John Elway's Quarterback
Encyclopedia
John Elway's Quarterback, also known as John Elway's Quarterback Challenge and John Elway's Team Quarterback, is a 1987
football
video game.
Home versions were released for DOS
(as a booter) and the Nintendo Entertainment System (in 1988
) as well as various home computers such as Commodore 64
, ZX Spectrum
and Apple IIGS
. The arcade game
is an upright that had two player capability.
The controls are different for both the left and right sides (offense and defense). There is a spring-loaded joystick
which allows the player to angle and release according to where they were throwing (for the quarterback
) or kicking. When possession changes, players switch sides of the console, and play continues. In both cases, players can select from a playbook of formations and plays.
On offense, the player has the option of selecting the "normal play," which is nearly impossible for the defense to stop if performed correctly. To select the "normal play," the player must highlight the play in the play selection menu and wait for the play selection menu timer to expire. In the "normal play," the quarterback must pass the ball quickly to avoid being sacked, as the offensive line collapses unusually quickly in this formation. Once the ball is released, the wide receivers will run toward the ball. If the ball is caught, the receiver will have the ability to run at extremely high speeds. The receiver will then be nearly impossible for the defense to catch and tackle.
1987 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* January 14, Nintendo releases Zelda II: The Adventure of Link in January for the Famicom Disk System in Japan only. The game would go unreleased in America for nearly two years afterwards.* February 20, Konami releases Contra...
football
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...
video game.
Summary
DOS
DOS, short for "Disk Operating System", is an acronym for several closely related operating systems that dominated the IBM PC compatible market between 1981 and 1995, or until about 2000 if one includes the partially DOS-based Microsoft Windows versions 95, 98, and Millennium Edition.Related...
(as a booter) and the Nintendo Entertainment System (in 1988
1988 in video gaming
-Events:*June — Nintendo releases the last issue of "Nintendo fun club news";*July — Nintendo releases the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.-Notable releases:*January 8, Konami releases Super Contra....
) as well as various home computers such as Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
, ZX Spectrum
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
and Apple IIGS
Apple IIGS
The Apple , the fifth and most powerful model in the Apple II series of personal computers produced by Apple Computer. The "GS" in the name stands for Graphics and Sound, referring to its enhanced graphics and sound capabilities, both of which greatly surpassed previous models of the line...
. The 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...
is an upright that had two player capability.
The controls are different for both the left and right sides (offense and defense). There is a spring-loaded joystick
Joystick
A joystick is an input device consisting of a stick that pivots on a base and reports its angle or direction to the device it is controlling. Joysticks, also known as 'control columns', are the principal control in the cockpit of many civilian and military aircraft, either as a center stick or...
which allows the player to angle and release according to where they were throwing (for 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...
) or kicking. When possession changes, players switch sides of the console, and play continues. In both cases, players can select from a playbook of formations and plays.
On offense, the player has the option of selecting the "normal play," which is nearly impossible for the defense to stop if performed correctly. To select the "normal play," the player must highlight the play in the play selection menu and wait for the play selection menu timer to expire. In the "normal play," the quarterback must pass the ball quickly to avoid being sacked, as the offensive line collapses unusually quickly in this formation. Once the ball is released, the wide receivers will run toward the ball. If the ball is caught, the receiver will have the ability to run at extremely high speeds. The receiver will then be nearly impossible for the defense to catch and tackle.