Football Frenzy

Football Frenzy (フットボールフレンジー) is an american football game developed by SNK, originally published on January 31, 1992 for Neo Geo arcade hardware.

It was later released on the Neo Geo on February 21, 1992 and ported to the Neo Geo CD (as a launch title) exclusively in Japan on September 9, 1994.

Gameplay
The game allows players to pick from a selection of ten fictional teams to play in an eight-team single elimination tournament (for one player) or in a head-to-head game (for two players).

The action is seen from a top-down view of the field but with the players seen from an angled view. Before a play, the offensive player can select from eight running plays, eight passing plays and two kick plays (field goal and punt), whereas the defensive player cannot chose plays. The play selection changes over the course of the tournament, or depending on the position on the field in a two-player game. On running plays, the camera zooms in on a closer view of the field.

Controls involve a joystick and four buttons. The A button is the primary action button, used to hike the ball and to make the current player run faster by tapping repeatedly. On passing plays, buttons B, C and D are used to choose the receiver. On defense, the B button switches to the defender closest to the ball.

Release
Football Frenzy was initially first launched for arcades on January 31, 1992, becoming the only football title released on Neo Geo by SNK. The game was then released for Neo Geo AES during the same time period a month later. The title was later re-released for the Neo Geo CD on September 9, 1994 as one of the launch titles for the system, with minimal changes compared to the original MVS and AES versions.

It has received a re-release in recent years on various digital distribution platforms such as the PlayStation Network, Nintendo eShop and Xbox Live by HAMSTER Corporation. It was also recently included in the international version of the Neo Geo Mini.

Critical Reception
In Japan, Game Machine listed Football Frenzy on their March 15, 1992 issue as being the fourth most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles such as Captain Commando. The game has been met with mixed reception from critics since its initial launch.