10-Yard Fight
Encyclopedia
is a American football
arcade game
that was developed and published in Japan
by Irem
and published in the United States
by Taito
and in Europe by Electrocoin. It is the first slightly realistic American football video game ever developed and released.
The game is viewed in a top-down perspective and is vertical scrolling. The player does not select plays for either offense
or defense. On offense, the player simply receives the ball upon the snap and either attempt to run with the quarterback
, toss the ball to a running back
, or throw the ball to the one long distance receiver - basically the option offense
. On defense, the player chooses one of two players to control, and the computer manipulates the others. The ball can also be punt
ed or a field goal
can be attempted.
10-Yard Fight has five levels of difficulty; from easiest to most difficult: high school
, college
, professional
, playoff, and Super Bowl
. If the player wins both halves of an "accelerated real time" 30-minute half at an easier level, the player advanced to the next level of difficulty, like a career mode
.
by Irem first in Japan, and later published in North America and Europe
by Nintendo
in . The arcade game was also ported to the MSX
home computer also by Irem, but exclusively in Japan.
called it the "patriarch of football games". Sports Illustrated
s Adam Duerson stated that while no one remembered it or could say what makes it great, it is worth recognition for the fact that it brought football games out of the Atari
era, setting a simple precedent for future football games. UGO Networks' Adam Swiderski called it "downright advanced" compared to earlier football titles. He added that while it looked neat and had a quality soundtrack, it didn't play like "real football". The Columbia Dispatchs Nick Chordas said that it was realistic for the time, commenting that the players looked like real people. N-Sider called it more like a racing game than a football game, due to the objective being racing for a first down to increase players' time. Author Bj Klein, however, called it less realistic than Tecmo Bowl
. The Journal News
called it an "immortal classic".
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
arcade game
Arcade game
An arcade game is a coin-operated entertainment machine, usually installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars, and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, and merchandisers...
that was developed and published in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
by Irem
Irem (company)
is a Japanese video game console developer and publisher, and formerly a developer and manufacturer of arcade games as well. The company has its headquarters in Hakusan, Ishikawa Prefecture....
and published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by Taito
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
and in Europe by Electrocoin. It is the first slightly realistic American football video game ever developed and released.
Gameplay
Offense (sports)
In sports, offense or offence , also known as attack, is the action of attacking or engaging an opposing team with the objective of scoring points or goals...
or defense. On offense, the player simply receives the ball upon the snap and either attempt to run with the quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, toss the ball to a running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, or throw the ball to the one long distance receiver - basically the option offense
Option offense
The option offense is a generic term that is used to describe a wide variety of offensive systems in American football. Option offenses are characterized as such due to the predominance of option running plays employed in these schemes. Option offenses have traditionally relied heavily upon running...
. On defense, the player chooses one of two players to control, and the computer manipulates the others. The ball can also be punt
Punt (football)
In some codes of football, a punt is a play in which a player drops the ball and kicks it before it touches the ground. A punt is in contrast to a drop kick, in which the ball touches the ground before being kicked....
ed or a field goal
Field goal (football)
A field goal in American football and Canadian football is a goal that may be scored during general play . Field goals may be scored by a placekick or the now practically extinct drop kick.The drop kick fell out of favor in 1934 when the shape of the ball was changed...
can be attempted.
10-Yard Fight has five levels of difficulty; from easiest to most difficult: high school
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, college
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, professional
Professional football
In the United States and Canada, the term professional football includes the professional forms of American and Canadian gridiron football. In common usage, it refers to former and existing major football leagues in either country...
, playoff, and Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. If the player wins both halves of an "accelerated real time" 30-minute half at an easier level, the player advanced to the next level of difficulty, like a career mode
Be-a-pro mode
The usage of be-a-pro mode is a repackaging of the player-lock feature with a primitive evaluation system added to rate the player's performance...
.
Ports
The arcade game was later ported to the Nintendo Entertainment SystemNintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
by Irem first in Japan, and later published in North America and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
by Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
in . The arcade game was also ported to the MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
home computer also by Irem, but exclusively in Japan.
Differences between arcade and NES versions
While graphically similar, there were some fundamental differences between the NES and arcade versions of the game. The arcade version only sought to simulate the offense, with the team attempting to score a touchdown, which would ultimately lead the player to the next level. The NES version was developed to allow both defense and offense, as well as a simultaneous 2-player mode. However, this mode is flawed in that the 2nd (red) player retains the AI cheats, giving him or her an unfair advantage.Reception
The Pittsburgh Post-GazettePittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, also known simply as the "PG," is the largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.-Early history:...
called it the "patriarch of football games". Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
s Adam Duerson stated that while no one remembered it or could say what makes it great, it is worth recognition for the fact that it brought football games out of the Atari
Atari
Atari is a corporate and brand name owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by Atari Interactive, a wholly owned subsidiary of the French publisher Atari, SA . The original Atari, Inc. was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It was a pioneer in...
era, setting a simple precedent for future football games. UGO Networks' Adam Swiderski called it "downright advanced" compared to earlier football titles. He added that while it looked neat and had a quality soundtrack, it didn't play like "real football". The Columbia Dispatchs Nick Chordas said that it was realistic for the time, commenting that the players looked like real people. N-Sider called it more like a racing game than a football game, due to the objective being racing for a first down to increase players' time. Author Bj Klein, however, called it less realistic than Tecmo Bowl
Tecmo Bowl
is an arcade game developed and released in 1987 by Tecmo. While moderately successful in the arcades, the game became and remained widely popular and remembered when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. The NES version was considered by many to be the first NES American...
. The Journal News
The Journal News
The Journal News is a newspaper in New York serving the suburban New York City counties of Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, a region known as the Lower Hudson Valley. It is owned by the Gannett Company, Inc. The Journal News was created through a merger of several daily community newspapers...
called it an "immortal classic".