NFL GameDay was a football video game series for both the PlayStation and PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 video game console

Video game console

A video game console is an interactive entertainment computer or customized computer system that produces a video display signal which can be used with a display device to display a video game...

s. NFL GameDay directly competed with EA Sports

EA Sports

EA Sports is a brand of Electronic Arts that creates and develops sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to mimic real-life sports networks by calling themselves "EA Sports Network" with pictures or endorsements of real commentators such as John...

' Madden NFL

Madden NFL

Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator...

Football and Sega

Sega

, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...

's NFL 2K franchises. The NFL GameDay series began with NFL GameDay released for the 1995-96 NFL season

1995 NFL season

The 1995 NFL season was the 76th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 30 teams with the addition of the Carolina Panthers and the Jacksonville Jaguars...

 and ended with NFL GameDay 2005 following EA's acquisition of exclusive NFL licensing. The games were designed by 989 Sports throughout their ten-year duration.

NFL GameDay

NFL GameDay was the first video game in the NFL GameDay series. It was released November 21, 1995 on the PlayStation by Sony Interactive Studios America as a competitor to the Madden

Madden NFL

Madden NFL is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. The game series is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl-winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator...

 football game series. On the cover is William Floyd.

NFL GameDay 97

NFL GameDay 97 was the second video game in the NFL GameDay series. It was released December 5, 1996 on the PlayStation by Sony Interactive Studios America. On the cover is Daryl Johnston

Daryl Johnston

Daryl Peter "Moose" Johnston is a former National Football League fullback who played his entire career with the Dallas Cowboys from 1989 to 1999.-High school career:...

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NFL GameDay 98

NFL GameDay 98 was the third video game in the NFL GameDay series. It was released August 26, 1997 on the PlayStation by Sony Interactive Studios America. On the cover is Jerome Bettis

Jerome Bettis

Jerome Abram "The Bus" Bettis is a retired American football halfback who played for the NFL's Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers. Bettis is considered one of the best big backs ever because his footwork and power, and is currently fifth on the National Football League's all-time...

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NFL GameDay 99

NFL GameDay 99 was the fourth game in the NFL GameDay series. It was released August 26, 1998 on the PlayStation, and August 31, 1998 on the PC, both by 989 Sports. On the cover is Terrell Davis

Terrell Davis

Terrell Lamar Davis is a former American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League from 1995 to 2001. Davis was drafted by the Broncos in the sixth round of the 1995 NFL Draft. Davis is the Denver Broncos all-time leading rusher, with 7,607 rushing...

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Reception

It was originally criticized for people feeling "like (they) were in an arcade with extreme difficulty." Nonetheless, GameDay quickly became a best-selling series.

NFL GameDay 2000

NFL GameDay 2000 was the fifth video game in the NFL GameDay series. It was released August 11, 1999 on the PlayStation by 989 Sports. On the cover is Terrell Davis.

NFL GameDay 2001

NFL GameDay 2001 was the sixth video game in the NFL GameDay series, and the first to be released on the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

. It was released August 15, 2000 on the PlayStation, and November 16, 2000 on the PlayStation 2, both by 989 Sports. On the cover is Marshall Faulk

Marshall Faulk

Marshall William Faulk is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He is currently an analyst for NFL Total Access, Thursday Night Football, and NFL GameDay Morning on the NFL Network...

.

NFL GameDay 2002

NFL GameDay 2002 was the seventh video game in the NFL GameDay series. It was released August 7, 2001 on the PlayStation, and December 4, 2001 on the PlayStation 2, both by 989 Sports. On the cover is Donovan McNabb

Donovan McNabb

Donovan Jamal McNabb is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent. He was the Philadelphia Eagles' quarterback from 1999 to 2009 and spent the 2010 season with the Washington Redskins and a portion of the 2011 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In college, McNabb played...

.

NFL GameDay 2003

NFL GameDay 2003 was the eighth video game in the NFL GameDay series. It was released August 13, 2002 on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, both by 989 Sports. On the cover is Tom Brady

Tom Brady

Thomas Edward Patrick "Tom" Brady, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the New England Patriots of the National Football League . After playing college football at Michigan, Brady was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft.He has played in four Super Bowls,...

.

NFL GameDay 2004

NFL GameDay 2004 was the ninth video game in the NFL GameDay series. It was released August 26, 2003 on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2, both by 989 Sports. On the cover is LaDainian Tomlinson

LaDainian Tomlinson

LaDainian Tramayne Tomlinson is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers fifth overall in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas Christian.Tomlinson, often referred to by his initials, L...

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NFL GameDay 2005

NFL GameDay 2005 was the tenth and final game in the NFL GameDay series, and unlike the last few GameDay video games, it was only available on the PlayStation console, and not on the PlayStation 2. It was released on August 1, 2004. On the cover is Derrick Brooks

Derrick Brooks

Derrick Dewan Brooks is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buccaneers 28th overall in the 1995 NFL Draft. He played college football at Florida State....

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Competition

The GameDay series had been on a decline since GameDay 2000. It was formerly the highest ranked football game, ahead of Madden

Madden

Madden may refer to:People* Madudan mac Gadhra Mór ancestor of the Madden family of County Galway* Benji and Joel Madden of the pop-punk band Good Charlotte* Bill Madden , columnist for the New York Daily News...

, the 2K Sports

2K Sports

2K Sports is a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. It comprises a single development studio, Visual Concepts, which was purchased from Sega in the year 2005. 2K Sports mainly develops and publishes American sports video games such as NBA 2K series...

 series, and NFL Blitz

NFL Blitz

NFL Blitz is a series of American football themed video games by Midway featuring the teams of the National Football League. It began as a 1997 arcade game but was eventually ported to home consoles and spawned several sequels...

, but it was now behind not only its main competitor, Madden, but also the NFL 2K series. Due to sales being low, NFL GameDay made what seemed to be a last ditch effort to get back on top by going back to the PlayStation exclusively, possibly trying to give it back the "original gameplay feel" it originally had. In any case, it was still not a big enough hit to put it through, and it, along with all other NFL licensed games, were discontinued due to the NFL signing exclusively with Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts

Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...

.

Reception

Mostly critics agreed that this looked like a "Hail Mary", to save the series, and it was "Incomplete". The game had enhanced graphics, and put in a new configuration that would make you feel like you are "the quarterback yourself." Critics said that they felt like they were "getting the same game they got years ago, just out of style." Other complaints included that sound was off, and that it was too easy, which is a strange complaint considering the first game was criticized as being too hard.

Declining popularity

In response to the criticism that the game felt "too arcadey", the series took on a more Madden-inspired style of play starting with NFL GameDay 99. Some people felt that the change of play-style made the game less fun and, combined with Madden switching to polygon technology, the GameDay series lost the crown as the best selling football game the following year.

The end of the GameDay series

The NFL GameDay series did not transition well to the PlayStation 2 platform and lost a great deal of market share. In the end, the GameDay series, along with all other non-EA football games, were doomed to extinction when Electronic Arts acquired exclusive rights to the NFL license.