Front Page Sports: Football Pro '97
| Company type | Video game |
|---|---|
| Industry | Video games |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Founder | Synergistic Software |
| Products | Front Page Sports: Football Pro '97 |
| Parent | Sierra Entertainment |
Front Page Sports: Football Pro '97 is a 1996 video game created by Synergistic Software and released by Sierra for the Windows platform.
Publication
As the fifth entry in the Front Page Sports Football franchise, this edition marked the series' debut on Windows 95. The cover prominently featured running back Barry Sanders. Shortly thereafter, the sequel Football Pro '98 was launched, showcasing quarterback Dan Marino on its cover.
Reception
Kevin Mical from GameSpot commended the title for being "more than just a run-of-the-mill football game for the PC," drawing attention to its broadened gameplay options, which allowed players to assume roles such as general manager, coach, or athlete. He highlighted enhancements in coaching menus and multiplayer capabilities while pointing out issues with jerky player animations. In contrast, Next Generation criticized the game as essentially "three or four year old DOS code clumsily retrofitted into a Windows 95 product," noting that its core strengths—detailed football simulation, customization, and player statistics—were carried over from previous DOS versions, offering minimal motivation to upgrade. The review also mentioned problems related to windowed mode display, control schemes, and software bugs.