Pro Strategy Football 2022 Reviews

PSF2022 is a unique American football game that emphasizes play calling and design but also dips a toe in franchise/career gameplay. If you like football strategy and are looking for something different than yet-another-edition of Madden, it's one of the best-kept secrets on Steam. One of the many strengths of this game is its flexibility - it's the best football sandbox I know of, and you can create and play your own league: name your teams and players, design logos and endzones, helmets and uniforms, style/era of play, rules, set up your conferences and divisions, etc. But you don't *have to* make everything up, thankfully. No review on this game is complete without a nod to the mod community that has assembled an impressive assortment of seasons stats, graphics, and logos - college and pro - that you can download and easily integrate into the game. You can also download and replay full historical seasons. As a game simulator, it strikes a nice balance between fun/playability and the type of details that might appeal more to the purists. For example your play calling can be as simple as selecting "short pass," or as complex as selecting a pro set strong right with play action and a WR as your primary read. Player and team stats are almost always plausible, a real strength of the game.. Like a lot of simulators (Football Manager, OotP Baseball, etc.), the action you watch on the field is just there to represent the stats/results that are generated, so occasionally you get plays that look silly. While this doesn't bother me personally, I've seen people complain about it in other sims. One of the notable improvements to this year's version is the increased accessibility of stats, especially in-game. Now you can pull up a player's game, season, and career stats during a game. It's a small touch that greatly improves the narrative aspects of the game (at least for me) and arguably helps you make better decisions in the case of injury, substitution, etc. As for the career mode, it isn't a GM game, so don't expect full control. There's just enough there to make franchise control interesting, from an "impressionistic" take on free agency in which you randomly lose a player every year and there's an FA "draft,", to a full rookie draft that keeps your roster fresh. You won't get deep in the weeds with contract minutiae and salary caps, but you will face some interesting decisions via the draft. And many simulation modes mean that if you're having a "rebuilding year," you can sim through a lot of the painful parts fairly quickly. It's hard to find enough good things to say about this game - even more impressive that (as I understand it) it's put out by a one-man indy designer. Definitely recommended for anyone who enjoys the strategy of football coaching and management.

The game has potential. But the free agency system is terrible. Just random player picked. There is no ability to trade players. No contract or salary salary structure. Players retire too early. If we could get these areas fixed it would be amazing.

If you love sim sports and realistic replays and coaching options...look no further! I have been playing sim games since dice and fast action cards as a youngster in the 70's and this game is very close to be the game I always dreamed would happen...fantastic and getting better all the time. The mods are wonderful.

If you have previously played this game and enjoyed it..you will love the updates. I loved last years version and this one is a YUGE upgrade. The lone developer must be exhausted after doing this. I'm not going into the details on improvements..but being able to run the QB anywhere on the field is cool as heck if your team has a running QB..WR screens..motion backs..sub anyone on the field etc..fun stuff. If you have never played this game..it is a strategy coaching game. The GM mode is very simplistic. No salaries...no player trades.. There is some player movement but everything is designed to be extremely simplified. There is a draft..free agency and you can franchise players..but everything is super simple and functional enough to have player movement in your league. Research the game if you like that general management kinda stuff...if it is important to you..this game might not "scratch the itch" Where this game shines is with game play ( if you play the game as intended and not try to get around the code)..trying to win a game on the gridiron is ridiculously satisfying for me. The new additions add a level of complexity this game really needed. Play modern football..or play football from 30 years ago..The game engine and the superstar mod squad have you covered,.modding is super easy ( even for this computer neophyte). I think I own every football game available on the market today ( and some from years ago ) and I still play them all..I will end up with the most hours playing this game..because the game engine is spot on..the penalties seem to come in the right numbers and at the right time . And controlling the in game action is not even close to being matched.

Boy if this game had local multiplayer career mode, this would be the greatest football sim ever!

