Soccer Unleashed

Soccer Unleashed – Fancy yourself as the next Beckham or Torres?

What would you do if you were in control of the England football team? Well, if you’re like just about everyone else, you’ll have an opinion on who you’d have in your starting XI and you’d perhaps do more than strip a player of their captaincy for being a cheating toe-rag / playing off the field?!

Needless to say Soccer Unleashed gives you quite a few options where rather than shouting from the touchlines you get to control the team and players (to some degree). I have to say to some degree as I found the controls a little haphazard and the term ‘hit-and-hope’ sprung to mind time and time again – which is arguably much like the tactics used by some coaches out there.

There are 16 national teams in all which you can compete with in this top flight title. Indeed you get to play not just one single match but also go head to head in a knock-out style competition. The nicest part of the game is the element of realism which has been adopted by the makers. Offside, corners, free-kicks and penalties all feature in this title – which ensures that the game keeps you in suspense more and more.

In truth despite the controls (which I did get used to through practice), I found myself totally engrossed by the game and holding my head in my hands when I went a goal down and punched the air whenever I managed to slip one passed the keeper. Despite my boasts, I think it’s fairly safe to say Fabio Capello’s job is pretty safe if my skills are anything to go by.

The controls used either the d-pad or keypad and by pressing the OK button you either swap player, pass, shoot or tackle (depending whether you’re in possession of the ball or not). When you are with the ball you run in the direction your player’s facing until you tap the direction you wish for them to take, but rather than simply moving that way instantly, they move in 45 degree changes – so don’t expect to be pulling off any fancy continental style footwork – dribbling and passing makes the game!

Each team has their strengths and weaknesses. By playing and practicing against them, you’ll get to know what these are and how best to attack and defend as you play. For example you may wish to pick a different formation from one team to the next, but then again, perhaps you’ll wish to stick with a trusted tactic as it suits your style of play?!

As you can see ‘football’s a funny old game’ and Football Unleashed is definitely fun and seems to have more than two halves! Definitely get this game if you enjoy football, also get it to shut up any critics out there and perhaps after a few goes you’ll be able to call yourself ‘the special one’?!

Positives

Quite a lot of depth was put into this game

It’s fun and reminds me of Sensible Soccer (which is a good thing!)

Challenging but very engaging

Negatives

Controls aren’t as sharp as I’d like

Switching between players when in possession proves nearly impossible – even at free kicks/throw-ins

Graphics aren’t as crisp as they could be