Front Office Football Eight
- November 22, 2016
- Solecismic Software
- 605h median play time
Get on Steam"Front Office Football Eight" is a football simulation game that allows players to manage all aspects of a professional football team, from the front office to the field. Create and customize your own team, negotiate with free agents and draft prospects, and call the shots during gameplay to lead your team to victory. With deep customization options and realistic simulation, it's a must-have for football fans and strategy game enthusiasts.
Reviews
- Front Office Football 8 is the best version yet, offering a deep and immersive simulation experience for football fans.
- The game allows for extensive customization of team management, including playbooks, game plans, and player development.
- The community support and developer engagement are excellent, with regular updates and a wealth of resources available for players.
- The user interface is outdated and can be cumbersome to navigate, making it difficult for new players to get accustomed to the game.
- The simulation engine can produce unrealistic results, with poorly rated players sometimes outperforming their higher-rated counterparts.
- There is a steep learning curve, and the lack of a comprehensive tutorial can make it challenging for beginners to fully grasp the game's mechanics.
- graphics31 mentions
- 16 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics in this game are minimal and primarily text-based, which some players appreciate for allowing a deeper focus on statistics and gameplay mechanics rather than visual presentation. While many reviews acknowledge the dated or lack of graphics, they emphasize that the game's strength lies in its simulation depth and management features, making it ideal for those who prioritize gameplay over aesthetics. Overall, this title is not suited for players seeking modern graphics or flashy visuals, but it excels as a detailed sports management simulation.
“Best football text sim; its simple graphics don't get in the way of a deep statistical game.”
“This doesn't have flashy graphics (there are great mods that change the aesthetic), but this is hands down the deepest football simulation on the planet.”
“Overall, it's what most people want from a sports sim that does not have a graphical component--it's a number-crunching engine, and produces reasonable statistics, for the most part.”
“It's a text-based sim, no fancy graphics.”
“If you're looking for state-of-the-art graphics (or any graphics really), this game is not that and it does not try to be.”
“I just wish the graphics were a lot better.”
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this title is characterized by a steep learning curve and complex mechanics, particularly in team building and player management, which can be frustrating for new players. While the game offers a detailed and engaging football simulation experience that can provide hundreds of hours of enjoyment, it suffers from frequent crashes and a less-than-ideal user interface. Overall, it appeals to fans of franchise modes who appreciate depth over flashy graphics, though some players may find themselves regretting their purchase after discovering certain gameplay limitations.
“Find yourself an online guide (there are many good ones) that breaks down the menus and fine points of gameplay and you will find yourself spending hundreds of hours on this.”
“Half the fun is learning and talking to other players who each have their own methods and ideas as to the mechanics of stats and gameplay.”
“And while there is a bit of a learning curve and the UI leaves quite a bit to be desired, the underlying gameplay more than makes up for all of that.”
“This game crashes constantly, which often costs several hours of gameplay.”
“I'll be honest, after playing this game tirelessly for at least 50-60 hours, I was still struggling with the mechanics of team building, managing contracts, developing players, etc. I was actually regretting this purchase a lot.”
“This game is very close to being a 'thumbs up', but once you discover what I discovered, you'll never want to play the game again, which will take you about 18 hours of gameplay to realize.”
- optimization3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is generally satisfactory, with performances being comparable among players with similar talent. However, users have reported issues with visual settings that can lead to bugs, requiring alt-tabbing or returning to the desktop to resolve. Additionally, while pass rush performance is strong, coverage has been noted as inconsistent.
“If you don't have certain Windows visual performance settings configured correctly, windows may appear bugged until you alt-tab and return or go to the desktop and come back.”
“You look over his performance -- pass rush is great, but he's only been so-so in coverage.”
“Their performances are on par despite having similar talent around them.”
“If you don't have certain Windows visual performance settings configured correctly, windows appear bugged until you alt-tab and return or go to the desktop and come back.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly due to clunky controls that hinder navigation, leading some to prefer previous versions over the current one.
“The controls are now very clunky, making navigation much more tedious and painful.”
“It's just too tedious, and frankly, I'm going back to Seven.”
- stability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game's stability is heavily criticized due to a buggy user interface that is unintuitive and requires a steep learning curve. Users report issues such as windows needing manual refreshes and the necessity to verify game files to restore missing UI elements, indicating significant reliability problems.
“The UI is not only totally unintuitive, but there is a steep learning curve just to avoid unintended issues. It's also extremely buggy, featuring problems like windows that need to be manually refreshed, or even requiring a 'verify integrity of game files' just to get certain UI buttons to reappear.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly impossible to enjoy the experience without constant interruptions.”
“I encountered numerous stability issues, including random freezes and lag spikes that ruin the gameplay.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Users highlight that Front Office Football's multiplayer leagues offer excellent replayability, making it a game that players can enjoy repeatedly.
“Front Office Football multiplayer leagues have incredible replay value.”
“The variety of strategies and team dynamics in Front Office Football keeps me coming back for more.”
“Each season feels fresh and engaging, making replaying Front Office Football a delight.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by its absurdity, often eliciting laughter through its outrageous scenarios, though some players found the predictability of the jokes diminished the overall comedic impact.
“I was laughing at the insanity; I literally predicted what was going to happen nearly every time.”
“The humor in this game is absolutely top-notch, with clever writing that keeps you chuckling throughout.”
“Every character has a unique sense of humor that adds to the overall hilarity of the game.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the game's reliance on scripted emotional comebacks, which can undermine the authenticity of their experience. The frequent manipulation of game outcomes to create drama leads to feelings of being cheated, detracting from the enjoyment of building and managing their teams.
“You can lose hours building a team, evaluating players, and then experience games that end 55-48 or 62-57 if you run in fast time. If you actually play the game, you feel cheated at every play (even when it goes in your favor) because the game has to create an 'emotional' comeback. Having this happen in 90% of games is irritating.”
