Football Games: Where Has The Fun Gone?

Much time has been spend on team X360 this week, with FIFA and PES preview code in our mortal hands, lamenting this age of po-faced, officially licensed football titles, with us all wishing for the time when our kick-ball involved just a little more…humour. Be it through financial agreements or an obsession on simulation, footy titles just don’t do silly like they used to. Here’s a trip into our dim and distant past…

Super Soccer

Released in 1992 on the SNES, this title was born of an age in which the only two things that mattered about a game was the quality of its backing soundtrack and how well it used Mode7 technology. Both were in evidence here, but the fact it was impossible for one player to score per half, due to kicking into the screen, kind of spoiled the party.

European Club Soccer

A similar story here of course, only on Sega’s Mega Drive. Featuring digital artwork of a referee (fail number one), its referee always started each game by jogging onto the pitch, levitating the football between his two hands (fail number two). Great music, though…

ISS Deluxe

Dog referee. ‘Nuff said.

World Cup Italia ’90

Some people still defend this abomination’s honour, even now. Though terrible, it certainly provided comedy value to to goalkeepers controllable seemingly at random. Plus tackling sond effects shared with a club swing in Golden Axe.

SWOS

The pinnacle of comedy football, primarily for custom teams such as OAP Home (Girls) and What I Am, but due to blending that genius with one of another kind – flowing gameplay. And a little manager pointing his finger out on the touchline, obviously…