Quarterback Attack with Mike Ditka | Reviewing Every U.S. Saturn Game | Episode 32 of 246

[@wyldink1]

This is probably the only channel that can make an hour long "review" (actually documentary) on an FMV football game really interesting.

[@sambeussman7239]

You are giving this era of gaming the love and respect that it has never gotten. FMV games have unfortunately devolved into the joke of 90's gaming and are treated worse than the pornography games of the Atari 2600. These games were very important to 90's gaming and the potential of these games were the catalysis of why video game companies went towards disc based consoles. Plus so much hard work and ambition came into developing these games and hearing the programmers and directors talk about their experience is awesome. Judging by your previous FMV Saturn reviews, this is going to be another fascinating and entertaining video. Keep doing what your doing dude. You are one of the best video game youtubers right now. I am just glad I got to discover you very early in the series before you blow up.

[@aortaplatinum]

Exactly! I'm excited to see his eventual episodes on D and Enemy Zero

[@apollosungod2819]

live action FMV games were NEVER "important to 90s gaming kid... they were the epitome of getting ripped off after the hype wore off and you realized there was zero gameplay, extremely forgettable "experience" if not god awful and that it was Sega of America's 90s staff who favored these games, promoted them like they were somehow "made by Sega" until you read the fine print and more importantly was that Sega of America's 90s management staff further used those live action FMV games to further refuse to localize the Japanese exclusive and contract first party level quality videogames for MegaDrive, MegaCD and Sega Saturn. These games were hated back then... and there is no reason to love them unless you are some obsessed collector who was never there when these games were being released and more importantly who were not in their late teens and twenties using their working income to purchase games because everyone knows that the usual suspects had to wait for their parents to buy them games and when someone else buys you stuff, you never really appreciate the cost of it at all.

[@Fuuntag]

Going from the stellar Virtua Cop to this; whiplash.

[@chanhjohnnguyen1867]

I have to say with the retired football players and the credits in the FMVs, the devs really took pride in their craft. It’s a lot of detail hiding underneath the surface

[@dejiko]

The amount of work you put into this channel is insane. It's like the biggest testament to the Sega Saturn's legacy I have ever seen.

[@Mitsuraga]

And we haven't even left 1995, yet! There's so much more still to come, and already it's the biggest testament to Saturn's legacy. I can't wait for Virtua Fighter 2 (and Kids, Cop 2), Panzer Dragoon Zwei, and, someday when we're all very old, the ultimate comparison between EA's NHL 98 and SEGA's own (kind of) NHL All Star Hockey '98.

[@sfdtbnmrbcscn1555]

This channel is so underrated. I wish you could do this for much of this era of gaming. Hope your channel blows up one day. It's definitely deserved.

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

Total run time is about one hour and ten minutes.

[@Soonjai]

That sounds very reasonable after the Virtua Cop Video.

[@fakeshemp9599]

Holy shit you already are çranking another one out?! Dude, the dedication you have is unreal. I have tried to spread the word and get your channels name out there and I'll continue to do that. You'll soon see your subscriber count take off I just know it! Bravo sir! 👏

[@joelpetersmedia]

Thanks Panda lol. I was like 'oh how long is this one going to be?' scrolling to comments in the off chance there might be something there and it's the first pinned comment. Always gotta be four steps ahead of my expectations

[@Random-yh9tj]

Should've made it 5... But that's reasonable for an FMV football game I guess...

[@CrystalBulger]

PANDA AHHHH WHAT IS THE NAME OF UR THEME SONG

[@MatthewCobalt]

Good job on showcasing the Actor you interviewed. Sometimes even the small time actors are the unsung heroes in the world of entertainment. Wish her the best in coming back into the Industry!

[@tiredastired]

so glad to see another so soon. you’re a hero

[@planescaped]

That Virtua cop episode was only a month ago? Feels like I watched it last year. XD time pls stahp

[@XJ-0641]

An FMV Sports Game? In a PandaMonium review? Has Craig Stadler finally met his match in Mike Ditka?

