NFL Football NES 49ers vs. Bengals [HD]

I have played many football games, but this one takes the cake for the worst one I have ever played. This is NFL Football, which was licensed by LJN in 1989. It is the first officially licensed football game for the NES by the NFL. This means that the actual NFL teams at the time are in this game, but there are no real players.
This game is said to be horrible, but I believe that Atlus was maybe a bit too ambitious. There are 11 players on each side of the field. There are 14 plays to choose from on offence and a variety as well on defense. However, the game is very slow, and the passing game wasn't easy. In addition, you are unable to punt or kick field goals to my knowledge.
Since this game represents the 1988-1989 NFL football season, I made the Super Bowl XXIII matchup between the San Francisco 49ers vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. While recording this footage, I had a Microsoft Word document including all the button combinations for play calling. Otherwise, I would have been lost or just called one play for the entire game. Enough of my rambling, enjoy the video... if possible.

[@PerpetualArt]

I was such a fan of football that I almost bought this on several occasions!! It was my cousin who had played it and told me " No way! '. Thank God I listened to him!

[@mrsteak613]

This makes Ten Yard Fight look like Madden and Tecmo Super Bowl look like the God of all Football games

[@clarkbar]

tecmo super bowl still is the GOAT!

[@SteamKing2160]

yea and Madden NFL 2001 is still trying to take the GOAT

[@L1011Widebody]

13:06 this is like what a really early Achievement Unlocked isn't it? That's awesome. Also, at 13:06 in the video, there's 13:06 on the game clock! How rad is that? This video just keeps getting better!

[@westdallasboy4454]

I had this because Toys R' Us didn't have Tecmo Bowl. Then I bought NES Playaction Football. Finally, I was able to order Tecmo Bowl through my mom's company.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Not just the worst football game of all time, I'd argue it's top 5 worst games of all time on the NES period. Completely unplayable if you don't have the manual...and unless you were unlucky enough to buy it, you never got it. Video stores never had it. It's just a messy slog. It's amazing how the NFL allowed it's brand to be licensed by LJN like this.

[@Vichedges]

Even if you have the manual it's unplayable. It's just broken. And it came out the same year as Tecmo Bowl which is one of the best playing games ever. Just no excuse for it.

[@SamGarcia9623]

Well it's made by LJN that logo alone already tells you it sucks beyond comprehension.

[@judahsoremy9857]

Still better than Madden: 19 though.

[@KurlzzPlays]

Yeah and ljn published this shit load of fuck

[@rush92287]

Wow yea that looks pretty dang bad. I remember choosing between this and NES Play Action Football when I was 4 years old for my newly-bought NES. Good thing I chose that instead of this :)

[@crawford371]

35:51 The end zone logo was the old NFL on CBS logo from the 80s

[@L1011Widebody]

36:58 Ha I remember that, the game would glitch sometimes and the music would keep going. It actually made it a lot more interesting and stuff.

[@L1011Widebody]

6:50 Have to love the black-and-white video scoreboard. Like they even know their game sucks. Man, this is great. Watching this makes me so irrationally happy for some reason. It's like watching a really good Special Olympics athlete or something, you can't help but smile. Thanks so much for uploading this... thing.

[@L1011Widebody]

4:55 I just love the interception sound, it sounds like your computer just had an error. BLRP!

[@losttribe3001]

Top Executive at LJN “ slow down the play but speed up the game clock.” Programmer “but that’s just going to be annoying and...” Top Executive at LZjN throws his coffee in the programmers face “SHUT THE FUCK UP!”

[@camrencross645]

I remember me as a kid trying to force myself to like this game after getting it. Lord this was terrible! So slow that juking with your d-pad meant nothing. 10 yards felt like a HUGE deal.

[@jonwhitt3679]

How in the hell did LJN get the license for football and baseball. Both were atrocious

[@L1011Widebody]

46:28 And of course the game ends on an interception. SO AWESOMELY BAD AND TERRIBLE I just love it so. Thanks again for uploading this!

