Quarterback Attack from Digital Pictures did something to me that few PC computer games are able to do - it pleasantly surprised me. Why? Well, this is an all-video arcade game. Seeing how I despise all-video games, and have little or no use for arcade-style football games, I thought the odds were damn good that I would play it for about 30 minutes before beginning some serious whining over having to write about it. It's good to be wrong - on occasion.
The gist of this game is simple. You're a rookie quarterback thrown into a starting position because of an injury to your team's regular signal-caller. Your coach, appearing in full living video from the opening seconds of the game's intro, is former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka. Mike doesn't want to put much pressure on you - he just wants you to perform perfectly and win the game. Strangely enough, Ditka's part in this game was one of the few elements that disappointed me, because he was way too nice. On a couple of occasions, after throwing an interception, he actually tried to cheer me up by telling me "not to worry, there's lot's of time left." This is not the Mike Ditka who nearly drove Jim Harbaugh into an early retirement when they were both with the Bears.
Anyway, Digital Pictures is calling this game "The Professional Quarterback Simulator," and they really aren't that far from the truth. The big innovation in this game is its use of video clips in place of the "receiver's window" animation offered by virtually all other arcade football games. As you fade back to pass, you strike specific keys to view your receivers as they run their routes. This sounds simple, but it's amazing how well it works. If your tight end is running a crossing pattern, you can select him and watch him run all the way across the field. The video was seamless (on a P60 with 8 megs of RAM), and I was able to jump back and forth between my receivers without any problems.
Like real football, timing is of the essence in your passing game. If your tight end is running a buttonhook pattern and you deliver the ball before he breaks back, you won't complete the pass. By the same token, if that tight end is facing double coverage and you try to force the ball in anyway, the odds are good it will be intercepted. Keep in mind that all of this is taking place while the other team's defensive lineman and blitzing linebackers are breathing down your neck.
You make all of the play calls. The game and play clocks are running, so there's the same time pressure you face in real football. The passing playbook is broken down into specific situations - all short, post pattern short, all deep, etc. You can also elect to keep both of your running backs in to block, or you can send one or both of them out on pass patterns. There are some running plays available, but they make up a very small portion of the playbook, and about the only time I used them was in short-yardage situations. The only other running that you're likely to do is scrambling around trying to avoid sacks.
There are six difficulty levels built into the game. As the game gets harder, two elements change. In the upper four levels, you must target the location of your passes with your mouse cursor. And, as you move up in difficulty, the opposing pass rush becomes more of a factor.
This is not a game for you if you're searching for a "real football" simulation. There are no stats, no playbooks to edit, no trades to make, and no complete seasons to play. You don't even get to play defense. However, if you'd like to pretend that you're Steve Young for a day, Quarterback Attack gets you a lot closer than I ever thought was possible.
