Front Office Football Nine
- October 31, 2023
- Solecismic Software
- 275h median play time
Get on Steam"Front Office Football Nine is a text-based sports simulation game where you manage your favorite team as the general manager, handling duties such as trading players, negotiating contracts, and setting ticket prices. As the armchair coach, you can create playbooks and call every play. Experience a deep level of control and strategy in this immersive sports simulation."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- FOF9 is the best American football simulation game on the market, offering unparalleled depth and realism in managing a football franchise.
- The game features a robust simulation engine that accurately reflects player performance and statistics, making it a satisfying experience for sports management fans.
- The developer is responsive to community feedback and has been actively releasing patches to address bugs and improve gameplay.
- The user interface is confusing and cumbersome, requiring too many clicks to access important information, which detracts from the overall experience.
- The trade system is overly simplistic, lacking the ability to create custom trades or negotiate effectively, limiting player agency.
- Many players have reported game-breaking bugs and issues that hinder gameplay, leading to frustration and a feeling that the game was rushed to release.
- graphics40 mentions
- 10 % positive mentions
- 83 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The graphics in Front Office Football 9 have seen notable improvements from its predecessor, offering nicer visuals and a more user-friendly interface, though they remain simplistic and lack the flashy 3D experience found in other sports games. The focus is primarily on simulation detail rather than graphical fidelity, appealing to players who prioritize depth and customization over visual spectacle. While some users express a desire for further graphical enhancements, the game's modifiability and community support help mitigate its visual limitations.
“The game is very easily modifiable with many options to change graphics, rosters, logos, all of which can be found in the community created by the best fans ever!”
“Front Office Football 9 is a huge jump from 8 in terms of graphics, visuals, and interface.”
“Fof9, even though there is a lot of familiarity in the basics, is, in my opinion, a revolutionary change that creates a strong foundation to build from with improved graphics and the potential for customization that will provide players the ability to create their own experience.”
“There's no real graphical gameday experience.”
“It lacks flashy 3D graphics and interface, but the core functionality - simulation and the statistics are as deep as OOTP and FM.”
“If you want flashy graphics, there are other games.”
- gameplay16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The gameplay in FOF 9 is praised for its depth and realism, offering a streamlined experience that can engage players for hours. However, criticisms include a frustrating AI-driven trade mechanic, a lack of expansion options, and issues with the user interface, particularly font size. Overall, while there are new mechanics to explore, some players feel that certain features, like a more interactive replay mode, could enhance the experience further.
“Tl;dr fof 9 is a deep yet relatively streamlined experience with the most realistic GM gameplay I have ever seen in a sports management game.”
“There are enough things to dive into and give hours of gameplay.”
“Also, they need a better trade mechanic; you can't even make the trades that you want to make, it's all AI-based.”
“There are genuinely new things to see here, new game mechanics in play.”
“Tl;dr: FOF 9 is a deep yet relatively streamlined experience with the most realistic GM gameplay I have ever seen in a sports management game.”
- stability8 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with users reporting frequent bugs, including freezing during playbook selection and disappearing save files after extensive gameplay. These problems have led to frustration and a lack of confidence in the game's overall reliability, making it difficult for players to recommend it.
“I have never played a full release game this buggy.”
“It is buggy; I have had two save files disappear now after doing entire 53-man drafts. However frustrating that was, I'm more frustrated with the lack of being able to easily control the team.”
“After more time with the game, there are so many backwards decisions that I can't recommend it now; it is also very, very buggy.”
- optimization8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with players praising the detailed schedule report and the modernized interface that enhances gameplay. However, there are notable concerns regarding performance on the Steam Deck, with some users expressing a willingness to repurchase if these issues are resolved.
“The schedule report allows access to absolute detail on games played and player performance.”
“The devs put a ton of work into this game, totally transforming the interface and modernizing the sim to generate statistical performances that more closely mirror today's NFL.”
“The world of Front Office Football strays from this and offers a different experience which is still amazingly satisfying as your decisions will directly impact your team's performance.”
“That being said, if the Steam Deck optimization is ever fixed, I will gladly repurchase.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The game offers exceptional replayability, with users noting that it can provide thousands of hours of gameplay through various team-building strategies and unique modes, such as historic leagues with fewer than 32 teams. Despite its simplistic graphics, the depth and variety of gameplay ensure that players can enjoy an endless experience.
“If you can get past the simplistic graphics, you will find a well-developed game, with thousands of hours of replayability and multiple ways to build a team that can win.”
“Another part of this product that I don't see discussed enough is its replayability.”
“There's still no other game like it, and the option to play historic leagues with fewer than 32 teams will add even more replayability.”
- story6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game's story aspect is praised for its unrivaled accuracy and endless replayability, allowing players to create and engage with unique narratives through the detailed tracking of player careers. Users appreciate the realism that comes from getting to know each player, which fosters the development of personal storylines and enhances immersion in the gameplay experience.
“Unrivaled accuracy, endless replayability... a true story-generating machine that will go on for as long as you want it to.”
“Getting to know every player on your roster and what they are good at (even the lower guys who may not see the field a lot) is a great way to make this game feel realistic, and may even inspire you to create mental storylines.”
“There are so many unique and interesting things tracked, and even in the test sim leagues I've done so far, I'm finding myself drawn in by the various career trajectories and storylines that naturally arise in a game like this.”
“Unrivaled accuracy, endless replayability... a true story generating machine that will go on for as long as you want it to.”
“Like I said, getting to know every player on your roster and what they are good at (even the lower guys who may not see the field a lot) is a good way to really make this game feel realistic, and may even cause you to create mental storylines.”
“There's so many unique and interesting things tracked, and even in the test sim leagues I've done so far, I'm finding myself drawn in looking at various career trajectories and storylines that naturally arise in a game like this.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of drafting to be tedious and cumbersome, particularly due to the inability to access essential player information through their cards, which hinders the decision-making process.
“It's tedious and cumbersome to draft players when you can't open their player card and see their most important information (bars).”
“It's tedious and cumbersome to draft players when you can't open their player card and see their most important information (bars).”
“It's tedious and cumbersome to draft players when you can't open their player card and see their most important information (bars).”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a growing frustration with monetization practices in modern games, particularly in franchises like Madden, which are perceived as prioritizing profit over quality. Players express a desire to support developers who genuinely invest effort into their games rather than resorting to cash grab tactics.
“I used to be a huge Madden fan in the mid-2000s, but with the way today's games are cash grabs, I will support the ones that work hard to put out the best they can.”
“The monetization in this game feels exploitative and takes away from the overall experience.”
“It's frustrating to see so many features locked behind paywalls, making it hard to enjoy the game without spending extra money.”
