Club Football

"A good take on an already overcrowded genre"

A review of Club Football

One day I saw an advert on my Television, describing how I could play in my favorite team. I thought ''Wow, this looks good'' so the next day I went into my local Game station and purchased this new football game.

I was extremely excited to play this game and it did not let me down. Usually Code masters are known for churning out Management games, along with the odd rally one as well, but this is there first shot on an already crowded genre, and the criteria for reaching a acceptable standard are high. Among these are Pro Evolution Soccer and FIFA, but after a while you will get bored of these titles, usually the leading brands. Code masters for their first efforts have come up with a gem, enticing the buyer to obtain there favorite team. These teams range from the Premiership (Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal, and strangely Villa), The Spanish league (Real Madrid) and Scotland (Rangers, Celtic). This is ok if you support one of these teams, but if you don't you might as well stop reading here.

Story

Of course no football game has a storyline, except for the basic winning the match and collecting the prizes.

Graphics: 10/10

I will start off on a good note, as the graphics on this game are unbelievable. Gone are the days when the faces of characters where a hazy blur. Now every player you can recognize without the name tag, individually made and looking very crisp and sweet. The players exactly how you want them to and look very good doing so. Each swivel and chip looks real, like the developers have designed it around the player themselves. Also the stadiums of any team are exact replicas, and stand high and mighty. The football is just the right size, and it has the teams sign on it, giving a reality to the whole thing. The only thing that caught my eye as being rubbish is the police men and fans in replay mode. They are all 2 dimensional making it seem like the developers did not put much time and effort into making it a truly excellent graphical presentation. Overall I think this is the very best thing about the game and the eye candy will keep you coming back for more.

Gameplay: 8/10

As usual you get the same options at the main menu (Season, Custom league and Cup, Super league etc.) but it has a difference. First it has a player to the right of the screen doing various tricks, which adds a lot to the presentation and also teaches you a few neat tricks. If you want to play a whole season, you must be the team that you bought the game as. All teams are from the 2003/04 squads and are updated with the transfers from over the summer (Chelsea being one of these). First off one of the most original ideas to come from Club Football is to make you and put yourself into the squad. You can spend a lot of time on this feature and the player can turn out looking a lot like you. Also you can get your name called out during the match commentary, whenever you touch the ball. (The bad thing is that if your name doesn't match a footballers you are screwed, so make sure you do not have strange name)

As you come to play a match the interface is very pretty, with Gary Lineker introducing the match and teams. Once you get started the pace is quick, except for the odd slow down when two players meet in the air, and the intricate passing movement will open your eyes. Tactics are a key factor in Club Football, so keep up with the formation and tactics in the pause menu. Movement is slick as is ball motion. You can really feel like you are playing inside the game, with the crowd chanting authentic chants, and little cut scenes in-between play of the players, and if you are lucky the manager himself. Scoring goals is very tricky and can need some getting used to but when you do finish a delightful move the emotions start running. Replaying the goal can be done from various angles (Al of course in excellent graphics you expect). When you complete tournaments and leagues and win the trophies you get a special picture from your teams history in the trophy room. Every time you win one it unlocks a new feature for you to look at. Overall this is a lovely, easy to get into game.

Controls: 9/10

Just like Pro Evolution Soccer, this has the same controls. They are very easy to get used to, and are exactly in the right place. Of course you can change the controls at any time you want to fit your needs, but the default ones are the easiest to use. (Unless you are used to other football games)

Sound: 7/10

With Gary Lineker and John Motson giving you the commentary, the rest is quite mediocre. The chants by the fans are very realistic and give an extra edge to the game. After that though the in-game music is dreadful although unlike FIFA it does not have songs blasting out. On the replay mode I vaguely remember the theme being on Actual Soccer 2 which is a very long time ago. The menu music is not much better either so overall the sound quality is lowered by those two points.

Play Time and Repeat ability: 8/10

On easy difficulty it is exactly what it says, (I scored over 150 goals in a season) so this leaves the other options. Normal is just like the Premiership it is very close and matches are usually only won by one or two goals, but this makes the game more playable. This is also true about the pictures in the trophy room; you will want to carry on winning these. As it is increasingly difficult to win, you will become addicted, always wanting to play to win the next match. Once one season is over, you will move not the next one in search of the ultimate glory.

Rent or Buy?

That is the question. First I suggest you rent Club Football and Pro Evolution Soccer 3, and see which one you think is better. Then if you prefer Club Football go for that as trust me you will not be let down by this game. In my opinion this is better than Pro Evolution, if only by the fact you star in the starting eleven for your chosen team. You never know, you could score the cup winner...

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/04/03