Joe Montana NFL 94

The Genesis gridiron, dominated by Madden NFL '94 of late, is about to overheat. NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana has it all: NFL teams, NFL players and their numbers, the trademark Sega Sports-Talk play announcing, incredible graphics, options galore, and more than 100 possible play combinations. Face front, folks, you've struck the pigskin mother lode!

Joe Knows Football

NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana lives up to the reputation of its legendary namesake (who's in the game as the Chiefs' QB). Building upon the same engine as NFL '93, this game has been revamped by speeding it up and adding enough new features to make it play like a completely new product. The most notable change is the game's new 3/4 view from above the goalposts, giving the QB a much-needed look at more than 40 yards of field. This is a tremendous improvement on NFL '93, which featured only overhead and horizontal views, hindering pass plays. NFL "94 retains these views so you can identify gaps and lanes on running plays. There's also a blimp- high view, which is only effective if you're in the hard-to-enjoy Coach Mode.

Plenty of options and features guarantee a good time for football gamers of all calibers. New for this season are the complete NFL schedules for the '91, '92, and '93 seasons all the way up to the Super Bowl, with a handy password feature to keep your season intact. If your favorite team didn't make it to the Super Bowl last year, you can take them there yourself and see how well they do in the '93 season compared to the real-life results.

Also new for this version is the NFL Players Association license, which gives you all the players for every NFL team by name and number. It's a kick to be able to actually select Jerry Rice or Sterling Sharpe as your receiver for the long bomb. Unfortunately, the listings are simply that, listings, and you can't substitute players. An enhanced Statistics Board appears after every scoring drive and at the end of each quarter, providing a wealth of team and individual information.

The control of all these stars is perfect. Players respond swiftly and surely to your button presses. You have total control of plays (not found in every football game) because here the QB is not committed to any set play. There's always a run-and-pass option, and you don't have to make the decision until the last possible moment. When you add in more than 30 defensive plays and 70 offensive plays, plus play-flipping to reverse the directions, Montana turns into a coach's dream.

A.V. MVP

The graphics have been enhanced with super realistic moves for the players. All players are properly proportioned, and they react smoothly without choppiness in the animation. In the Zoom Mode, the players balloon over 200 percent in size and take up the entire screen. You'll feel like you're right in the midst of the action! As an additional graphic attraction, the playbook is also niccly illustrated. Every play is clearly layed out, with all players easily identifiable and all routes well marked. NFL '94 features an enhanced Sports Talk feature, A cleanly digitized announcer's voice calls each play as it happens on the field. It rarely lags behind the play as it occurs, and there's enough variety in the vocabulary to keep it fresh for an entire game. It's wise to pay attention to this booth jockey, for he often identifies the formation your opponent lines up in, and he calls attention to clearly inappropriate play calls with a resounding "I don't believe it!"

Heads Up, John

One of the most healed battles for game supremacy is the one between the Montana and Madden lines of football games. Madden always stayed a step ahead because of Joe's shortcomings in the passing game. However, with the addition of the new 3/4 view that deficit has been eradicated. Madden NFL '94 does feature a four-player option that Montana's NFL '94 doesn't have, so only a maximum of two players can throw with Joe. Still, Montana's wealth of play options, ultra-realistic graphics and sound, and intensive attention to detail create a more true-to-the-NFL experience. For solo action, NFL Football '94 Starring Joe Montana clearly lakes the '94 season crown! Sorry, John!