[@jhot2477]

this shit is INTENSE, my heart is beating out of my chest

[@ElZorroHonesto]

This game's slowness is like watching the world's longest instant replay.

[@seanklingensmith7572]

I remember when Tecmo Super Bowl came out, I wanted that game so bad. It was $50 brand new, I had the money, but my father didn't think his 9 year old kid should be spending $50 on a Nintendo game. So he took me to a used video game store, I paid $5 bucks for this shitty game and played it once.

[@marcusanderson7880]

Ur dad is a real piece of shit 😤🤷🏿‍♂️😵

[@zooropa04]

Even as an 8 year-old renting this game from the store, I was shocked at just how slow it was. I think this was actually the first time I ever noticed speed in a game (which would of course become a notch in Sega's quiver during the glorious Genesis-SNES wars of the early '90s....)

[@Doc_Hollladay]

completing passes in this game was a nightmare lol!!! but man the memories

[@DanConroy78]

My favorite part of this game is at 28:45 when the 49ers convert on a 3rd and 30. 😆

[@stoneyj1a1]

Good God, what a horrendous football video game. I never saw this in stores as a kid

[@beastman8269]

Imagine waking up on Christmas and getting this game while your friend gets tecmo bowl

[@SuperBoomshack]

The footballs are filled with helium😂😂

[@L1011Widebody]

The music is actually pretty good.

[@WIG1276]

04:05 was my favorite glitch in the game. I used to call that play on offense hoping each time the D would glitch and leave the receiver uncovered.

[@infinitygenealpa]

Other than the first Megami Tensei in 1987, Atlus got off to a pretty shaky start.

[@updawg2]

You can punt and kick field goals, but the button combination was something weird. I want to say it was up and select button or something like that. I still have the game, but lost the playbook that came with it.

[@dbmajor]

Here's a link to the manual/playbook: www.nesfiles.com/NES/NFL_Football/NFL_Football.pdf

[@ElZorroHonesto]

Don't know if you're still looking for these, but I have both the manual and the playbook and I have uploaded both here for you: mega.nz/folder/hxpiFYQZ#6Bi52iOUlg4aMHx36yCM7g

[@ElZorroHonesto]

@@dbmajor The manual is not the playbook. The playbook was a double-sided sheet that told you the Control Pad+buttons combinations for each play both on offense and defense. You needed it to play because you never saw your own chosen plays on screen -an attempt to have the players unable to see each other's plays in advance in two-player mode-. It was not printed in the manual, either. If you'd like to have it, I just uploaded it here: mega.nz/folder/hxpiFYQZ#6Bi52iOUlg4aMHx36yCM7g

[@ElZorroHonesto]

Punts were Left+Start; field goals and extra points were Up+Start.

[@davidvondusseldorf1208]

Fascinating.....purely fascinating

[@pissedoffgamer]

I remember playing this as a kid and not knowing what the hell I was playing

[@Rando-Igno]

An LJN game. Why am I not surprised?

[@L1011Widebody]

36:04 Jeez what is that the 8th interception? Who are the quarterbacks, Scott Mitchell and Dave Krieg?

[@L1011Widebody]

8:55 Ha ha it even makes the turnover blrp sound on punts ha this is just great!

[@chancellor2755]

OMG I remember buying this game at Toys R Us and being so disappointed at how terrible it was, they made it look like tecmo bowl kind of.

[@TheHighway420n]

Wow the kickoff...is there gravity in this game lmao

[@L1011Widebody]

4:17 Run! RUUUNNN!!!!!!

[@funkyflights]

This looks oddly kinda fun, even though the QB's throw slow motion helium balloon balls..

[@Vichedges]

Well you're fucking wrong. It's god awful. If playing slow, broken messes is your idea of fun run out and buy a copy. I bought it when it first came out and I'm still pissed about it.

