Maximum Football Review

gaming, PC, playstation, Reviews, video-games, xbox

I remember when the gaming world was full of different football sim games. Games like NFL Gameday, NFL 2K, NFL Fever and more, but now all we have are Madden and College Football. Well Maximum Football is trying to change that and give us football fans something different. Maximum Football announced in 2022, this is a free-to-play football simulation game.

Gameplay

Maximum Football has the bones of a good to great football game. At it’s heart Maximum Football is a physics based, simulation football game that was developed using Unreal Engine 5. The running, passing and tackling feel fluid and smooth but sometimes inconsistent. Passing was one of my favorite features in the game. Throwing the deep ball was a real surprise and I felt amazing when connecting with my receiver. The quarterback play was consistent across the board. It did feel good running with scrambling QB’s, when I couldn’t find someone open.

I have to admit – the wide receivers felt a bit overpowered. Whenever I saw single coverage, I threw the ball their way without hesitation. Even against double coverage, my receiver still caught the pass about 7 out of 10 times. The passing game definitely had its issues though. On a few occasions, my receiver broke free and got wide open, only to drop the ball for no clear reason.

The run game, while being very smooth and fluid, also had some issues. There were times when my offensive linemen would open a hole for my back to run throw, but before I could barely get the ball, there was someone there. I’ve got experience with other football sim games, I expect to have some defenders get free and make tackles in the back field but almost every time I ran the ball between the tackles; this happened.

Playing defense was interesting to say the least. While it was effective it could sometimes be inconsistent. Defensive backs get abused in Maximum Football. There were times when my defender was in perfect position to make an interception but somehow the ball would end up in the receivers’ hands. As a counter this tackling was great at times, especially when you made a big hit, it really felt good.

Presentation and Customization

For this being Maximum Entertainments first football game, the presentation is amazing. The weather effects and stadium environments were impressive. The developers created detailed player models, although the animations still need some polish. They designed clean uniforms and logos, and the minimal presentation still manages to get the job done. In game, I liked things like seeing the players run on the field before the game, players’ jerseys would dirty over time during the match and we even have the coin toss. I will mention you don’t get to select heads or tails during the coin toss. I checked all the settings and couldn’t find an option to change that.

Maximum Football offers one of the most in-depth and addictive customization systems in football gaming. Players can fully create and design their own custom college team, complete with a personalized name, uniforms, and helmet styles. You can even choose your own team logo to match your vision. While there’s no direct logo search function, the game provides a wide variety of options – making it easy to find one that fits your team’s identity. If you’re a fan of building your own dynasty from the ground up, Maximum Football’s customization features are a must-try.

Game Modes

Maximum Football currently has a few gaming modes; Maximum Dynasty, exhibition (VS CPU), 1V1 (online exhibition, vs friends), practice and drills and Maximum Pro league (ranked online matches). Maximum Dynasty is one of the main selling points of the game. In dynasty mode, you can build your ultimate football university. When starting a dynasty, you can adjust the number of teams in your league, deciding how many teams make the playoffs, customizing conferences and much more.

You can either select a team or import a team you created yourself, and then you select a coach. Maximum Dynasty allows you to build your school from the ground up. Upgrading your coach and stadium, setting ticket and merchandise prices and upgrading team facilities.

In Maximum Football’s Dynasty mode, recruiting works smoothly and feels familiar to fans of classic NCAA football games. Each week, your school earns recruiting points, and you choose how to use them – whether that’s calling prospects, scheduling campus visits, or making scholarship offers. You use those points to make pitches and build relationships, giving you complete control over your recruiting strategy as you shape your dream roster.

The system feels very similar to what NCAA fans loved in the past, and it’s just as enjoyable in Maximum Football. However, the current dynasty ticket system may cause concern for some players. Tickets are required to start a new dynasty and advance to the next season. While you can earn them through daily logins or by purchasing passes, this setup could be a barrier for players who want a more traditional, uninterrupted Dynasty experience. I had no issues progressing through my season, but I can see how the ticket system might frustrate others.

I spent some time playing Maximum Pro League ranked head-to-head matches during my review. In this mode, it is very similar to a Madden Ultimate Team, where you open packs to get players. Thank you to Maximum entertainment for the packs – I had a solid team when I played my first online match. Opening packs, you get players that range from common, rare, epic and legendary. These players can be used in the ranked head-to-head or against the cpu. Hoping to see more added to this mode, as while it’s fun the grinding to rank up can be bit much.

Final Thoughts

Maximum Football is a fun time and is loaded with potential. The options and full customization in Dynasty mode to build it however you want will have those serious players coming to play. Along with Maximum Pro League and the game being free to play, I can see players jumping in to check out the game. However, those players may not stay for too long. The lack of content and modes, gameplay issues and the grinding may deter players from sticking around for a long time.

You might need to pay for certain passes to keep playing in Dynasty mode, and I can see that turning some players off. Maximum Football is a fun game, and I hope the developers continue to update and support the game. I said in the beginning that it has bones to be a great game, it just needs to put some meat on it. I’m giving Maximum Football a 6.5.