RealSports Football [Model CX5207]

RealSports Football © 1982 Atari, Incorporated.

The basic rules of football apply with some modifications that you should find intriguing.

Like regular football, the object of ATARI RealSports Football in two-player contests is to score more points than your opponent. You do this by getting touchdowns, field goals, and safeties. In one-player games, you'll want to become proficient in the main features of the game, especially in the art of passing the ball successfully.

Each team has six players, one of which is always controlled by the joystick. Under certain circumstances, you can transfer joystick control to another player. A lot of game strategy involves knowing when and how to execute that transfer.

You can run the ball, but you'll never fumble. You can pass it, but you risk having it intercepted. You can kick field goals and punts as good as the pros, but you can't kick the ball out-of-bounds (like they occasionally do!).

There are no two-minute warnings and no (legal) time outs. There are no penalties either- unless, of course, you elbow your competitor and he or she socks you back. (If you want half-time entertainment and refreshments, you'll simply have to supply your own!)

Pay attention to the scoreboard, since it will display the instructions you'll need to play the game- once you've learned the basic rules. The home team (pink, or orange) gets all its signals on the left side of the scoreboard; the visiting team (blue, or light purple) gets all its cues on the right. (Note: Colors may vary on different TV sets.)

The scoreboard clock runs twice as fast as normal time, so remember to synchronize your heartbeat whenever you play ATARI RealSports Football.