''NFL GameDay'' is the first video game in the

NFL GameDay ''NFL GameDay'' (stylized as ''NFL GameDay Morning presented by Lowe's'' (Sunday regular season mornings only) or ''NFL GameDay Morning presented by Intuit TurboTax'' (NFL playoffs, playoff and Super Bowl editions only), ''NFL GameDay Live pr ...

series of

American football video games American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

, and was released in 1995 on the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

video game console A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can typically be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally ...

as a competitor to the ''

Madden NFL ''Madden NFL'' (known as ''John Madden Football'' until 1993) is an American football sports video game series developed by EA Orlando for EA Sports. The franchise, named after Pro Football Hall of Fame coach and commentator John Madden, has ...

'' football game series. It was developed by

Sony Interactive Studios America 989 Studios was a division of Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) that developed games for PlayStation consoles and Microsoft Windows, Windows personal computers. Their games include ''EverQuest'', ''Twiste ...

and published by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

. The cover athlete is

William Floyd William Floyd (December 17, 1734 – August 4, 1821) was an American Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father, wealthy farmer, and political leader from New York (state), New York. Floyd served as a delegate to the Continental Cong ...

Gameplay

The game makes use of

motion capture Motion capture (sometimes referred as mocap or mo-cap, for short) is the process of recording high-resolution motion (physics), movement of objects or people into a computer system. It is used in Military science, military, entertainment, sports ...

for its animations.

Reception

The game was a success for Sony, selling over 300,000 copies by March 1996 and briefly holding the record for best-selling PlayStation game in the United States until it was overtaken by ''

Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...

'' later that year. By the end of 1996, ''GameDay'' had sold over units worldwide. It was also a critical success. Both of the sports reviewers for ''

Electronic Gaming Monthly ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' (''EGM'') is a monthly American video game magazine. It offers video game news, coverage of industry events, interviews with gaming figures, editorial content and product reviews. History The magazine was fou ...

'' gave the game a 9 out of 10, saying it "could very well be the Madden killer that everyone is waiting for." Scary Larry of ''

GamePro ''GamePro'' was an American multiplatform video game magazine media company that published online and print content covering the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software. The magazine featured content on various video ...

'' called it "the best football CD to date", citing the graphics, accurate gameplay performance of each individual player, appropriately sized sprites, and comprehensive sound effects. A reviewer for ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' found that in addition to the comprehensive teams, stadiums, and playbooks, ''NFL Gameday'' benefited from truly modern graphics, animation, and sounds, as well as an innovative level of control over individual players and an AI which creates an authentic football experience. He criticized the unrealistic results of breaking up a pass, but concluded, "''NFL Gameday'' isn't the perfect football game, but it is the best football game ever made, so far." David Hodgson of ''Maximum'' remarked that the graphics suffer from jerky animation and a general last-generation appearance, but are outweighed by the outstanding gameplay and reliable player AI. He summarized that the game "plays quite a mean game of American football without ever becoming bogged down in horrific amounts of tactical decisions." ''GamePro'' awarded it Best Sports Game of 1995. ''Next Generation'' ranked it number 28 on their 1996 "Top 100 Games of All Time", citing its authentic football gameplay and looks, and its combination of accessibility and depth. It was a finalist for the Computer Game Developers Conference's 1996 "Best Sports Game" Spotlight Award, but lost the prize to ''

NHL 97 ''NHL 97'' is an ice hockey video game by EA Sports. It was released in 1996 and was the successor to '' NHL 96''. It is the sixth installment of the NHL series and the first to be released on both PlayStation and Saturn. A Panasonic M2 versio ...

''. In 1998, ''

'' listed ''NFL GameDay'' as number 43 on their "Top 50 Games of All Time", commenting that, "Truly, this is the football game that appeals to both the hardcore and the masses."

Reviews

*''

Electric Playground ''EP Daily'' (formerly ''The Electric Playground'') is a daily news television show that covers video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets. Created and executive produced by host Victor Lucas, and his Vancouver, British ...

'' - November 3, 1995 *''

Game Players ''Game Players'' was a monthly video game magazine founded by Robert C. Lock in 1989 and originally published by Signal Research in Greensboro, North Carolina. The original publication began as ''Game Players Strategy to Nintendo Games'' (the ...

'' - January 1996 *''

Video Games & Computer Entertainment ''VideoGames & Computer Entertainment'' (abbreviated as ''VG&CE'') was an American magazine dedicated to covering video games on computers, Video game console, home consoles and Arcade game, arcades. It was published by Larry Flynt Publication ...

'' - February 1996 *''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' - Nov 25, 1996 *''

Game Revolution Mandatory (formerly CraveOnline Media) is a lifestyle website based in Los Angeles with sales offices in New York City, Chicago and San Francisco. The site is owned by media company Evolve Media, LLC. Mandatory focuses its contents into the male ...

'' - June 4, 2004https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/sony/nfl-gameday-revi

References

{{NFL GameDay 1995 video games Multiplayer and single-player video games NFL GameDay video games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation (console)-only games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Video games developed in the United States