Review: Magmic NFL Gridiron – Magmic

Review: NFL Gridiron
[rating:7] 7/10
Version: 1.0.0
Developer: Magmic / THQ Wireless Inc.
Link: www.magmic.com
Cost: $8.99
Compatibility: BlackBerry (wide choice of models)

Greg has done us all a favor by reviewing one of the first sports games I have ever seen for BlackBerry devices. Magmic does not always have a trial option for all their games due to limitations caused by porting the game to the BlackBerry OS. While NFL Gridiron does seem to be a start in the right direction there are a few things that Magmic can improve on in future sports titles to garner more support from regular gamers. For NFL enthusiasts this game will be right down your alley especially if you have every played a Gridiron game before. This is no Madden 2007 but it is a fun game to pass the time between meetings. Check out Greg’s full review after the jump.

Installation: OTA or Desktop download direct from Magmic

I have to preface this review by saying that since I have never played a Gridiron game before this review was way out of my league (no pun intended). I have never even seen a game of Gridiron before. I gave it a shot but didn’t know which way was up.

Time to call in the professionals. A quick call to my brother-in-law and 10 minutes later he was punching away on my Curve and shouting ‘Touch Down’.

The game is based on all the current U.S NFL teams in which you can choose your favorite team as your own and your least favorite as your opposition. You then get to choose single game or full season. After you have selected your team you get a full player roster list and positions they are playing.

Gameplay for me was impossible as I had absolutely no clue as to the aim of the game but once in my brother-in-laws hands my season turned around and the NY Jets reign supreme.

At the start of the game you get the traditional coin toss and away you go. If you are the offensive team then you get to select the play that you wish to make (coach’s call as default). You then get to select your receiver and the moment you want your quarterback to make the pass. If you are the defensive team then you also get to select the play that you wish to make and then choose the player that you wish to control and tackle the opposition.

Graphics wise NFL Gridiron is about the norm these days with all the information you need displayed in real time. One thing I found hard to do was punt. The controls for this was fairly confusing and I just ended up pressing the trackball whenever and getting some pretty good distance. All gameplay can be done via the trackball or from keyboard buttons (see help option in the game for key controls).

Pros:

• Ability to select plays, players and receivers
• Good graphics
• On-screen display of all required information

Cons:

• Game freezes to load up when in play (load-lag)

Verdict:

Overall this is a very comprehensive game package and for any Gridiron fan a great time-consumer of when you need to take a break from real life.

I would like to thank my brother-in-law John for all his input into this review and for giving my trackball the workout of its life.