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 On (or around) October 18, 1985 the world
was introduced to the Nintendo Entertainment System. The world was impressed and raved about
the NES for years to come. On that
same day the world was introduced to 10-Yard Fight (since it was one of
the 18 launch games) unfortunately it did not get met with the same
enthusiasm as the system. For 1985
the game wasnt too bad, arguably better than anything Atari had put out
and certainly in the same
ballpark as Intellivisions popular football game. The problem was that when compared to
Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt it was a major letdown. Of course when compared to Baseball
(another launch title) 10-Yard Fight is legendary.
There are many problems with this
game. The players are tiny and are
playing on a large field, which makes 6 yard gains seem like 15
yards. Its very
difficult to pass and games tend to be low scoring. For a company already capable of making
a game as large and complex
as Super Mario Bros. it was quite surprising that such a primitive
football game was released. Many
people hated the game and instantly put it away and waited for a better
football game. They would have to
wait all the way until 1989 when three football games came out, chiefly
among them Tecmo Bowl.
Perhaps because I didnt give up
on 10-Yard Fight I actually grew to like this game. It plays more like a high school
football game though and that is one of its main problems. Here is how its set up. You
have two running backs, one on each side of the quarterback and one wide
receiver. The receiver runs along
the line and you hike the ball whenever that receiver is where you want
him to be. Once you hike the ball
the wide receiver runs straight up field while the running backs flank
you on either side. By pressing B
you will pitch the ball to whichever running back you are facing. If you hit A, you will pass the ball
downfield to your receiver. One
cool trick is that you can pitch to a running back and then have him bomb
it to your receiver. Once you pass
the line of scrimmage you cannot pitch backwards or throw forwards. It is pretty tough to throw forwards without
it being picked off, so I tend to run a smash-mouth high school football
option attack, which leads to devastating results because you cant fumble
and its pretty easy to gain ten yards over four downs. One defense each play begins with 2
players having an A or B above them.
You choose which player you want, essentially guessing which side of the field the offense is going
to run to. This strategy aspect
makes for an interesting battle of the coaches.
Positives:
I like to think of this game as
more of a conceptual football game than a full-fledged sport. By that I mean, you have to think like
a coach and guess which way your opponent is going, then you have to run
and possibly pitch or throw the ball to a player. These are all football skills but in
this game they barely feel like it since everyone is so small. I like that it contains  many aspects of football missing from
other NES games, such as running backs, pitches, dives on defense, and
multiple skill levels. The game
has five skill levels to choose from with the toughest being Super Bowl. None of them are that difficult but at least they are offered.
Glaring
Negatives:
Ok, so there are a lot of things wrong with this game. Obviously there are no real players or
teams. You only have one wide
receiver, you can only choose from two players on defense and I cant figure
out how to punt or kick field goals.
The players are tiny and really slow and its hard to
pass. I certainly wouldnt
recommend this as the most realistic football game on the NES
Graphics
and Sound: Primitive
The graphics are extremely low
budget. You would probably think
that this is an Atari 5200 game.
There is very little in the way of music, mainly just blips for
sound effects.
Gameplay
and Controls: Slow
The game is low scoring because
it is hard to make it all the way downfield. Once you get a hang of how to pitch the
ball and how to throw it, the controls are very responsive.
Features:
Different skill levels
You have five skill levels to
choose from. I dare you to try
them all out in one day
 Fun?: Possibly
This is one that I wouldnt
recommend to most people but it definitely has its charms. I would easily recommend it over some
of the other NES football games.
Challenge:
Not much
With a little practice you will
be destroying the computer.
Replay:
Yes
Its a football game! Every Fall I bust it out for a round or
two of good ole high school style football.
2
Player: Yes
This can be a fun battle of the
minds with a buddy. If youre looking
for real football go with Tecmo Super Bowl.
Online
Manual?: Yes
Theyve got all the manuals at www.nintendoage.com
Bottom
Line: Probably Not
If you are into the NES launch
titles then pick this one up.
Otherwise, you can probably do without it.
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