2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

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VideoGameCritic
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2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby VideoGameCritic » February 24th, 2019, 5:58 pm

I had so much hope for this one, but I think I hate it. Comments welcome.

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BlasteroidAli
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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby BlasteroidAli » February 24th, 2019, 7:49 pm

That game sounds like the pitz. I know Gridiron. Every year we get treated to oh the Madden game sucks. So just imagine my disappointment and yours to have yet another trash football game... hmmm thanks for the warning.

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noah98
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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby noah98 » February 24th, 2019, 9:39 pm

I was tempted to buy this game until I tried the demo on PC. It sucks! The Critic nailed it in his review. Is it so hard to actually make games fun? I played Tecmo Super Bowl with my family right before the actual Super Bowl and we had a great time. Can't say the same for Madden...

newmodelarmy
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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby newmodelarmy » February 25th, 2019, 6:49 am

Ya I downloaded this game for the Switch while I was on vacation, thinking it would be a nice distraction. I played almost a full season before I deleted it. This game is simply not fun, there is too much going on. My main issues were having to constantly "resurrect" dead players (which is a chore) and having a hard time figuring out what was going on in the field because the colors of everything looked similar (like mud). Anyway, good review.

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Retro STrife
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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby Retro STrife » February 25th, 2019, 1:31 pm

Thanks for the heads up. I was tempted to buy this on the PS4 a few months back ... I figured it would be good to play a new arcade-style football game, and the reviews were decent enough. Glad I skipped it!

CharlieR
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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby CharlieR » February 25th, 2019, 2:50 pm

Little bit surprise by the letter grade, but after reading the review. I can kind of see that. Still, an F grade does seem a bit low. The game looks like it goes for violence first, and tries to do football second. Just the fact there is so much stuff going on, making it hard to tall what you are doing, makes me think this game lacks the fun of NFL Blitz.

sixam
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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby sixam » February 25th, 2019, 4:52 pm

The link in your review for the Genesis version of Mutant Football League does not work. The link takes you to the Nintendo Switch review.

There are two other games with monsters playing football theme you may be interested in, Blood Bowl and Blood Bowl II. They are based on the board game, Blood Bowl, and like the board game, the results of plays are determined by the roll of dice.

https://www.mobygames.com/game/blood-bowl_

https://www.mobygames.com/game/blood-bowl-ii

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Matchstick
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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby Matchstick » February 26th, 2019, 5:24 pm

It's going to be difficult for me to express my profound disappointment with this review. As someone who is a **huge** fan on the original Mutant League games on the Genesis, I find the fact that this game even exists (with physical editions, no less!) is nothing short of a minor miracle. However, we all have different views and expectations when it comes to our gaming, and even though I don't agree with the big, fat "F" this game received, I respect the Critic's judgement. Sometimes, you just don't like something, and that's that.

I remember hearing about MFL through the original Kickstarter, but figured the game would never see the light of day, and didn't get my hopes up too much. When I heard that it was actually funded and getting off the ground, I remained skeptical, waiting for the inevitable news that it would be cancelled, unfinished. Lo and behold, they pulled it off, and when I finally got to play it, I practically couldn't believe it was real. But it was.

In a nutshell, if I knew anything about creating video games, and got to pick one franchise to resurrect, Mutant League would be... number two on the list. Wing Commander would be number one, but hey, since EA owns that brand, I doubt they'll ever touch it again as long as I live. Same goes for my number three, Road Rash. Ah, well, at least I can still play the OG games.

It's worth mentioning that, despite the bugs and glitches with this game, it's actually the "fixed" version. The original PC release was rife with bugs and borderline unplayable, but to the developer's credit, they have done a hell of a job ironing out the kinks as time's gone by. The PS4, Switch, and Xbox One versions are all the updated "Dynasty Edition" version of the game, with numerous bug fixes and extra teams and gameplay modes. The game has even been patched since it released on consoles, and, well, right now it runs about as good as I think it ever will. Not perfect, and not acceptable for a AAA release, but for an indie title, I can look past some random audio and graphic glitches.

Like the Critic, I bought the Switch version, and got it for $20 during a holiday sale at Best Buy. The trick to fully enjoying the game is to realize the obvious, right off the bat - this is not a traditional football game. The Critic complained in his review that he had several touchdowns called back in one game. What do you do? Immediately kill the referee! Like the original game, each team can bribe the ref to get certain calls to go their way, or to get big plays by the opposing team called back. Killing the MF'er nets you a minor penalty, but keeps what the game accurately describes as "b***s*** penalties" from happening again. Yes, the game does have penalties, but only when the ref has been bribed. There's also an occasional penalty for late hits, but it's rare, and the announcers even jokingly point out that the ref "missed that one" while you're busy pounding the opposing QB after the whistle blows.