I've purchased the last 3 PSF versions (and looking forward to PSF 2023). Kerry Batts, the sole programmer/designer, has done a fantastic job making the franchise better each and every year. If you go to the discussions forum you will see how involved Kerry is listening to his customers. The game is essentially a head coach level football sim. You call the plays and formations, make the game decisions, etc.. You don't control the players directly as in Madden. The in-game action is sprite-drive, 2D, side scrolling, retro goodness. This is the best football game/sim out there as an entire package of realistic outcomes at the coach level. The engine is based off the old Tom Landry football sim of the 1990s which was known to produce realistic outcomes and solid stats. A better product for far, far less $$$$ than Madden. A must buy for any football fan. The community offers a wide range of audio and season mods that can be downloaded and dropped in PSF to further enhance an already rock solid, entertaining product.

I searched the Steam Store for "Sports Management," and I *still* only found Pro Strategy Football 2022 by accident, when Steam recommended Pro Strategy Football _2021_, under the "Other Games Like This" section of a different game. O.o I have no idea why it isn't more visible/findable, it's exactly the type of football management sim I've been wanting to play, where I can call the plays and then watch the results without having to worry about poorly controlling a guy myself! The "Casual" mode allows for just the right amount of decision-making to keep me satisfied, with the ever-present ability to switch to "advanced" mode and control every aspect of every play if I ever want to. I especially like the watchable Highlights that are generated from each game -- even for games I just sim the results to.

I have found PSF 2022 both enjoyable and promising for the future of American Football Simulation. My hats off to the developer for such great work from a single part time developer. The passion is definitely there and I recently learned that this is a continuation of his work as lead on Tom Landry football... it is very cool to see this brought up to modern times! I - like many I hope - am desperately looking for a real franchise sim since Madden has chased the MUT money and left the rest of us wanting and I hope that this game finds support from the franchise/sim community so that the dev gains the resources and market to continue to evolve this game to 2023 and beyond! PSF may seem more simplistic than others and may not yet be a full franchise sim but its got potential and there is something about the game is very appealing and comfortable. I am completely satisfied with the on screen visuals that play out the action on the field and lack of financials (aka please focus your future efforts on improving the franchise features such as free agency and attribute enhancements!) Please let me reiterate that I have hopes that this game can become another great option for us soured on Madden and not requiring "cutting edge" visuals or an arcade stick which - to me - are not a top priority for enjoyment. Anyway, for the price asked this game is a definite by and I hope those on the fence will throw support and a few bucks behind this game to further broaden the market and allow these amazing independent/Not EA developers to create a game that can meet or even surpass what OOTP has done for baseball. This game deserves more exposure!

The developer Kerry is an awesome individual. He does an awesome job at responding to any questions you may have and is probably one of the most patient and respectful developers that I have ever interacted with. He has a true passion for this game. Even going back to the Tom Landry days this game AI was solid and continues to be improved with each version of the game. The reason for this review is to provide an unbiased perspective on the game. I have noticed that several reviews that have currently been provided have been from Beta testers and it could lead to someone thinking that they are biased to the game. I have always thought that beta testers leaving comments and reviews is a conflict of interest so this is the reason I wanted to give my take on the game. The game is in my opinion the best you can buy currently for on the field coaching options and strategy. However be advised that saying this game in its current state is on the level of the former Football Pro series at best is misleading. The areas of improvement I would like to see in this game is a comprehensive situational coaching profile for each Team. This is something that Football Pro had that to this day made it the best simulation of football for its time. Also I would like to see the implmentation of the option and read option play. I know the game currently has the ability to have a 130 team season to emulate college so I would say a big next step would be to implement the play formations that are being used in the current game. Also another area of improvement would be to allow for the 130 team league structure to be a part of the career mode. I understand that a full recruiting model may be beyond the scope of the game but even having the option of allowing players to "retire" within 4 years and having a draft might allow for some type of comparable simulation of the college world. Again I understand that the game was designed for professional football first but with the introduction of the 130 team league structure why not go the rest of the way with what is currently implemented in the game. I applaud what has been done with the game and I encourgae everyone to purchase the game. You would be crazy not to if you enjoy a coach mode in a football game but I also like to keep it real that way no one would possibly purchase the game and be disappointed.