[@Relugus]

Mike Ditka: "Think you can get it inside mine?"

[@BH-vh3iu]

I've been watching this series and man, I'm impressed by how deep it goes into each game, how much effort and passion were put into every episode...

[@DoggoneNexus]

This is the kind of in-depth Saturn coverage I've been craving. The insane research and effort you put into these videos is much appreciated and I'm shocked the subscriber count isn't at least 10x what it currently is. Also it was so cool of Athena to do an interview!

[@aceman556]

This is absolutely mind blowing work. Your Virtua Cop video had the amount of work put into it that would take most people a year or more to produce. So when I woke up and saw this my thought was, “this can’t be the same guy right?” Consider me a full blown fan now, can’t wait to start working through the backlog!

[@jonbourgoin182]

I was expecting to click off this video after 2 minutes but nope, you absolutely hooked me. What a great video.

[@Mospen]

What a great video on Quarterback Attack! Part review, part documentary, all excellent content. Would I have EVER thought a Saturn video would link to an episode of Seinfeld? No, but this one did and it's SPECTACULAR! Great, job presenting the story of this game, never before seen footage and excellent interview with Athena Massey. What a joy to watch. I hope for an updated release of this title along with the cancelled Maximum Surge. A hole in one!

[@GFgruel]

Awesome work as always!! Nice job on tracking down Atbena Massey to interview and scoring permission to use that behind-the-scenes footage and archived interview with Zito. Always find it fascinating how sports films use cardboard cutouts for fans and how this game did it too! I unfortunately own and played many of the Digital Pictures games, but Quarterback Attack has always evaded me all these years, so I will pretend taking in this vid counts! Nice pull quotes from the Zito interview in Next-Gen!! That mag was so ahead of its time, I forgot how much I loved their interviews! If you're curious on exploring a more non-FMV version of Quarterback Attack using actual in-game engine gameplay then I recommend checking out clips of the First Person Football mode in ESPN NFL 2K4/5. I am surprised about your novice knowledge of football when learning the game, I thought with you doing journalism in Fargo that it would be inescapable to be roped into helping out with some NDSU FCS coverage from the last decade or so with their success :D Have you been to any of their Fargodome games or ESPN College GameDay coverage when they were in town? Seriously though, this was fantastic! I recall seeing this reviewed in gaming mags from the era with other Digital Pictures games, and other than some shorter videos on KZbin over the years, I have never seen one this much research and fact-checking. Never stop!!!!

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

Believe me, if it weren't for overhearing/slightly partaking in Bison football coverage, I would be even more clueless to navigating Quarterback Attack lmao. I have not yet had the privilege to staff a Bison broadcast from the Dome, but I have done my fair share of tailgating reporting, and I gotta say, it is electric. No one loves FCS football quite like North Dakota does.

[@SamuraiSam]

I am endlessly impressed by the quality and thoroughness of all your videos, even with subjects like sports that you're not that well-versed in, and the way you manage to seek out and interview people who were actually involved with the games. You're doing something special! I'm hoping we'll both live long enough to see the Magic Knight Rayearth episode someday and that some Working Designs people will still be around to be interviewed for it. 😄

[@Bofner]

Oh heck yes! Another incredible in-depth history of a game I didn't know I was interested in. As usual I love the effort put into these videos!

[@cheesegod1337]

I don't know how you keep making these so quickly and so well. Loved the interview with Athena and seeing the never before released footage. Hope you can figure out whatever Adrenalin is

[@nickperri6322]

This came up while I was watching the playlist in random order and I scrambled to pick up my phone to see I'm over a day early

[@Swagtildawn]

The shoutout to Kate Morrison got me thinking about all the people that work on these sorts of productions. Where is she? What were here credentials? What was her take on the entire experience? Did the experience make an impact on her career? I just like picking a random name in the credits and thinking about where they might be. It's one of the reasons I love this channel. We get the inside look from people who don't ever really get a chance to tell their experiences.

