Sensible Soccer 2006

[Adam Ryland]

Anyone else played it?

I don't generally buy PS2 games any more, but I picked SS06 up this morning without reading any reviews purely on the grounds that Sensible Soccer used to be THE football game when I was at school. I wasn't expecting it to match up to Pro Evo, just to be a fast, solid, fun game like the old days....but they didn't even manage that. :thumbsdown: It's actually gone backwards from where it was ten years ago, which was is quite an achievement. It's slow, fiddly, passes appear to have a mind of their own, and the goalies seem to save everything bar the very easiest of lobs.....

[TheArsenal]

Hey, if they can't even get the name of the sport right, you know it's not worth buying.

[Guest muddatrucker]

Is it Cell-shaded? it looks funny. Either way, I wanna pick it up.

Edited June 15, 2006 by muddatrucker

[Adam Ryland]

It's cell shaded for the replays and close ups, which looks a bit weird - but to be fair I think they were going for a quirky cult-appeal with that aspect of it, so at least they had a reason. The actual games are done "classic sensi" style, with a top down view. Unfortunately it doesn't support widescreen and has no on-screen display, so a lot of the time you are passing completely blind.

[Xero Gravity]

Haha...that look funky

[ChrisSteeleAteMyHamster]

Hmph, it's not like SWOS's gameplay really needed improving, let alone space to get it wrong.

[Adam Ryland]

Hey, if they can't even get the name of the sport right, you know it's not worth buying.

Not true - Sensible World Of Soccer was a fabulous game! Admittedly it doesn't really hold up all that well compared to today's football games, but in the early-to-mid 1990s, Sensi pretty much had a God-like status amongst players. It used to be one of those brilliant things that was incredibly simple (it only used two buttons and an analogue stick) to pick up, but really fun and addictive.

[TheArsenal]

Hey, if they can't even get the name of the sport right, you know it's not worth buying.

Not true - Sensible World Of Soccer was a fabulous game! Admittedly it doesn't really hold up all that well compared to today's football games, but in the early-to-mid 1990s, Sensi pretty much had a God-like status amongst players. It used to be one of those brilliant things that was incredibly simple (it only used two buttons and an analogue stick) to pick up, but really fun and addictive.

[Adam Ryland]

Hmph, it's not like SWOS's gameplay really needed improving, let alone space to get it wrong.

Amen to that. How you manage to ruin a control system that only has two buttons in the first place is beyond me. It's not like they've even messed it up by adding tons of improvements - it still has the same crappy front end menu system that SWOS had, and (other than the 3D stuff for replays) it looks exactly the same.

Grr...I think this is the most disappointed I've ever been with a computer game.

[YI]

Sensi was the shit. I had no idea that they brought out a new version. I swear to god me and my brother used to play Sensi World of Soccer constantly when I was young...the memories.

[AJ]

Is Sensible Soccer the one where if you were dribbling the ball and turned the joystick sharply to the left or right, you'd turn and the ball would just keep rolling in the other direction? If so I remember playing it a lot on my friend's amiga, and that frustrated the heck out of me, having gotten used to Italia '90 and then Fifa 95.

[Adam Ryland]

Yeah, and it's still like that in 2006. Except if you're the computer, in which case you have the ball control of a Brazillian superstar even if you're the second choice Crewe left back....

[Scott McFly]

Strange, I played the Xbox demo on the official mag last month and thought it was very good. I presume things have changed between demo and full game though. Might be worth a rental first I guess.

[therockbox]

I'm going to rent it to see what it's like. I loved it when I was younger and have been wanting to play this, hopefully it doesn't suck.

[Joyous Rós O Ceallachain]

Grr...I think this is the most disappointed I've ever been with a computer game.

[Psicosis]

I've got it.. it's okay at best. I still can't figure out how to control the goalkeeper, and it's way too easy to get goals from corners.

[Scott McFly]

Right thumbstick to control the keeper isn't it?

[Cactus Drags]

I've found the PC version to be a blast to be honest. Took me a while to get used to controlling the keeper, and crossing the ball is a bit hit-and-miss (the whole aerial game is to be honest), but it's good arcade fun, little-to-no concentration needed.

[Dan]

The only problem I've had is loading times, they annoy the shit out of me.

[Cactus Drags]

Fuck all load times on PC

[Dan]

Might just be my shitty copy on the Ps2.

I dunno.

[Cactus Drags]

Just had a heartbreaking World Cup as England. Drawn in Group E with Ukraine, Czech Republic and Australia. First game, comfortably beat Australia 2-1 (Viduka got a last minute consolation goal thanks to David James being shit). Beat Ukraine 2-0, then lost to the Czechs in a brutal 1-0 contest, something like 5 yellow cards and two red.

Knockout stage, first game: Brazil. My heart sinks as the Samba Boys swarm all over the pitch, but thanks to the brick wall that is Paul Robinson, they can't get a goal. Eventually, after plugging away for 65 minutes, Rooney outmuscles the entire Brazilian defense and wallops one past Dida for the only goal of the game. I was overjoyed, and the momentum carried on as our boys steamrollered Italy 3-0.

But it all fell apart against Spain. An even contest that saw shots aplenty, but solid goalkeeping from both sides (including an omnious Rooney penalty save by the Spanish keeper), meant the game went into extra time. Same old story as Owen runs out of juice and Lampard can't find the accuracy inside the box that he has outside it, and a laughable pair of shots from the Spaniards (including one that went off for a throw-in from the edge of the penalty area - I kid you not). The english are doomed as we enter the dreaded penalty shoot out. Not one of our attempts finds the net (although Becks managed to meg the keeper with a useless rebound attempt), but Spain comfortably slot two to take the win, going on to lose 5-2 in the final to France.

Gutted.

[Scott McFly]

So would you say it was worth a purchase Dragsy? I'd be getting it on Xbox instead of PC, mind, but since it's £17.99 on Play I don't think it'd be worth renting it for £2 or whatever Blockbuster are charging these days. Did you play the demo? Plus I'd be having multiplayer shenanigans with my brother. And no, that isn't innuendo.

[Cactus Drags]

I acquired for PC. I enjoy the game, but I doubt I'd have spent any more than about fifteen quid on it.

EDIT: I'm having an infuriating problem at the moment, possibly the fault of my controller, I'm not sure. But basically about two thirds of my shot attempts go backwards. I aim the arrow, press shoot and the arrow swivels 180 degrees and fires it off towards my own half. The game has also started running really slowly (half-pace) for one amtch, then the next running twice as fast. I wish it would be normal.

Edited June 18, 2006 by Dragsy 7-0