Product Description

Brand new in factory sealed box

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11574 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Arco Toys Ltd
• Model: 43567
• Released on: 2006-06-12
• Dimensions: 1.70" h x 6.70" w x 10.40" l, .45 pounds

Features

• The original electronic handheld football game
• Lets kids compete against each other or the computer
• Move the ball through yard after yard of defenders
• Red LED display and scoreboard
• For 1 or 2 players

From the Manufacturer
Classic Sports Electronic Handheld Game of FOOTBALL. This electronic ball game lets kids compete against each other and the computer. Designed for one or two players.

Customer Reviews

Good game with some key flaws
I recently purchased the original 1978 game off of an auction site. So, I can do a true side-by-side comparison without having to rely on memory. So, I'm revising my rating.

The original game had LED display -- discrete red blips. The new game uses LCD with a red filter. No, it's not nearly as good. It's really a shame that Mattel chose not to use LEDs.

In a perfect world, Mattel would have used LED. The LCD does a pretty good job at immitating the old LED display. The red filter does give the entire field a red haze in dark rooms.

The new game has three very annoying programming flaws:

1) There is no longer a kick-off to start the second half. We all know that in football, when the 2nd quarter ends, play is halted for half-time. Then, the second half begins with the team that received the ball to begin the game kicking off. In fact, this is what the old game did. As soon as the 2nd quarter ended, the game immediately ends the current drive and has the Visitors kicking off.

The new version doesn't do this. When the 2nd quarter ends, nothing happens. It's just like when the 1st and 3rd quarter ends: your current drive stays alive, there's no 2nd half kickoff, etc. This flaw really affects gameplay. You don't have to worry about clock managment. If its 1st down on the 18 yard line with 0.1 to play in the 2nd quarter, you don't have to kick the field goal because the drive will stay alive into the 3rd quarter.

2) You can't throw the ball away in the new game. Even in the directions it states that if you pass the ball into a lane with no players (receiver or defensive players), you are supposed to just lose a down. That makes sense. However, in actual game play, if you thow the ball down a lane with no players, it's still an interception! Phantom defensive backs?!

The old game executed this properly -- the ball sails down the length of the field and it's just a simple incomplete pass, loss of down ... just as it should be.

3) The new game is too easy. The game has two settings: Pro 1 and Pro 2. These are about the same, though not identical. However, there was and is an Easter Egg in the game: if you hold down on the Kick button while turning the game on, you have the options of Pro 3 and Pro 4. In the new game, pro 3 and pro 4 are just slightly more challenging than Pro 2. In the old game, there is a much larger gap. Pro 4 is nearly impossible to play as the defense is as fast as you are! Anyway, the old game has a deeper range of difficulty.

Gameplay is nearly identical. I think Pro 1 on the old game is just a tad more "difficult" than Pro 1 on the new game, which helps speed the game up without really affecting difficulty. Finally, though the screen sizes are the same and the button layout is identical, the old unit is physically larger in length (same width and depth). I think the longer unit fits in my hands better.

One big advantage to the new game (perhaps the only one) is that you can turn the sound off. You cannot turn the sound off in the original game, and original game is louder than the new one.

The new game is worth the sales price. It's fun and preserves most of the gameplay of the original. No 2nd half kickoff (lose 0.5 star) and no way to throw an incomplete pass (lose 0.5 star) are the biggest problems with gameplay. LCD instead of LED is the biggest design flaw (lose 1 star).

If you can find one, get an original. Othwerwise, this new release is still lots of fun.

Just like the good old days
I got one of these babies for my Bar Mitzvah, 23 years ago -- and remember fondly playing it for hours when the next best thing was space invaders. When I saw this recently ...I had to have it -- and its definitely taken me back. I play at night after my girlfriend goes to sleep -- the sound off feature is excellent. Everything is the same -- the pass is worth the wait, the run is fun, and sometimes you can go on a long tear. One tip: to kick a field goal, hike the ball and then kick -- otherwise you're just punting. I'd forgotten that. For[this price], if you miss the good old days, its worth the price.

"Da Da Da Da D-Da..."
If this game is as durable as my 1978-dated model, it will last a lifetime as my old vintage game still works perfectly to this day with no signs of wearing down (only the cover around the battery hookup has torn from years of battery changes). I remember when my father bought this game for me (along with Mattel's Baseball and Basketball, the former of which is also released in "Classic" form) in the early 1980s. It cost three times what this classic model goes for which shows what a bargain this is. I am stunned at how close this classic model is to my vintage game. Everything is the same except that it has "Classic Football 2" where the "Mattel Electronics" symbol was and "Mattel" in the lower right corner where the old design had "Football 2." The new model also has a sound-off mechanism which is an excellent addition.

This is an old school game that can be played almost without even reading the instructions (just remember to pass to your blinking teammate when there is at least a space in front of him, press "kick" to start the play for a punt and hike the ball and then kick for field goals). There is no strategy and play calling. It tests your dexterity and hand-eye coordination and not you analytical skills. You just take what the defense gives you and use some patience waiting for holes and passing opportunities. Sometimes you have a lot of time to watch a play develop. Sometimes the defense is very aggressive and�Sack! Most of the time, it is a very easy game to play. The score board at the top shows you where you're at on the field, what down it is, and how many yards to a first down. The game beeps when you make a first down. The digital symbols are in glow-in-the-dark red so you can play it in the dark (the direction buttons are easy to find). The only thing I do not like about this game play-wise is that you do not get to play defense. Once you score, you (or a partner) plays offense going the other way. Still, this game was fun in the 1980s and fun now! I'm so glad companies are re-releasing these retro gems and I hope Mattel's Basketball is in the works so I can give my old one a rest.