[@sunnohh]

That Ditka cope hits good, feels good man. Thanks for the great memories.

[@ThickpropheT]

Wasn't sure about this one, but after the first 10 minutes, I was loving it, so I stuck it out through to the end. Worth it. It'd be sick if they ported Maximum Surge to Saturn.

[@Rockhead84]

Man, this was a fun ride. I honestly didn't remember hearing about this game, but one of those strange trips only the 90s could take you on.

[@chrishowson2031]

So glad I found this channel. Seriously love every vid & even though I'm in the UK...and have absolute zero knowledge of American football....I'm sucked in, another great vid, thank you! Oh, and Sega Saturn for life!!

[@joemamr710]

Really loved the 90s Usenet review impression. Pretty much how I read those in my head!

[@ryeb]

These reviews are fantastic. You really went the extra mile with all of these with research, interviews... i'm telling everyone i know about this channel. these are the definitive saturn reviews.

[@Cafeman_2D]

A thorough and very entertaining variety show / docu about this obscure game, thanks! LOL at all the cardboard cutout spectators which is also something creepy out of the twilight zone! I liked the background about cheerleader / actress mom too, best wishes.

[@charliehunt6336]

Another banger. You are doing the Lords work.

[@thatryeguy6145]

I love how your videos seem to be ending and then go on for another 10 minutes of awesomeness. I would always pick QB Attack over NFL '97, lol.

[@joshuasanderson7359]

Your channel is amazing, mate. I never thought anyone would give these games hour-long, in-depth reviews. So good.

[@segadriven]

The behind the scenes footage is an incredible get! Amazing work as usual, buddy!

[@shawty10ize]

Dude, you must make more Saturn reviews. These are all solid gold and I need more.

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

That’s the plan! Just need time. Working on Sega Rally right now. :)

[@karmatose]

This was a great watch. As someone who is into sports games and retro gaming in general, super stoked that you gave this a fair shake where most wouldn't (it's a sports game and fmv game, ffs) and delivered a super engaging video. Keep up the good work!

[@MrCalverino]

this game is really nice! It's super underrated!

[@Chazwhick]

Always look forward to these videos, the Sega Saturn Libary is one that needs more love, the history behind them is fascinating as well!

[@SStyle5]

Amazing work, especially in unearthing the new footage and new info.

[@popculturepausescreen1522]

How do you make me care about games like this? I often think about skipping some of these Saturn releases but as soon as I start watching, I am hooked by what you find. Amazing work as always.

[@malickfan7461]

Never thought I’d watch an hour long video about a football game.

[@illlogick7151]

First video I’ve seen , watched them all after this … all of these videos are super sweet

[@drunkensailor112]

I love all the videos with your sports friend tito!

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

Thanks! I will let him know!

[@tiredastired]

by far the biggest mindblow for me is the fact that some company in 2010 decided to do a port of a flop FMV saturn game…and actually bothered to think of and program some gameplay improvements. insane

[@tiredastired]

also surely the rights to ditka’s name and likeness would have wound down by then? no? amazing and bizarre in any case

[@Random-yh9tj]

We all know what's next, and I can't wait for it...

[@tithrandil]

Just wanted to say, I have always enjoyed watching your content. You put so much care and effort into your videos. Having grown up with the Saturn, your videos always bring me so much joy and nostalgia. I still remember spending one Summer as a teen mowing too many lawns just to buy one, along with Virtua Fighter 2 and Panzer Dragoon Zwei. So, thank you for all you do.

[@TheLandofObscusion]

On a purely technically level, Quarterback Attack is legit the best game Digital Pictures ever actually released. That said, though, Tom Zito truly does come off as someone who believed so much in his own stuff that he sometimes came off as delusional, at worst, or just too obsessed with visuals, at best. He really does come in stark contrast to Robert Grebe, the head of American Laser Games (essentially DP's direct competitor at the time), who I got to interview back in 2015 & 100% knew that they were just having fun making games with arguably the same level of visual feel & style (but at a fraction of the price, never even hitting $1 million dollars for any game). Excellent work on the documentary, Pandamonium. Congratulations on getting the behind-the-scenes footage from Flash Film Works, too! Here's hoping that Maximum Surge does finally come out in its intended form (it did get a feature-length movie edit, which included scenes from other DP games, including Quarterback Attack), and I'd honestly buy a re-release of Quarterback Attack if it came out on current hardware.