I crank up the violence when I play, but when I play through a season, I also have it set so that players are resurrected after every game. That way, I can possibly win a game by forfeit by wiping out the opposing team, but I'm also not taking any of the "all-stars" out of the league, or losing too many, myself. Playing through the season with the Killadelphia Evils, it's impossible for QB Scarsome Wince to make it through a single game without getting banged-up, leaving poor lil' Sick Moldes out there to save the day. Thinly veiled reference to the actual NFL, anyone? It's nice to play a game where one of my stars gets killed in the first quarter, knowing that the game will be that much harder without him (or "it"?) but also knowing that I'll have them back for the next matchup. Playing solid defense is all that more important, as your defensive stars can truly pour out the hurt, especially against the more frail offensive players in the league.

I love this game. That being said, it's not perfect, and I would hesitate to even call it "good." But for what it is - an independent game released as a budget title - I don't think you could really ask for more. I love the humor, even though, as the Critic pointed out, it is pretty juvenile. There is an option in the menus to turn off the R-rated commentary, and this does open the game up to some more clever lines that would otherwise go unheard. Some of my favorites:

"This game is brought to you by the ComCrack Corporation. ComCrack - "We're not happy, until you're not happy.""

"Yeah, killing that guy was a bit excessive, but as I always say, you can't spell 'funeral' without 'fun'!"

"Man, am I lucky to be a CB gifted with the arms of a WR. Well, maybe not gifted - they did set me back $8000 bucks on eSlay."

One from the two man commentators, after a player gets set on fire: "Oh, man, did he get barbecued on that play! Mmmmm, man that sounds good - wanna make a run for some Korean BBQ, buddy?" The other commentator: "Oh, no thanks. Last time I ate Korean food, I got Kim Jong Ill..."

From a freshly-bribed referee, after making a BS call: "That's a 15 yard penalty on the Midway Mutants for trying to argue that Rush is better than Led Zepplin. I mean, seriously, what's wrong with you guys?"

The list goes on. Along with the madness of the gameplay (getting sawed in half, eaten by a sand worm that pops out of the field, having the QB pull out his boomstick and start blasting guys on a "shotgun" play, etc) the game's sense of humor can be quite clever, if you give it a chance. Not for kids in the least - this game is rated "Mature" with a capital "M", for sure. For $20, I have more than gotten my money's worth with this game, and when I play it with my buds, it's hard for us to keep a straight face, even when we know what lines are about to be said. It's one of the most-played games in my Switch library, and the most fun I've had playing a football game in years, right up there with the OG NFL Blitz and Tecmo Super Bowl. Yes, I like it that much. As a longtime fan of arcade-styled sports games, it's hard to find many newer games to get excited about these days, but MFL has more than met my expectations... even though, if I were rating it, I would probably only give it a "C+". Tops :P

Despite the bad reviews, I would recommend that anyone who has a passing interest in this game to give it a look, even if it's just pulling up some gameplay on YouTube. It's not for everybody, but like I said at the start, we all have different views and expectations. One man's "F" is another man's "C+"

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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby VideoGameCritic » February 26th, 2019, 7:18 pm

Matchstick-
Thanks for offering a very detailed and eloquent alternative point of view!
I tend to go off the deep end when giving out grades, so people should consider that.

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Matchstick
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Re: 2019/2/24: Nintendo Switch: Mutant Football League

Postby Matchstick » February 27th, 2019, 1:23 am

VideoGameCritic wrote:Matchstick-
Thanks for offering a very detailed and eloquent alternative point of view!
I tend to go off the deep end when giving out grades, so people should consider that.


You're very welcome, Critic. I may not post as much as some other users on this forum, but I do tend to "lurk" quite a bit. One of the main reasons I keep coming back is that you do keep tabs on your own forum space, especially on topics that you've created. You take recommendations from your site visitors and seem genuinely interested in what we all have to say. It's a very welcoming experience, posting on this site, and the group of guys (and gals!) on here make for a much, much more comfortable experience than I tend to find on most other gaming sites. Even giving one of my favorite games in recent memory an "F" isn't enough to scare me away!

I do appreciate the bluntness in a lot of the negative reviews on this site. As I said above, sometimes you just don't like something, and that is that. I feel that way about quite a few games I've played over the years, and there's no shame in that. As long as you can articulate your point of view, and explain why you feel the way you do, the rating is justified. I'd rather see an "F" grade than to read a review elsewhere that touches on a lot of negative topics, then decides to give a game a 5 out of 10. I mean, what is that even supposed to mean? Last I checked, a 50 out of 100, or a 50% score, was a failing grade, at any school level. Paraphrasing myself again, but one man's "F" is another man's 5!

(I'm referring to the score that NintendoLife gave to this same game a few months back. A bad review through and through, yet it still wound up with a 5. The review wording was so bad, I thought it would get a 1 or a 2!)

I will say, Critic, that I thought the obvious digs at ComCast that this game loves to throw around would bump up your score by a little bit. At least a "D-", maybe? Seem like the developers have just about as much love for that company as you do!

On an unrelated note, one of these days, I'll learn how to create a post that isn't as long as a book, I swear 8-)


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