[@phantom-lo5gs]

The memories

[@Eros13adios]

NES PLAY ACTION FOOTBALL was the best for its time-a little bit better graphics and realistic(substitute players that either get injured or tired).

[@whoopdiddydo]

I asked for (and received) this for Christmas when it came out. What a horrible, horrible game this was. Just awful. Awful, awful.

[@Vichedges]

I used birthday, Christmas and paper route money to buy it. I feel your pain.

[@Vichedges]

I bought this turd when it came out. It was really expensive, I want to say 60 bucks, which I assume was because of the NFL license. I saved up paper route, birthday and Christmas money and rode my bike over to Toys R Us and bought it.....I was 13 and the Colts and the NFL were my life. I rode home as fast as I could...popped it into my NES and literally couldn't play a whole game. The fucking game is just broken. I know AVGN jokes about LJN but really, think about it.....they sold a fucking broken game....a game they knew was unplayable.....to children. I should have written to the NFL. I actually tried to take the game back but Toys R Us wouldn't let me so I was stuck with a POS 60 dollar game that I couldn't even play.

[@lazaroperez4393]

Es como ver a los super campeones: el balón tarda un episodio en caer cuando hacen pases largos o el portero despeja

[@marioparamo3496]

My dad I played it alot. It was kinda boring but my dad enjoyed it.

[@L1011Widebody]

19:58 What the frig you can do a half-back pass in this game????

[@jasons2270]

Worst football game ever but in all fairness that technology wasn't there yet... but yes as a kid playing this I fucking hated it

[@SportyBlackwell76]

This game sucked as a kid

[@42183mfb]

My mom's boyfriend at the time originally got me this he played it brought it back and got me super tecmo bowl

[@robertspivey8446]

I chose to get this game for my birthday 1 year 😭😭😭😭😭😭facts.....

[@Vichedges]

I bought it when it came out and it was expensive, I could be wrong but I think it was 60 bucks. I never even finished one single game. It was so slow and broken. Definitely the worst game I ever owned for NES.

[@ecwdude17]

This game sucks!

[@joyjordan24]

This game was terrible. It ranks right up there with E.T. as one of the worst games ever made.

[@Vichedges]

ET is completely overrated as a terrible game. Most people saying that it's the worst game ever never even played it. We had it when I was a young kid, given the quality of the average Atari game nobody back then thought it was the worst game ever...it was at least playable. It only became the "worst game ever' once the internet rolled around. ET's not good or anything but it's a million times better than NFL football.

[@nateword]

this ain't Tecmo Bowl

[@therush757]

This game sponsored by Molasses

[@andyfrench3084]

Good fuckin Lord this game is a piece of shit.

[@flossbee]

Trash NFL licensed game then! Trash NFL licensed game now!

[@rellik187redrum]

paid 2$ for it today ,should have been1$

[@darkroronoa]

+rellik187redrum more like they should have paid you

[@Vichedges]

If somebody gave me a copy I'd throw it away. I paid full price for it back in 1989. It's the worst game on the NES or at least the worst game I ever played on the NES. The NFL should have refunded kids money. Honestly I tried to take it back to Toys R Us and they wouldn't let me return it, I wish I'd have thought to write the NFL for my money back. Maybe I would have gotten some free tickets or something at least.

[@ericdawson1088]

WTF i grew up on the nes and thank god my first NFL game was tecmo superbowl bc this is shit

[@McD_James]

Wow... this looks bad.

[@Mark-vh1tw]

Smh I this game it sux bad

[@heat4yoass]

They probably thought we were stupid as kids.

[@Vichedges]

The sad thing is Tecmo Bowl came out the same year.....and I bought NFL football. Talk about choosing poorly. I ended up renting Tecmo Bowl over and over. The Blockbuster near me only had one copy and it was a real crapshoot if it would be in on the weekends. I was always trying to get my mom to reserve it lol.