football team using their Miis?
Yes! Once you unlock the feature, the game will populate your team with whatever Mii’s you have on your Wii. If you happen to not have any created (or downloaded) them game will populate your team with randomly generated Mii’s as well
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Family Fun Football hits shelves later this month. Check back next week for a full review.
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