Giant Killers

"Proof that football management sims can work on consoles"

Despite the fact that I'd never really been into football management games and was rather dubious about how well they'd work on a console, I still managed to convince myself to get Giant Killers - mainly as it was the only game on Dreamcast that let me play as my beloved Crewe Alexandra! So were my suspicions confirmed and had I wasted my money? In a word... NO.

From the outset, it's clear that there are no actual in-game graphics as such, with instead just a series of static screens from which you choose your players, organise training and so on and so forth. These I had to say, were impeccably well done and the game as a whole was very well presented. I'd feared that with using a joypad and no support for keyboard or mouse that I'd struggle to navigate the interface, but this was certainly not the case. You cycle through the different menus using the L and R keys and go through the sub-sections with the occassional tap of X or Y. In fact everything about the controls was done perfectly and the overall quality of the presentation was pretty much flawless.

It must be said that compared with say, Championship Manager, there was far less to do in terms of financial management - you have a budget for players of £25 million (even if you start off as a Conference side, which was quite odd but helpful nevertheless!) and that was about it, with no having to get sponsors, applying for stadiums to be built and such. Overall in fact it must be said that it is rather simplistic and I often found myself how much the management decisions I made actually effected any games outcome. In spite of this though, it, like any football management game worth its salt, is incredibly addictive. I mean it really does consume you - the amount of hours I spent on just the first day of having purchased this game was quite diabolical!

The matches are displayed through a series of text based commentary ''nuggets''. You can set it to low detail where only the goals are displayed and the entire match takes place over a matter of seconds or if you're feeling more patient, the high detail covers every movement in the game. Personally I found myself going to medium detail which was a good payoff between the two. Though there's no voice commentary, the crowd sounds which accompanied the commentary was very impressive and even seemed to reflect the games attendances - a 20'000 crowd was noticeably different from a 1'400 one.

Basically if you like football management games, then this comes as highly recommended. It may not be as hardcore as Championship Manager or have the 3D matches of LMA, but for pure grass roots football its great and it also serves up proof that football management sims CAN work on consoles without losing too much in the transition. A must for any real football fan.

GRAPHICS - 8/10 - No graphics per se, but the static interface was attractive and an absolute joy to use. Smoking Gun deserve a hearty pat on the back.

SOUND - 7/10 - The background music isn't particularly spectacular, but the in-game crowd noises are probably the best and most realistic I've ever heard.

GAMEPLAY - 8/10 - Although rather simplified (comparatively at least), it remains one of the most addictive games you'll play - providing you're a fan of the sport that is!

LIFESPAN - 10/10 - The joy of these games are that they don't ever end! Just keep managing your team through thick and thin... will last a long time in other words!

OVERALL - 8/10 - One of the best soccer management titles around and ought to deserve a home in any self respecting fans collection.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/12/03, Updated 02/12/03