[@TomVanDeusen]

Heck Yeah!!! And so soon after your Virtua Cop epic, I can't wait :)

[@Midori_Hoshi]

I can't praise you enough. These documentary reviews are absurdly well done.

[@Silanda]

Another fantastic video! Doubly so for someone who always liked FMV games.

[@ZidaneSAID]

Another great review. You are making history, keep up the great work :)

[@DaveVoyles]

For some reason KZbin didn’t recommend this to me when it was released! Just catching up on it now, and loving it.

[@link13thedude]

Finally got a chance to watch, you never disappoint.

[@Neowattmk4]

This video was a really good time and a nice ""short"" video to get into after the Virtua Cop video (which is what got me hooked on this series and made me start to go through all of it). I hope mike ditka smashing that chair gets used in future videos it's too good not to become some form of running gag. anyhow I've been loving these vids keep up the good work! I can't wait for the Virtual On review in 5 years

[@GamingTeacher]

Good lord man. You just keep hitting it out of the park.

[@Thrak94]

I did not expect to find an over hour review of Quarterback Attack that doubles as a quick retrospective on Digital Pictures, but Im here for it. Great video!

[@migueldias8546]

What an amazing review once again. Thank you for your passion!

[@ianfisch7289]

Yay!!! My favorite youtuber

[@DestroyerTriple]

Awesome use of the neversoft spider-man soundtrack for the interview section.

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

“I’m already at full health!”

[@chazmaru9583]

Amazing job and commendable effort finding the time and commitment to interview people involved in the development, as always. The Sega community on KZbin is the best.

[@CommonSense-hy2sn]

I was listening to an reenactment of the 1995 NG interview by Defunct Games while editing and found it very interesting, I recommend it. Zito said they were learning with every game to make the genre less restrictive and partly this was due to the limitations of the Sega CD with Zito admitting that looking back at Nighttrap he wasn't sure if it is any good. The fruits of that they were starting to see in Quarterback Attack and Maximum Surge. Makes we wish they would've targeted next gen platforms sooner, seems to me that they genuinely to tried to improve their gameplay later on and started to focus on making fun games. Regarding using the camera to source graphics, I wonder if DP's games would've eventually evolve into something like Tekwar on DOS or Killing Time on 3DO, the latter featuring video cutscenes within 3D environments.

[@klodek14]

I have zero interest in American football (being a European) and sports in general, but I watched every video your channel and I knew it would still be fun and interesting. I was right. I really hope you can deliver all 246 episodes. Good luck and thanks a lot for a great time.

[@captRhay]

congratulations for a superb work as usual!

[@joelpetersmedia]

Ah, I love these videos so much. I have no idea how you manage to make these more entertaining than actual produced comedy shows, but please keep it up lol.

[@jeremybeezy]

This is seriously one of the best channels on KZbin, definitely the most underrated. The quality of these videos is top notch and I love this channel almost as much as I love my sega saturn. I need more pandamonium videos. You are also 1000% cooler for being a room fan. Haven't met Greg yet, but I have met Tommy lmfao

[@Imgema]

Seriously, all these cardboard cutouts is insane. They must be thousands.

[@devonwilliams5738]

I always love people giving encyclopedic coverage to games that 1000% don't deserve it. You da bomb!

