XBLA Review: Sensible Soccer
It’s the elegant, immediate control system of Sensible Soccer that makes it so enduring and influential. To play soccer, you need to kick, so give them a “kick” button. Oh, and we should let them run too. Finished.
Simple, and yet so effective, it makes you question the supposed “evolution” seen in gaming over the past 15 years. It makes you question shiny graphics, dynamic audio, cinematic sequences, and voice acting. It makes you wonder why so much has been added.
Everything you have seen in every football game since Sensible World of Soccer, the series’ pinnacle, is found within that classic’s code. It is possible within its game-space and a testament to the design genius of Sensible Software.
Aftertouch, that hallowed gameplay element most recently seen in Heavenly Sword, allows you to direct the ball onto the most fantastic flight-paths – up, down, and around the opposition with the minimum of intuitive input.
New players will be taken aback by the game’s pace, but will quickly overcome their initial troubles and grasp the game’s tactical underlay. Know your team (who’s talented enough to run with the ball and who kicks like a horse) and you can dart the ball to those able to make a difference.
Before matches, you can bring in, push out, and swap players. Your decisions’ clear impact on play is hugely satisfying when it’s successful, although rather heartbreaking when not. The football league’s structure, in whichever country you elect to play in, is perfect for videogames – the mix of immediate and long-term reward found in the points and ranking promotes a prolonged relationship between you and the game.
A faithfully styled graphical update is the great success of what’s otherwise a rather lazy port. Online play is functional but disappointing, often featuring lag and vulnerable to those quit-early undesirables of online gaming. The ranking system also favours those with the most time to play, ahead of those most talented.
The port’s the problem, though – it’s impossible to harshly criticise what’s a true gaming classic. Even if Kuju Entertainment struggles to pay homage, Sensible Software’s work remains design genius.
It’s my belief that Sensible World of Soccer is one of the most important games of all time. Playing it again today demonstrates that it’s one of the finest, too.
