Wild Card Football Reviews
Saber's arcade-like interpretation of American football is a few yards shy of a touchdown.
If you're tired of Madden's raft of bugs and incremental improvements, Wild Card Football offers a completely different take on the sport that's simply focused on fun. Given the choice this year, you'll find me on Wild Card's field.
Look at Wild Card Football as a late-round NFL draft pick that dramatically overachieves on the field. People likely didn't expect much from it, but what they have now is a pleasant surprise.
Wild Card Football is not just a perfect break for the Madden player, but a fantastic throwback to playground football. With recognizable NFL athletes playing in wacky uniforms and stadiums, it's hard not to have a blast. This is arcade football at its peak; Playground Sports has nailed the nostalgia for PS2 games past.
If there is one word I could use to sum up Wild Card Football it would be Potential. It's a lot of fun and with some refinements it could be a very compelling annual must have for fans of the sport.
Wild Card Football has pleasantly surprised me I must say, I was already intrigued with its blend of strategic card games and the game of football. But to finally play it and see that the card game doesn’t detract from the football game but instead enhances it and makes it something totally new and fun to play. The on-field action is quite solid as well, not as accurate as Madden and not the rules free slam fest that is NFL Blitz. But the play calling is tight, and easy to understand with a handful of runs, passes, trick and defense plays to choose from. Anyone who is burnt out with the simulation style football games should check out Wild Card as it’s a blast to play.
Wild Card Football manages to capture the essence of the sport in an arcade format. I’m torn about the Wild Cards, as they add variety to each play but they can also give an unfair advantage. Luckily, you can disable these and just play a standard match. However, the issues lie in the content. Dream Squad is fun but the slow progression makes it feel like a grind and the lack of other modes hinders the overall experience.
Wild Card Football is an ambitious take on the sport, with a decent mix of modes and pleasing depth for those keen to go all in. The offline Season mode may keep a lot of Switch players going, but once you dive into the Ultimate Team-style 'Dream Squad' you'll eventually feel the pull to take your hard-earned fantasy roster online. That's where a lack of fluidity and clarity in gameplay can really bite. A sport as frantic as American Football needs a slightly slicker performance level than we found here. However it's only just short of a first-down, so if you're happy to live with the compromises then this may still be worth a punt.
Wild Card Football makes a play at zagging where Madden is zigging by offering a zany arcade-style take on the sport, but it doesn’t quite live up to its potential. Its NFLPA license adds some authenticity by including real NFL players (but not their real NFL teams). A plethora of modes gives you an opportunity to experience the game in a variety of ways, with the card-collecting Dream Squad being a standout for its extensive customization.
Wild Card Football offers a refreshing, arcade-style twist on the traditional football game, perfect for quick matches and party play.
The pressure put on Wild Card Football to be the one single NFL game on Nintendo Switch might be undue, but regardless, this opening kickoff for a potential sports franchise fades down the stretch after a promising start. Parts of the game are good, making for a decent multiplayer game and a lacking solo experience due to limited modes, a borderline worthless running game, and janky computer-controlled opponents. If you're hard up for playing as your favorite NFL players on your favorite Nintendo platform, this is an acceptable placebo, but here's hoping Nintendo gets a high first-round draft pick for their next console so they can pick a more well-rounded football game.
You know what your getting when you purchase this game and they do not disappoint.
Wild Card Football's arcade experience succeeds in its main aim: to be above all a fun experience. We enjoy creating our own team, customizing it and using our powers to overcome any opponent. Nevertheless, matches quickly become repetitive, and the only interest is to play online. Frustration can set in if your opponent takes a malicious pleasure in waiting until the end of the countdown. Perhaps I'd have liked even shorter quarters, and why not cut the game in half? Technical problems also seem to greatly hamper the game on certain platforms.
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Wild Card Football is the most fun I’ve had with a football game in the last decade. That says more about the poor state of sports games than it does about the game itself, but fans of the sport will find a fun pick-up-and-play arcade experience here, which is great for casual play, even if the available modes are lacking and the wild card system isn’t as successful as I’d like. Wild Card Football won’t provide a ton of depth or reward careful planning, but if you need something fun to play with casual friends at halftime, you should absolutely give it a look.
Even if the graphics were perfect, Wild Card Football would still suffer from the fact that it’s not very fun. The Switch has a big, football-shaped hole in its catalogue, and Wild Card Football would clearly love to fill it, but it’s pretty clear that the results fall well short of a first down.
Wild Card Football is a blast from the past, and it’s great to take a break from a realistic simulation like Madden and simply enjoy an old-school arcade sporting title with a unique wild card system. Whether playing solo or with others, you’re guaranteed an incredibly fun-packed, content-compelling American footballing experience with some of your favourite NFL ballers. And for more incentive, you’ll love how much the game costs.
Wild Card Football is an interesting attempt in the return of arcade football, although it too often feels like a half step.
While Wild Card Football isn’t NFL Streets or Backyard Football, it carves its niche in the football gaming world with its own unique flavor. It’s a wild, chaotic, and incredibly entertaining take on the sport, perfectly suited for those who want their football experience to be as intense and electrifying as possible.