Twenty three years after the original AFL game was released on Nintendo, we’ve taken a trip down memory lane to look at the history of AFL video games and ask you which one you love the best.
Aussie Rules Footy (Released 1991)
It was the first AFL video game released on Nintendo in 1991 and was responsible for fans continuing to utter the phrase ‘out of bounds…on the full’ in a strange deep voice 20 years after it was released.
Featuring a range of teams including Perth, Hobart, Canberra and Darwin, as well as having a unique ability to kick to kick mode, the game was revolutionary for a generation who were only just discovering video game consoles.
Friends would gather together to play season mode where one to six players could play multiple games concluding with a grand final, however one danger of the NES was that if a person stomped their foot on the floor in anger it would reset the system immediately.
Besides this floor it still remains one of the best AFL games ever created.
AFL Finals Fever (Released 1996)
It was released for PC only on 9 June 1996. You could play as one of the 16 clubs of the 1996 AFL season. It was also the last video game in the series to feature the Fitzroy Lions and the Brisbane Bears as playable teams before they were merged. The game was also the first game to be developed by Blue Tongue Entertainment and was published by Cadability.
AFL 98 (Released 1998)
It was released on 30 September 1998 for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. Though released in 1998 it was based on the 1997 season. You could play as any of the 16 teams and was the first game in the series to feature Brisbane Lions and Port Adelaide. Its also the first game in the series to have commentary, which was provided by Bruce McAvaney. The game was developed and published by EA Sports.
AFL 99 (Released 1999)
It was released in 1999 for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows. It was based on the 1998 season and fans could play as any of the 16 teams. The commentary was provided by Bruce McAvaney and Leigh Matthews. The game was developed and published by EA Sports.
Kevin Sheedy’s: AFL Coach 2002 (Released 2001)
This PC only game allowed users to assume the role of an AFL Coach, allowing users to command the players to players a certain style of game (attacking, defensive, Normal) and when to interchange. It sold relatively well at the time but does not have the cult following of the original NES game.
AFL Live 2003 (Released 2002)
It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox. The game is based on the 2002 AFL season with team rosters. It was first released on 5 September 2002 in Australia. It is the first game in the series to feature a live action intro of AFL games in the 2003 season with the song Lost Control by Grinspoon as the intro song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gVt6NKZwbk
AFL Live 2004 (Released 2003)
It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox on 28 August 2003. The game is based on the 2003 AFL season with team rosters based on that year. AFL Live 2003 includes all 16 official AFL teams and only 6 stadiums which were, MCG, Telstra Dome, AAMI Stadium, Subiaco Oval, Gabba, SCG. It also included all 22 home and away matches and the finals series.
AFL Live: Premiership Edition (Released 2004)
It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 and Xbox on 29 April 2004. The game is based on the 2004 AFL season with team rosters based on that year. It was developed by IR Gurus and was the final AFL game to be published by Acclaim Entertainment, before their defunct on 1 September 2004.
AFL Premiership 2005 (Released 2005)
It is based on the 2005 AFL season and was released only for the PlayStation 2. This is the next edition after AFL Premiership Edition. When Acclaim shut down its operations in Australia, Sony Computer Entertainment got publishing and distributing rights to the game. Because Sony Computer Entertainment had an exclusive period with the title, initially it was only launched on PlayStation 2. However, THQ released a Microsoft Windows and Xbox version of the game. It was released on 22 September 2005 and is only available in Australia.
AFL Premiership 2006 (Released 2006)
It is the tenth game in the AFL game series. It is based on the 2006 AFL season and was released only for the PlayStation 2. The game is a follow-up to AFL Premiership 2005. The game, unlike its predecessor, was less criticized by game reviewers. Its main features included the addition of training mode, revamped career mode as well as more attention paid to gameplay, rather than graphics, with the whole gameplay system being started from scratch. It was developed by IR gurus and was published by Sony Computer Entertainment.
AFL Premiership 2007 (Released 2007)
It is a simulation game for the PlayStation 2 based on the AFL. The game marks the final AFL game to be developed by Australian games company IR Gurus and was published by Sony Computer Entertainment, IR Gurus seventh collaboration in the series, and was released on 28 June 2007. The game includes all 16 teams, more than 600 AFL players with updated stats and all of the major stadium. Game modes in AFL Premiership 2007 are Single Match, Season Mode, Career Mode, Mission Mode and Training Mode. It was a follow-up to AFL Premiership 2006.
AFL Challenge (Released 2009)
It was released for the PlayStation Portable. The game was developed by Wicked Witch Software and co-published by Tru Blu Entertainment and Sony Computer Entertainment. It was released on 10 September 2009. The game is based on the 2009 AFL season and includes all 16 teams and players.
AFL Live (Released 2011,2012)
It was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 based on the 2011 AFL season. It was developed by Big Ant Studios and released on 21 April 2011. The Game of the Year Edition, an updated version of the game for the 2012 AFL season was released on 6 June 2012.
AFL Live 2 (Released 2013)
The current game in the series released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on 12 September 2013.
Which one was your favourite? Add your comments below.