Megabits' pick of... football games

For all those lofty ambitions harboured by our football World Cup teams, the tournament has so far been a bit of a damp squib and has failed to live up to expectations. Fans glued to their television sets, awaiting some magical moment to transform their team's fortunes, have been left wanting... (I say this as an England fan after a few absolutely dismal performances).

But what better way to cheer yourself up than to change the course of history yourself and boot up your console and your preferred football game? If those overpaid players can't get their grubby mitts on the Jules Rimet trophy themselves, then perhaps we should give them a helping hand, eh?

Here is our pick of some of the greatest soccer games from the annals of time... Our winning eleven, if you like...


World Cup Italia '90 - the first official World Cup license on the Sega Megadrive was one of the best, worst football games ever. From the dodgy animation to the thudding sound of the ball, it wasn't a patch on today's crop of games but proved fun nonetheless. No complicated control systems here, just a few button presses stood between you and an eight-nil win. And it didn't feature any vuvuzelas!!!



Actua Soccer - Gremlin's soccer sim burst onto the Sony Playstation/SEGA Saturn scene in the mid-nineties and sported the sagely tones of famed pundit Barry Davies. Not only did it include some pretty decent commentary - arguably the best of the time - it also made the seamless transition to 3D. It wasn't the greatest gaming experience though; the controls weren't up to much and the camera angles often riled, but a good effort in any case.

FIFA Soccer - the FIFA series transformed the world of football games. Even from its first isometric appearance in 1993, it amazed with its graphics, sounds and fluidity. Widely recognized as the football game on the Super Nintendo and SEGA Megadrive, it's gone on to achieve great things, taking the mantle as THE footy game of choice on today's platforms. Check out the video below and look at the real shift from 1997-1998 [about 2 minutes in]. Anyone fancying an alternative should check out EA's FIFA Street too.



Microprose Soccer - C64, Spectrum, CPC 464, Amiga, the Atari ST... all home computers back in 1989 welcomed Microprose Soccer with open arms. Developed by the guys who would later go on to develop Sensible Soccer, it rivalled Emyln Hughes soccer as the game to own. Colourful top down graphics, World Cup tournaments, League games, changing weather conditions and two player options... what more could you ask for?

Pro Evolution Soccer - known as Winning Eleven in its native Japan, Konami managed to produce a real contender for FIFA's football crown back in 2001. Building on the success of its International Superstar Soccer, which started life on the SNES way back in 1995, Konami quickly grew a following. Fans regarded this as the most accurate football simulation to date; if you win a match in Pro Evo, you really deserve the victory - you have to learn the game and hone those skills if you want to get anywhere with this one. The lack of real player and team names was a slight annoyance but the game itself was fantastic. The Pro Evo series ruled the roost for years, boasting the most accurate rendition if the game... unfortunately, it's lost its way in recent years and has been overtaken by a rapidly improving FIFA franchise.

Sensible Soccer - No game -football or otherwise - has ever sapped as much of my life as Sensible Software's cutesy top down offering. The players are minuscule, but the ball - like the players' heads - is oversized. The goals were out of proportion and you could regularly lob the goalie with ridiculously optimistic shots from the half way line. None of it spoiled the enjoyment factor one iota though. The series reached its pinnacle with 1994's Sensible World of Soccer, which allowed you to play in various leagues and buy and trade all your favourite players from around the globe. The series also spawned a Cannon Fodder tribute where the players kicked a live grenade about the place instead of a ball, and a low gravity version that took place on the moon! Inspired.

Kick Off - the grand daddy of the genre, Dino Dini's Kick Off won many plaudits back in the day (1989). It was a tough game; it was fast and one of the first where the ball didn't actually stick like glue to your players' boots. Mastering ball control was therefore essential and it took a while to develop your skills before you could compete properly with the better teams. Goal (1993) built on its success and was released in direct competition to Sensible Soccer... unfortunately, Goal couldn't compete with Sensible Software's masterpiece and it marked the beginning of the end of Dino Dini's dominance.

Championship Manager - Paul and Oliver Collyer brought this glorified database to the market in 1992 as Sports Interactive. Quickly the game attracted a horde of die hard fans. Championship Manager was huge in the 1990s - the football management game of choice for real footy fans, despite the fact it was little more than a giant excel spreadsheet. The graphics were laughable - the screen filled with numbers and statistics and little else. Future sequels featured the occasional picture of a goalkeeper or football as a background but the game was bereft of any kind of animations or match engines until Championship Manager 4 in 2003. Sports Interactive and publisher Eidos eventually parted ways, with the former going on to form the Football Manager brand while Eidos retained the Championship Manager name. From that moment on, most fans concur that the series went rapidly downhill...

Football Manager - The result of the Sport Interactive/Eidos split that in many eyes, has become the management sim of choice. The Collyers retained all but the Championship Manager name and joined forces with SEGA. They hit the ground running, with their first Football Manager game in 2005 welcomed by the legion of fans they'd attracted in their previous incarnation. Football Manager and its subsequent updates have repeatedly trounced the efforts of rivals Eidos and Championship Manager.

Premier Manager - Another management sim makes the list. By no means is it the most concise or indepth simulator but it was easy to get into and addictive as hell. Up to four players could take control of a club in one of the English leagues, and decide not only on the squad and tactics but the more intricate ins and outs at the club such as who sponsors the hoardings around the ground, capacity expansions and the price of tickets. Big, bright and colourful, the game started life on the the Amiga, Atari and PC in 1992 and was ported successfully to the SEGA Megadrive and later, Sony's Playstation.

This is Football - Sony's stab at rivalling FIFA and ISS Pro was a worthy effort but never quite made it to the big time. This is Football first arrived on the Playstation in 1999 before also being transferred to the PS2 and PSP. Peter Drury provides the commentary, helping to round off a pretty decent football game. The 2003 PS2 version was particularly strong, featuring over 13,000 players and teams from around the globe. Decent player animations and fun, fluid football made this a worthwhile purchase and a good title if you're bored with the long running franchises from from EA and Konami.






(Photo credit: doug88888)