New Canadian Football Video Game: Maximum Football 2018

[jerrym]

Josh Smith has reviewed a new Canadian football video game called Maximum Football 2018 by Canuck Play Game studios, who last year released Canadian Football 2017. Limited by budget restrictions, the new game does not have all the bells and whistles of a the big name games.

The new game works on Play Station 4 instead of Xbox and PC found in last year's game. A thread on the 2017 game can be found at: Canadian football video game almost ready for launch

CFL rules and city names are used, but because the game is not licensed by the CFL and CFLPA, CFL team and player names are not used. However, you can rename the teams and players to whomever you want, including CFL names and the stadia closely resemble those of the CFL and you can play in a nine or ten team league.

Returning kicks and punts can be frustrating in Madden, but in this game it is really fun. You usually get off big returns, which is not commonplace in Madden (or at least it wasn’t; I haven’t purchased a Madden game since 2009). I also induced a no-yards flag on one return, which was just cool to see, but the fact that you routinely return kicks 20 and 30 yards, I even almost took one to the house, makes the game a little more enjoyable.
The kicking game, however, is as frustrating as the return game is fun. This is probably the area that needs the most work. You don’t really know how hard the ball is being kicked, so every field goal or extra point attempt feels like luck. I played three games and did not connect on a single field goal and my kickoffs were often short while my punts did not seem to get any air under them. Maybe my issues here will change after I play the game more but there is no need to make this aspect of the game to be so difficult, even for a novice player. Adding something as small as a kicking metre would make things so much better, but unfortunately, that does not exist in Maximum Football 2018. ...

On offence, things run rather smoothly. It does seem random whether a player does or doesn’t catch a pass, but that’s probably my only real complaint about the offence. The waggle is there and there is no denying that sending players in motion prior to the snap of the ball is just cool to see. There was one glitch I saw on offence and that was when I played Edmonton. The opposing QB fell to the ground without being touched and threw the ball from a supine position. It was weird. But when you are on offence is when the game is the most fun (which is probably no surprise). ...

The 20-second play clock is a little hard to get used to. It is fast and I felt rushed to select a play, which made me usually stick with the first couple plays in the playbook. There are options to have a 30- or 40-second clock (or even turn the clock off altogether) and while it will make the game less authentic, it will probably make it more fun to play. You simply don’t have enough time to look through your plays, pick one, scan the defence and read the routes, and put players in motion in 20 seconds. Unless you want to run the same plays over and over — and where is the fun in that? — it seems like using a longer play clock is the way to go.

Playing on defence is not as fun as playing on offence, but that’s the case with almost any football video game. Generating a pass rush from a lineman is nearly impossible, and since I like to play as one of the big men, that was frustrating. Over the years the Madden games have added swim moves and bullrushes to make playing as a lineman more fun; this game has none of that. You can play as a linebacker, but unless he is blitzing, good luck. Trying to cover someone is nearly impossible, but that’s not a Maximum Football 2018 issue as much as it is a football video game issue. You don’t want to play as a defensive back. But playing defence isn’t hard, just not as fun as when you are on offence. You don’t feel as in control, but that isn’t any different from any other football video game out there. ...

The option to defer your choice until the second half after winning the coin toss is not there. ...

There are also no play-by-play announcers or commentary guys. ...

The game gives you the ability to play in a nine- or 10-team CFL in season mode. Yes, there is a Halifax team in the game that you can play as or against. ...

All in all Maximum Football 2018 gives Canadian football fans a taste of what could be. It is a game with its fair share of flaws, but not ones so crippling that you won’t enjoy. If you are a CFL fan and can part with $22.99, pick this game up. It isn’t the perfect video game, but it is the best we have and the more people that support it the better the game will be in the future.

http://3downnation.com/2018/08/06/ma...football-game/

[Foxhound]

...CFL rules and city names are used, but because the game is not licensed by the CFL and CFLPA, CFL team and player names are not used.

I wonder why the game isn't licensed by the CFL and CFLPA? Surely the two don't ask a king's ransom for licencing rights?

However, you can rename the teams and players to whomever you want, including CFL names and the stadia closely resemble those of the CFL and you can play in a nine or ten team league.

Cool! I'd have this ten team league:

Montreal Alouettes
Ottawa Renegades
Toronto Argonauts
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
London Lords
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Regina Roughriders
Edmonton Eskimos
Calgary Stampeders
Vancouver Lions

Either that or I'd resurrect the ORFU:

Windsor Rockets
Sarnia Imperials
London Lords
Kitchener-Waterloo Dutchmen
Brantford Indians
Hamilton Wildcats
Oakville Black Knights
Bramalea Satellites
Toronto Balmy Beachers
Ottawa Trojans

The new game works on Play Station 4 instead of Xbox and PC found in last year's game.

How much does a Play Station 4 cost? Is that the kind of game that a fellow needs a TV to play? Or can it be plugged into a PC or just a free standing computer monitor/screen? Does a Play Station 4 work on Macs? (I know very little about computer games. I'm an old-fashioned pinball machine buff.)

[barongan]

I love this thread

[jerrym]

Welcome on board the good ship Argo.

[Ryan90]

While the game does have cfl rules, it looks mediocre to me and has a lot of serious bugs that would completely turn me off to playing the game. I'll stick with APF 2k8 and NFL 2k5 if I want to play a football game.