Took me a few days, but finally finished this the other day and I really love this. The attention to detail by bringing callbacks or parodies of actual sports analysts, college programs, coaches, etc. really grounds the story in a way to make it feel authentic. I can only recall maybe 1 or 2 other adult games that had American football featured in some way, but this here puts it in focus and ties it well into the overall narrative. As a longtime football fan, I really appreciate it.
The way the announcers, analysts and others talk about the sport feels real and shows great insight into the sport and great capabilities as a writer to convey all of that. Some of my favorites are how pro players are referenced and their skillsets are accurately depicted in various aspects such as when the MC is showing Ian how to create separation while in press coverage. Bringing up how rare it's for there to be white DBs at a D1 and pro level shows great insight especially since it is a common topic in the football community.
I love that there is a distinct voice to each character. They all feel real and the use of colloquialisms and such especially considering a lot of these characters are from lower-income areas really works and is done very well. The conversations with Underwood, Lael and Sammy felt raw and very relatable as someone who grew up and still lives in a very similar area and all of that was really well done. Only real issues with writing are minor typos or missing connecting words, but it's pretty incredibly done. The renders are beautiful and the character designs are nice.
Was curious how it would handle the whole racial dynamic involving the MC's crimes and such would be handled, and I feel it was handled fine. There are some tough topics here and I can understand why it makes some people uncomfortable, but these are real topics. Perception is a huge theme throughout presented in this story from the start. Lies and also assumptions based on who a person is such as the MC's ubringing, his parents, etc. The event that led to him getting arrested is at the focal point of a lot of this. Just because he attacked in self-defense against a black person, there are pre-conceived notions regarding him. The same would be true if the MC was black and his attacker was white. The conversation with Sammy kind of highlights this. No matter race, many people are in similar situations. Many good people are given bad cards, and have to do what they can to succeed. Even though there is one aspect of the political stuff I don't agree with, it doesn't really bother me since it gives some dimension to the story and grounds it to a familiar reality. These are the kinds of tough conversations someone in this position would talk about, so I do respect the writer for tackling them since otherwise, I don't think it would do the story, characters or real events like this any justice.
I just hope we get to see some football practices and maybe eventually some games.
Ivy is cute, hope we get to hang out with her some more. Without Renne next time, maybe.
