It's been a while since I picked up a
football game and really invested an appropriate amount of time to get
the most out of it. Truth be known I probably haven't really grappled
with this genre properly since Sensible Soccer and Kick Off in the 16
bit days. Sure, I've dabbled with FIFA and Pro Evolution, but never
really wrung the most out of these games beyond basic ball control.
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| Roonie! |
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Bustle past these pesky mid-fielders! |
Maybe
it was my recent increase in interest of the Champion's League or maybe
it was the slightly more arcade nature of this game, but for one reason
or another I have really enjoyed putting this title through its paces
over the last few weeks.
Graphically, things are pretty much on
a par with the latest FIFA iteration. The players have noticeably stiff
torsos in many of the animations, but there's nothing here to hamper
game play. Probably the worst aspect of the graphics is the crowd,
which amount to nothing more than silhouettes of stick people. Although
this does detract from the thrill of scoring at the home end, if you
have to have a low point why not make a background element.
Sonically,
the game has some of the best audio commentary I have come across in a
football game. Not only is the speech tied closely to the run of play,
but it also captures a sense of emphasis. The vocal work is delivered
on a variety of levels; when play is slow the voices are pitched lower
with a slower pace, when the action hots up the commentary also raises
its tone and delivery. This really adds to the sense of build up of an
attack or the knife edge pressure of defending that all important one
goal lead. As with any automated vocal system it doesn’t always get it
right, probably the biggest criticism is the lack of any quiet moments.
Every last moment is filled with commentary.
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| Tuck this one under the keeper |
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Outnumbered, but not out foxed |
The game provides
the usual array of passes, shots and longer balls. These change to
tackles, slides and clearances while you are not in possession of the
ball. In addition there are a number of trick moves and shots that can
be accessed via the spare analogue stick. Although this does give you a
lot to think about, the rewards are high not only in beating the other
man, but the finesse with which this is achieved. Even with these
subtleties the controls are easy to pick up and never stray too far
away from their original arcade-y feel.
However, I did find that
the balance of play in the game itself could have been better. Whether
it was a conscious decision or a coincident of design, the play greatly
favours the attacking player. This makes it a much harder job to stop
the man with the ball that it is to beat the defender. Although this
obviously leads to more exciting and attacking play, it can also lead
to frustration as one mistake often results in the ball being collected
from the back of the net.
Another frustrating aspect was the
poor artificial intelligence applied to the other players in your team.
Quite often, I was making a covering run with one defender, only to
watch the man nearest to the ball let the other team sail by without
even attempting to stop them. I would have hoped that whilst out of my
control the players would at least act as if they were real footballers
rather than automatons waiting for instruction.
These annoyances
aside, I was able to while away many happy evenings playing UEFA with a
few friends. It delivers an excellent league experience offering all
the teams and game structure as you would expect from a licensed
product. This is further enhanced by the, now regularly featured,
multiplayer options. There really aren't many gaming experiences that
beat a two-on-two multiplayer football game. This was true back in the
days of Sensible Soccer and Kick Off, and is still true today.
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| All my players have gone grumpy on me! |
I’m
sat finishing up this review having just watch Liverpool go through
after a thrilling two legs finished off by penalties. Although the game
has a lot to live up to with this competition, its fast-paced
accessible approach turns out to be well up to the job.
Top Game Moment: Sitting
down with three friends, picking our respective clubs and recreating
our favourite UEFA Champions League moments, as well as creating some
new ones of our own.