Reviewed after 64 hours, several games experimenting with features and settings, building a fictional league, and playing a complete season (calling every play on offense and defense for the Bay City Comets). Summary: Pro Strategy Football 2022 is a great game that truly shines in on-the-field play. You can create your own league or use one of the many leagues/seasons/teams created by an industrious and friendly bunch of modders. Available play includes NFL seasons/teams back to the 1950s, several modes of managing/coaching your team, and challenging but fair AI. This is the most fun I’ve had on the PC in years. Details: PSF22 is the latest release in a series from developer Kerry Batts. It is primarily a head coaching sim, and the products’s strengths reflect that aim. You can do all the league-building and general managing you want, but what makes or breaks a game for me is calling the plays and seeing the results. PSF22 succeeds across the board in this aspect of football. Before the game, you can scout you opponent and set your depth charts. During the game, you can call thousands of plays on offense and defense, using a fairly intuitive play designer that lets you set (on offense) formation, primary receiver, all receivers patterns, runners, motion before the snap, play action, and (on defense) formation, focus on run or pass, key players to defend, pass coverage, and blitzers. Special teams decisions like punting straightaway or toward the sidelines, kicking deep or onside, and whether to run the ball from the end zone are also available. If you want, it all plays out (more or less) graphically in front of you. (If this all seems like too much, your AI coordinators are happy to suggest plays for you.) The graphics are a little old-fashioned, but there are options, and after some fiddling I’ve grown rather fond of them. Outside game time, players can create leagues with a varying number of teams, schedules, and playoff formats. PSF22 comes with some fictional leagues built in, and the modding community has built NFL-based teams going back decades, including period-accurate uniforms, logos, and of course, stats. Several fictional leagues and teams are also available for your use, or you can create your own. There’s also some college and CFL support. PSF22 supports rules from different eras. My own career league is fictional, with made-up teams’ graphics and logos downloaded from multiple modders and stitched together into a 30-team league using mostly 1980s NFL rules (I threw in the two-point conversion). All of my teams and players are randomly generated within PSF22, but you can also edit files to have more control. You can play a single game, a season, or a career. In between career seasons, there’s a free agent draft, a college draft (you can trade draft picks), and a training camp. Players age and can retire, and your free agents can leave (except the one you can franchise tag), so there is some chance for a team to improve over time, and some factors pulling a team apart. And if you don’t want your team falling apart, you can turn the churn off. Not much happens to affect your team during the season, other than injuries. The career mode isn’t as robust as the engine for playing a football game—this isn’t a GM sim like Front Office Football--but it’s still quite entertaining and has the potential to get better over time. The obvious omission is that you can’t trade players—but that may be for the best, as it can be too easy for a human player to take advantage of any quirks in the AI. Hanging out in the discussions, it has become clear that the developer and modders are being very careful to add new features only when they don’t break anything. A word also needs saying about the developer, who is as responsive as could be. Since PSF22’s release in late August, he’s been quashing bugs (minor bugs, I haven’t found anything major), adding features, explaining game functions, and taking requests for next year. Veteran players pitch in to support newbies as well. PSF22 is a very well supported game. What doesn’t work (just to show objectivity): Well, the graphics are a little wonky sometimes, like when your runner falls down five yards away from the guy who supposedly tackled him. I enjoy the game’s look, but the graphics sometimes get the idea across without being super-precise. They are slated for an upgrade in the foreseeable future, though. The playbook structure is much inferior to the on-the-fly play designer, and I think an optional, more robust playbook system would be a bit more realistic, as teams don’t bring thousands of plays ready to go. Subbing players in and out during specific situations can get just a little tedious (I want linebacker X in when I expect a pass, and linebacker Y when I expect a run), so a system of packages instead of individual substitutions would be nice. None of these, however, has been a deal-breaker. I just yell at my imaginary defensive coordinator when I notice the wrong linebacker is on the field. Or when my Comets lose in the Divisional Playoff round after giving up over 200 yards rushing. Ahem. Want to lose yourself pretending to be a head coach for a few hours? Buy PSF22. It’s a well-developed, mature design. It’s clearly a labor of love. It’s $20. Most importantly, it’s fun as heck!