GENRE
	Sports
	DEVELOPER
	High Voltage
	PUBLISHER
	Acclaim
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	CONTROLLER PAK
	yes
	RUMBLE PAK
	yes
	RAM PAK
	yes
	BUY NOW AT

I have to hand it to Acclaim. During their involvement with the N64, they've gone up against the likes of EA, Konami, THQ and even Nintendo themselves with their sports franchises and have done extremely well.

When it comes to their football series, some may criticize the consistency of the NFL Quarterback Club Franchise. However, no N64 owner can say that the game was not worthy of competing against EA's Madden franchise. This installment of QBC (2001) will be the last for the N64 and it is a fitting end to an excellent franchise on a system that lacked games of this calibre.

Finally, for all of you Madden fans out there, keep in mind that if weren't for the efforts of companies like acclaim, Ea wouldn't be pushed so hard to improve their product. Competition is good, and acclaim is in the thick of it.

The menu system for QBC 2001 is much easier to navigate than in the Madden Series. For instance, it is not half as difficult to save a game in QBC than it is in Madden's cumbersome interface. This means you can get into the game much quicker.

The Hi Rez graphics have always been a principal appeal of the Acclaim line of sports. This year, QBC offers Paired down and much smoother gameplay graphics than last year. Gone are the different options of dialing in player details and in is a simplified more to the point graphics approach. This includes less detail in the player models. This sacrifice is worth it though as the game play speed is much smoother.

QBC is designed for optimum use with the Expansion Pak. So do make sure that you have one in your N64.

The animations are nicely done with a lot of nuances and details added into the game. You'll see some pretty nice catches in your instant replay mode and running backs make pretty convincing charges up field. The look of QBC is much more polished than Madden.

It must be said though that unlike Baseball (ASB) with a football title any gamer would rather have a junky looking title with great gameplay rather than incredible graphics. Hence, the success of Madden.

After listening to Madden's incredibly repetative commentary in Madden 2001 I have to say that QBC's commentary wins out. Yes, it is repetative as well, but at least there's enough variety to keep you from punching your TV.

As for in game audio, the sounds of the game are here. They aren't as punctuated (e.g. helmets coming together) as I would like but they're accurate. The crowd livens up rather nicely as well. And hey, actual official commentary from official refs. Very nice touch.

All in all, the audiscape is competent and enhances the game.

While last year was viewed as a step back, this year's installment of QBC is definately the right move. For instance, it is much easier to read your players' and the ball's movement after the snap. This was a major concern for me last year.

For ease of play calling you can now navigate plays with the analog stick and running/passing plays are color co-ordinated. The nice thing with the QBC series is that you can customize a lot of features. From penalty sensitivity to crowd noise.

One area that is lacking in the gameplay is the running game. Whereas in Madden you can literally see the wholes you have to run through, this is not the case with QBC 2001. Perhaps as the GameCube rolls around and Acclaim gets remotivated for their series the gameplay will surpass Madden and others? But for now the running game isn't has accurate as Madden.

Fun at any Sunday Afternoon party. A two minute drill feature would have been excellent here but the four player works well with Nachos and beer.

I have to admit that this is the prettiest N64 football game. It has decent gameplay and commentators that are better than average. However, I must also admit that Madden 2001 features some unbelievable gameplay features. Depending upon the experience you crave you may want to check both games out first.

BTW, I insist that you don't take my word for it and you find out which game is better for yourself. I remember a time when everybody was playing Triple Play from EA while I was playing ASB. Now everyone swears by All Star Baseball series. So find out for yourself which series you're loyal to.

8.5/10