Pigskin Preview

I am a man who lives among women, which is splendid most of the time–unless I want to play video football. “What about some football?” I suggest to my wife. “Maybe,” she says, grabbing for the video-game controller. “But first some Bust-A-Move.” Bust-A-Move! Oh, accursed game! My wife and daughters want to play only Bust-A-Move-2, a Tetris-like, digital opiate, circa 1996, that entails firing small colored balls into three-of-a-kind formations. When you lose, a chicken squawks in what sounds to me like a mocking tone. I will admit the game has appeal. But compared to football? Please.

“Come on, we can play NFL Blitz! It’s so easy Pinky could learn it,” I say, referring to the despicable, six-toed cat sleeping on my pillow. “First,” says my wife, “some Bust-A-Move. No cheating.”

I have spent the past few lonesome weeks collecting football games for Nintendo 64, the Sony PlayStation and the PC. (Mac users: Your sole choice is Playmaker Football, at $20 from Playmaker Software.) After fooling around with the titles that just came out for this season, I understand why football dominates the software-game charts: it has evolved into something complex enough to satisfy the most Nixonian of pigskin fans and yet is hugely entertaining for Sunday kibbitzers.

The Big Three–GameDay ’99 ($40 from Sony 989 Studios), Madden NFL ’99 ($50; EA Sports) and NFL Quarterback Club ’99 (due out next month; Acclaim)–are locked in a play-off for market share among gamers who want realistic simulations and fat playbooks. Each game claims that its players are governed by state-of-the-art artificial intelligence that changes according to the play. Each allows you to select camera angles and slow-motion replays. Each features play-by-play analysis. So which of the three should you buy?

If you have a Nintendo 64 console, Madden is your best choice. Its 3-D graphics are not as vivid and sharp as those of Quarterback Club, but the game play seems to be more challenging. (Note: I saw only a demo of QC ’99; I did not get to play it extensively.) On the Sony PlayStation I’d go with GameDay for its superior graphics and game play. Likewise, for a PC, GameDay is tops; if you buy the software, you can play the game free against others on the Net at www.989sports.com

While each of the Big Three has its own “dad mode”–which typically allows the less dexterous player to operate everything with a single button–each struck me as too complicated to enjoy right out of the box. Wondering if the problem might be me, I called Reilly Brennan, managing editor at GameWeek and a video-football expert. His favorite football game, it turns out, was my secret No. 1 too: NFL Blitz ($50; Midway), an irreverent, arcade-style, five-on-five game that works on all three platforms. “It’s what a video game should be–easy to play and fast,” he said. “It’ll sell a million copies this year.”

Tell that to my wife. After a few dozen games of Bust-A-Move, she yawns, displaces the cat and climbs into bed. Pinky sidles up beside me, and I fire up Blitz. I place his mutant paw on the controller. “No cheating,” I say. It’s lonely living among women.

Play links are at time.com/personal E-mail Josh at jquit@well.com Anita is on Digital Jam, 7:30 p.m. E.T. Wednesdays, CNNFN.