Football

About

Football for the Atari 2600, released in 1978, pits two players against each other in a top-down gridiron showdown. Using a joystick you pick from five offensive or defensive plays and manage a five minute countdown as you score points. Three gameplay modes adjust how much control you have ranging from full manual direction of players to letting the computer handle the action while you choose strategies. The game's simplicity is its core with points and time dictating winners. The standout here is the flexibility in play styles. One mode lets you steer every move another mixes manual and automated control and the third hands everything to the AI. This variety along with two skill levels made it a hit in arcades and living rooms back then. As one of the earliest sports titles on the 2600 it's a relic that shows how far the genre has come, and a surprisingly quick pick-up for retro fans.