Soccer Goes Old School

5:16pm UK, Thursday November 17, 2005

Darren Turpin brings you the latest news and gossip from the world of games. This week he looks to the future for old-school style football games.

I recently reviewed Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 5, praising the accuracy of its recreation of modern football, but bemoaning the simulation aspects which are increasingly distancing the series from the free-flowing soccer games of the past.

New Star Soccer 3

Now, if like me, titles such as Sensible Soccer and Kick Off leave you moist of eye, then things are about to get rather interesting because while the rest of the world gears up for the arrival of a new generation of super consoles, footie games are actually preparing to take a step backwards, thanks to a selection of old-school style soccer games.

The biggest such development is the news that Sensible Soccer is on its way back. Yes, the cute little guys with the big heads are preparing to make a return to our screens - and it's a revelation which should make every footie fan jump for joy.

More than a decade has passed since the release of the legendary Sensible Soccer in 1992, but the game's legions of fans around the world will testify that it has lost none of its playability.

However, 13 years is an awful long time in gaming terms, and from a visual point of view modern games are in a different league to those of the 90s. It is understandable then that Sensible Soccer has had a bit of a facelift.

The graphics are clearly not aiming for FIFA standards of realism, but player models are now displayed in 3D - though thankfully they seem to have retained the original game's characteristic charm. Hopefully the responsiveness and instant controllability which made the game such a joy will remain intact as well.

Sensi's trademark top-down view has also survived, enabling you to see plenty of the pitch while playing, and with Jon Hare (one of the original game's creators) behind the project there's every reason to believe it will stay true to the series' magic gameplay formula.

Sensible Soccer is being developed for PS2, Xbox and PC, and publisher Codemasters is planning a mid-range price release around Easter 2006.

But if a new Sensible Soccer isn't enough to whet your appetite, how about the prospect of an all-new footie game from Kick Off and Player Manager creator Dino Dini?

Last year it was announced that Dini's company Abundant Software was working on a new soccer title with the intention of creating a new type of football game - one where the focus of the game would be on the player, rather than the spectacle.

It's a mouth-watering prospect, but though the game - now known as Total Control Football - is still in development, there are worrying concerns over whether it will actually see the light of day.

There has been precious little new information since the initial announcement, and comments on Abundant's discussion forum hint that the developer may be having difficulty getting the game published.

Regardless which side of the old Sensi v Kick Off fence you stand on, all football gamers should be crossing their fingers that Total Control Football does eventually secure a release, because if there's one thing this stagnating genre needs right now it's variety of experience.

Plus, of course, there's also the added bonus of seeing the old Kick Off v Sensi war re-ignited. For those who missed it the first time round, this was a conflict so fierce it made today's Pro Evo v FIFA scrap seem positively tame.

But if you're already tired of waiting for your next soccer game fix, you might like to try out another top-down view football game - New Star Soccer 3 (NSS) on the PC.

Visually, NSS clearly takes inspiration from the likes of Kick Off and Sensible Soccer, but the gameplay is all its own, offering the player complete control over where they play the ball at all times.

Interestingly, the game sees you take control of just one player rather than the whole team, letting you make your own off-the-ball runs, and enabling you to choose when to chase the ball so as to use or conserve energy.

Of course this system would be pretty boring if you never saw any action, but the inclusion of a "Call" command lets you tell your team-mates when you want to receive the ball, so you don't spend the whole game making runs and being ignored.

A player management feature lets you guide your player through his career, and there's a simplified RPG-style interface for building skills, managing your player's fragile confidence and developing relationships with friends, family, team-mates and fans.

Though it takes a little getting used to, New Star Soccer quickly becomes a whole lot of fun - but be warned: it's dangerously addictive stuff. A free trial version can be downloaded from www.newstarsoccer.com

Contact Darren at darren.turpin@ntlworld.com