[@PaulPararnoid]

Beautifully made, as always! I love how deep your reviews are, in comparison of the Zeitgeist with TikTok and all that things where your span of attention tend towards zero. I just played the game once, but I thought for a FMV game it's quite cool. You kind of get the feeling of playing as a Quarterback. But yeah, for a 65$ game, I guess, back then I would have been disappointed wit the lack of content. The progress of the FMV games is quite interesting. If they tried to focus on better gameplay, maybe they would have had a chance to survive? Just imagine a VR-style Quarterback Attack game! 😀 It's kind of funny, but for me it feels that beginning with the mid 2000s many games focused more on story telling (with long in-game video scenes) and less on good gameplay. Somehow a trend that would have helped FMV games, if only they would have survived...

[@tongq6]

This is a great docureview. But I am still waiting for PandaMonium to review Pandemonium!

[@ethelchip3620]

You know, Zito gives me the impression he never actually played a video game. He just looked at them, saw how popular they were, and thought he could do it better. I've always ignored these games because they basically don't seem like games to me. But in retrospect I can respect how a lot of effort went into them and they were unique especially for the time. Even today I'm not sure there's anything like Quarterback Attack. I'd be interested to check out Maximum Surge if it gets finished. Another note: it's kind of funny that games from this time had flat sprites as audience members that looked like cardboard, and in live action they just used actual cardboard. Amazing video. It's really cool you're able to do interviews to add context.

[@sasquatchintime]

Another 105 yard punt-return touchdown for PandaMonium!

[@TalesBarros]

Thanks a lot for your dedication and hard work, Panda!

[@hideokojimajr]

Nick, another absolute classic. So amazing that you’ve gotten the access you have. When this is all said and done, you have to tell me what B movie actress you have the biggest crush on 😉

[@venomouscontent8473]

I have been looking for this kind of content for YEARS! I'm so glad to find your channel. You far exceeded the level of quality I could have hoped anyone would with this type of content. I love this Era of gaming as it was a huge part of my life back then. Getting to see what some of the other generations think and also the amazing level of detail put into research. The behind the scenes stories,Video,interviews etc is simply AMAZING.....thank you so much!

[@yyr_]

I am absolutely loving your videos. They go above and beyond! (And by the way, it's okay if some more of them are shorter and/or less in-depth, if it enables you to get through 246 of them!) Thank you for all your efforts =)

[@SieffrePlays]

Panda DP video pumps me up.

[@lutfimakarim8258]

Now I wanna play this game

[@joebushdotnet]

Love the work you've done here with this video, I must say the game had me totally fooled with the cardboard cutout crowd! I always wondered, dating back to the first time I played it on Saturn back about a decade ago, what the experience of one of those crowd members was, and now I know they were completely inanimate! I am always so fascinated by Digital Pictures' output, and my opinion on their work in general is pretty similar to your critique of this game: There's nothing else like them. I really appreciate you giving these games a full investigative historical treatment.

[@Mitchell_Nagy]

We fought for our place at the table... And now... ITS TIME TO EAT

[@ENiceGeo]

I think Zito's take on gaming, making you feel like you're in the game, was ahead of it's time. I think it could work today if made as a VR game. Imagine a VR version of Quarterback Attack.

[@hggfhh4449]

I'm sure Mike dikta is proud of of this game. Just like everyone involved.

[@whataboutrob442]

That Joe Montana football '94 and the College Football '94 were awesome on the Genesis.

[@Anders010]

Amazing video man. I member Athena Massey from C&C and other games and movies.

[@pliniocscj]

Gamers today will say "those FMV games were crap, no gameplay, no interactivitg, only the same repetitive clips over and over" while spending hundreds of dollars on microtransactions in Madden with subpar graphics and the same half dozen triggered animations and scripted outcomes. Maybe Digital Pictures got it wrong on thinking film and not 3d would be the way forward for graphics, but man they nailed on the gameplay of the future...

[@reagandow850]

You actually made an FMV game look Fun!! I recently subscribed to your channel as I found it one night and boy I’m glad I did. I can’t wait to go through the back log. Great stuff sir. Edit: I’m actually almost finished with the whole thing and I’m not even a fan of football. Just phenomenal!!

