Space Football: One on One
Platform: Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Region: USA
Media: Cartridge
Controller: Gamepad
Genre: Sports, Soccer
Gametype: Licensed
Release Year: 1992
Developer: Bits Studios
Publisher: Triffix
Players: 1 or 2 VS
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"Better than bad, but not quite good"

It's football!...sort of...

To get to the mandatory 400 word limit, I want to recap a cold day in Florida in 1993. I had gotten my SNES a year before, and all was right with the world. Soon the juggernauts at Rare would unleash ''Donkey Kong Country''. It was Christmas, and I opened up the usual selection of sweet games.

There was one from Aunt Christie, though. She wasn't, isn't, and never will be a gamer. I opened it up. ''Space Football?! What is this?''

I was used to classics like Super Mario World and Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. This would be a true test of my gaming mettle...

Space Football is one of those truly mediocre games - not bad enough to warrant ridicule, but not quite good enough to deserve praise. It has all the earmarks of a slightly sloppy third-party SNES game - somewhat poorly executed mode 7 scaling, very old-school color palette, MIDI-like sound. This is decidedly strange now, of course, because everyone knows the SNES could pull off amazing graphics - DKC, Star Fox, Yoshi's Island, etc. - and great music - DKC, Star Fox, Yoshi's Island, etc. :).

It's ''one on one'' ''football'' played in hoverpod thingies. There is an energy ball which you can carry into your opponents goal...and he's trying to do the same to you. You can't hold the ball for too long, either, so you play like polo - moving the ball up the field by ''shooting'' it. The mode 7 playfield is littered with various obstacles/zones which hamper your progress. You can bump and beat the crap out of the other guy's pod thingie to get the ball, as well. Two players can even battle it out, split screen.

All in all, the game isn't horrible, but the repetitive music and somewhat confusing menus, interface, and presentation hamper the enjoyment. The backgrounds sometimes blend in with the course, and the game design just isn't that interesting. It's fun, but not for too long. Every minute you spend on "Space Football" is a minute you could use to play "Super Mario Kart."

Why am I even reviewing this game? Well, I got it as a Christmas present and I've always wanted to exorcise the demons of ''Space Football''. Now I can donate it to charity or something and never speak of it again. This is the first review of the game, and, let's hope, the last.

Thanks, GameFAQS.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/03, Updated 06/23/03

Tips:

Expert Level
For the Expert Level, Go to the Options Screen and press Select while holding L + R+Down + Left

Passwords:
876963 Level 10
884887 Level 11
497998 Level 12
832115 Level 13
955306 Level 14
274443 Level 15
487735 Level 16
626631 Level 17
872669 Level 18
349583 Level 19
246860 Level 2
668227 Level 20
175845 Level 21
121915 Level 22
644028 Level 23
845684 Level 24
377493 Level 25
993201 Level 26
037362 Level 27
725375 Level 28
578456 Level 29
402713 Level 3
599544 Level 30
802775 Level 31
511588 Level 32
312171 Level 4
346312 Level 5
373243 Level 6
650665 Level 7
449357 Level 8
736725 Level 9

Reviewer: Mulliga
http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/snes/review/R56067.html
