Pigskin 621 A.D.
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Pigskin 621 A.D.
- Release Date: 1990
- Genre: Sports
- Style: Football (American)
Game Description
In Pigskin 621 AD, you'll try to lead your team to victory any way you can. Punch an opposing player in the nose and take the ball from him. Pick up a spear lying on the ground and stab another player who just took the ball back from one of your teammates. Do whatever it takes to get the ball to the other end and score. For the winners, adulation from villagers around the countryside (and probably visits from a few groupies) awaits. For the losers? Don't ask.~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Overall
Pigskin is a lot of fun. It's a unique idea, for starters: go back to 621 AD and create a rugby-like game which incorporates a lot of the rough and tumble aspects of those times. I'm sure that a variant of this really was played in medieval forests throughout Europe ages ago, the same way American Indians used to play huge games of their own version of lacrosse.The first rule of this game is that there are no rules. Punching your opponent to get the ball is perfectly okay, as is stabbing him with a spear or pushing him through a trap door. Whatever it takes to score is the name of the game; I'm sure that a lot of rugby players will be able to identify with that to some degree. You get six points every time you score, seven if you managed a lengthy time of possession, which is pretty hard to do.
You control whoever on your team has the ball or is nearest to an opposing player who does, which can make it a little hard to figure out who you're controlling, especially when the action gets fast and furious. The flow of play can change radically if you're not careful, so you have to be on your toes and watch out for the opposition. You also get to control your team as a whole with a button which changes your team's attitude to one of three options which vary depending on whether or not you have the ball.
As far as the feel of team play which is inherent in rugby's successor, American football, the team button does and doesn't help. Your selections affect the gameplay, but the action which is onscreen at any given moment is limited and you can't tell who might be offscreen on your team or theirs. You might have a player open deep downfield, but there's no way to know. The same is true if you're heading to the goal line and don't know if someone is waiting to clobber you.
Those are minor nitpicks, though. This game is a lot of fun and the onscreen environments vary from the outdoors to a castle interior, all of which have their own nuances. Apparently Pigskin has a following, because the game lets you know that you can write to PO Box 1000, Plano, IL, 60545 for more Pigskin information.
~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Enjoyment
lots of fun~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Graphics
really great~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Sound
listen to those bone-crunching hits~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Replay Value
you'll want to play it more than once; there are options to buy a whole game if you want~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Review: Documentation
extensive documentation on and in the game~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
Production Credits
Concept and Design: Jeff Nauman, Brian Colin
~ Brad Cook, All Game Guide
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Pigskin 621 A.D.
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Pigskin 621 A.D.
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| Pigskin 621 A.D. | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Bally Midway |
| Publisher(s) | Bally Midway |
| Composer(s) | Dan Forden |
| Release date(s) | 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, head to head |
| Cabinet | Upright |
| Arcade system | Motorola 68000 7.7238 MHz |
| Display | Horizontal orientation, Raster, standard resolution (Used: 512x480) |
Pigskin 621 A.D. is an arcade game released in 1990 by Bally Midway. One player can battle the computer, or two players can battle head-to-head. Two teams compete to score as many touchdowns as possible in the tradition of American football, but actual play is more similar to rugby football.
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Contents
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Overview
The player directly controls one member of a five-man team, with the object of carrying a football over the opposing team's goal line. The playing area is littered with hazards such as pits, bushes and logs. A ball carrier who trips over any of these, or is punched by an opponent, fumbles the ball. The field is also laden with weapons such as swords, torches and ropes. A player can pick up one of these by running over it. It will appear at the top of the screen next to the player's score as a "concealed weapon", several weapons may be carried at once and one may be carried over after a touchdown. The ball carrier can be "grappled", essentially a mass-tackle into which multiple characters can jump. Having a concealed weapon as well as having more characters jump into the grapple greatly increases a team's chance of gaining or retaining possession, although weapons cannot be used if both team captains are in the grapple. A character who is injured by a concealed weapon is out of play until a touchdown is scored.
If one team gets too far behind in score, a troll is added to the losing side to help even the odds, adding more to the cartoonish mayhem. Up to two trolls can be in play at a time during a standard game (one per side or two on one side). During a one player "Pro Pigskin" game, if the CPU team continues to lose heavily even after a troll has been added or falls behind very quickly early on, an option for a Troll Bowl will appear. If selected the player will face an entire team of trolls with only human players on their own side.
Gameplay tips are given between periods and statistics are given at the end of the game. Statistics cover Goals Scored, Injuries Inflicted and Pigskin Possession Time.
Scoring
A touchdown is worth six points, with a one-point bonus for keeping possession of the ball for longer than a minimum time. (Approximately 6 seconds)
It is possible to gain very high scores by eliminating most of the opposing team and then maintaining possession of the ball for as long as possible. Since a period can only end on a change of possession, a player can keep gaining single possession points well after the period clock has run out.
Controls
Pigskin has two pass buttons, a punch button, and a button for selecting the team's strategy ("Block", "Scatter" and "Bad Attitude" when the player's team is in possession of the ball; "Get Ball", "Man-to-Man" and "Bad Attitude" when the opponent has it).
Offers
At one time, the makers of Pigskin 621 A.D. offered tickets to the Super Bowl as part of a sweepstakes promotion associated with the arcade game. The game also advertised a free players handbook if a self-addressed stamped envelope was mailed to "PIGSKIN, P.O. Box 1000, Plano, IL 60545".
In-game references
Pigskin 621 A.D. described itself as "Ancient Archrivals on a Rampage", in reference to two earlier Midway games created by Jeff Nauman and Brian Colin, Arch Rivals and Rampage.
Trivia
One of only seven games made for Midway's MCR-68k system, it was the last game released for their older hardware before completely switching over to newer TMS34010 based systems.
External links
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