October 13th, 2009 at 11:05 am - by Fallback



Family Fun Football was one of the few games in recent months that took me by surprise. As the name suggests the game is made to be kid and family friendly though I found the game to be much more appealing than I initially expected. Despite the name and boxart the actual game avoids being overtly corny. The character design is well done with its muppet-esque aesthetic. In short the name of the game is far cornier than the game itself.

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Interestingly enough Family Fun Football reminds me of Tecmo Bowl, the classic football game for the NES. Both are football games that have limited playbook options. Family Fun Football has just enough features and depth to allow for fun without over complicating things with too many options. One of the main reasons the Madden games have lost me is because there are just too many options there for the casual gamer that just wants to play a quick game of football at home. There are just enough plays to choose from in Family Fun Football to keep things varied and fresh.



The controls are simple enough. You use both the wiimote and nunchuck to play the game. The nunchuck analog stick controls your players and the “C” button on the nunchuck changes the controlled player. The included motion controls are intuitive and there is nothing that seems tacked-on. You flick the wiimote forward to throw the ball and you can shake the wiimote sideways to dodge oncoming tacklers.





Family Fun Football does very well in being a game that all members of the family can enjoy. Your Mii is used as the coach on the sidelines and you can unlock a mode that uses your Mii characters as players. There are other elements you can unlock such as stadiums, players and options such as the option to use the mascots as players in the game.



If you have a youngster into football, perhaps in Pee-wee, or Pop Warner kid leagues then this is a great game to buy to supplement that interest. Not only will the kids enjoy the competition the game creates, It gives you an opportunity to play together, teach them a few things about football, and you may find yourself playing the game much more than you expected and having more fun that you though you would. At around $29.99 Family Fun Football is a great deal. I think the game totally lives up to its name though I think the game is much more fun than it’s somewhat generic name implies.