[@Belpowerslave]

Dude, loved how you threw in that music from Robotica!

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

Glad someone noticed it! :)

[@Belpowerslave]

@@PandaMoniumReviews I am probably one of the few people on the planet that really enjoyed Robotica. If I knew anything about the Unreal engine, I would attempt to remake it myself...

[@IcePakOG]

Another great video. I love the concept of this game, but I can see why it never did well.

[@Mitsuraga]

I cannot wait for Tit0 to get to the good stuff - pretty much all the '98 Saturn sports games.

[@SirJonSoda]

I doubt anyone else could make me enjoy learning about an FMV sports game. It felt like 15 minutes

[@sayocean86]

Special Thanks to Leo indeed. Every video with a doggo is at least 420% better

[@christrainor3734]

Thanks!

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

Woah, thank you so much Chris!! I didn't even know you could donate with a KZbin comment! I really appreciate the support. :)

[@sppspharmdude]

I'm going to buy a saturn now. You've convinced me.

[@alexmuratore95]

So should i ensure i take the week off to watch this one pandemonium? *stares at virtua cop*

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

No, this is only one hour and ten minutes long lol

[@alexmuratore95]

@PandaMonium Reviews Every U.S. Saturn Game aww man! I was hoping for some kind of massive epic telling the lore of football jk

[@taionalmeida5337]

I haven't even watched It all but allready give my thumbs UP After that masterpiece Of Virtua Cop vídeo i thought you would come with some shorter stuff but, boy oh Boy, you keep making these astonishing essays on each game ... Dude what you do should be rewarded as a gigantic colaboration for videogame preservation and history Let me prepare some pop corns before watching this one... Obs: I don't even understand American football, for me football is what is called soccer in USA. But no Matter what, in a documentary Of yours this would be entertaining as nothing Else could 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@Mospen]

This is AMAZING!! I can't wait! I will be at the Portland Retro Gaming Expo on the 15th. I will watch that night or the next day for sure. If ever able to travel to the Portland Retro Gaming Expo, premiering a PandaMonium video or just showing one as part of a panel would be a great idea! Keep up the excellent work!

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

Hey, I’ll be at PRGE on Friday and Saturday morning. I’ll be wearing a shirt with my logo on it.

[@Mospen]

@@PandaMoniumReviews Awesome! I hope to see you and say hi!

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

@@Mospen hey, just wanted to let you know that I sadly won’t be there. Caught the rona.

[@Mospen]

@@PandaMoniumReviews That sucks! I hope it's not too severe and you have a quick recovery. Hopefully next year. Take it easy and get some rest!

[@JDoe-gf5oz]

Athena Massey!

[@VGMFan20XX]

Another triumph. Hit me up when the blu ray set is up for pre-order *wink* :P

[@notsuoh16Bit]

Hi mate, your biggest fan from down under Australia, just wondering if you will be doing a deep dive into Panzer Dragoon Saga RPG??? Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo hanging out for your review of this game, I even purchased a special pair of new trousers to wear when you finally release this master piece, as I'm sure it will be, thanks for your content mate, it is so great to watch.

[@vinnyfanneran3116]

Liked for use of the word "galavanting".

[@Myako]

Your content making skills are so amazing you managed to make an FMV Football game interesting. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 By the way, I had no idea about "Maximum Surge", do you know if any prototype of it (for whatever platform) has ever managed to be preserved?

[@PandaMoniumReviews]

As far as I know, only a PC demo was ever released. No proto build leaked online.

[@RICHUNCLEPENNYBAGS77]

I can't say that this game looks good, exactly, but the idea of a first-person view from the quarterback is interesting and it's cool to see this evolutionary dead end dug into. I was alive at the time but the FMV wave pretty much passed me by.

[@RichardHartness]

Someone get this woman (Athena) a copy of this game. I know she's an actress who's probably worked on lots of projects but to have never seen the game, much less own a copy of it is sad. IMHO, everyone who worked in a production like that (and was credited) should have gotten at least one complimentary copy.