Codemasters talks Sensible Soccer XBLA

By Kristan Reed Published 2 November, 2007

Where's it gone? Why?

Where on earth is Sensible World Of Soccer? It's certainly not on Xbox Live Arcade. We wanted to know why - given how good it looked when we played it, and how sure Codemasters seemed about a summer launch - so we had a chat with Codemasters Online Gaming's Jim Brown. Here's what he had to say!

Eurogamer: SWOS was due to be released on Xbox Live in July, then August, and now we've heard it has been pushed back into 2008. Can you confirm this?

Jim Brown: We are currently targeting a release at the end of November. Of course this is all subject to passing the usual internal and Microsoft submissions.

Eurogamer: What are the reasons for the delay? Is it down to the licensing issues surrounding player and/or team names?

Jim Brown: It's not down to player names, no - we wish it were that easy. SWOS hasn't hit the digital streets yet as it's simply not ready.

The title has been close to release for some time now in terms of number of outstanding blocking issues; however we've been unhappy with the quality of the network performance and have rewritten significant proportions of the network code.

Sensible Soccer is a brand that's very important to us and a game that's close to our hearts. Most of the team here in the Online division are lifetime gamers, and we strongly believe the title has to enjoy first-class performance over the internet if it's to retain it's position as the best football game ever. The very nature of SWOS' seminal twitch gameplay simply demands it.

We have that now, the current build in our Internet test lab is flying along - we're now re-debugging the network rewrite to cure de-synchronisation and disconnect issues (already fixed once on the old netcode) caused by the rewrite, which isn't easy when working in Amiga code from the early 90s.

We took the decision very early on to work with that code and unaltered gameplay, and we still feel it was the right choice. It's been frustrating, but we genuinely believe SWOS is a winner and want the title to play as we originally intended when we started this project.

'Codemasters talks Sensible Soccer XBLA' Screenshot 2

Eurogamer: Is the PC version still likely to come out, and will it be cross compatible with the 360 - i.e. will 360 players be able to play PC players online?

Jim Brown: We're reviewing the plans for the PC version; obviously following the challenges we've had achieving excellent network play on a fixed hardware platform like the 360, achieving SWOS on a variable hardware platform needs to be assessed. Our focus is on releasing the 360 title pre-Christmas right now, we'll have news on the PC version once that's done.

Eurogamer: Any plans to bring it to PSN at some stage, or even the DS or PSP?

Jim Brown: We love the SWOS series and we have lots of ideas for other platforms, even regarding things like persistence gaming, but nothing firm at present. We really need to see how successful this version is. We are really looking forward to the release and I hope to be trying my after touch skills on some of your readers soon!

Picture of Kristan.

About Kristan Reed

Kristan is a former editor of Eurogamer, dad, Stone Roses bore and Norwich City supporter who sometimes mutters optimistically about Team Silent getting back together.

Read more articles from Kristan by visiting the Kristan Reed archive page.

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Comments (33) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • luigiardingo #1 4 years ago

    Maybe it'll be released on Christmas day for FREE!!!

  • ScrewYouHippy #2 4 years ago

    maybe pig airlines will open for business tomorrow :p

  • Paukl #3 4 years ago

    Me: "Hello? Hello? Has it happened yet?"

    Satan: "No, no, it's still nice and warm here."

  • Ryze #4 4 years ago

    ^ Well they've already sold 108 copies!

  • crazyhorse174 #5 4 years ago

    Stop talking about it and just release it already!!!

  • beholdthelantern #6 4 years ago

    Is that the shadow of wembley arch in the screen shot?

  • shinyshirthero #7 4 years ago

    They should just release it as 'where the hell is sensible soccer'

  • Lebowski #8 4 years ago

    Sooner wait for quality, lag-free SWOS than for them to rush and release a flawed, buggy product just in time for Xmas. Good move fellas and EA take note.

  • IP #9 4 years ago

    "We really need to see how successful this version is."

    GAH! Just release a DS version already, Codemasters! It's the perfect bloody platform for a decent SWOS conversion.

    As for the delay on the XBLA release: good. At least this one won't be rushed out and ruined because of it.

  • thesnowman #10 4 years ago

    I live in the US now, is this going to be available over here.

  • orenishii #11 4 years ago

    Well if only konami had been as meticulous with pro evo 2008!! Maybe people wouldn't be panning it right now! As it stands this looks as though it may be the best footie game on the system when it's eventually released!
    Edited by 1 at 02/11/07 @ 13:30

  • BM #12 4 years ago

    @beholdthelantern

    Well spotted, certainly looks like it could be

  • Corben_Dallas #13 4 years ago

    way to go EG! finally some update on Sensi Soc.

    Cant wait till this is out +good to see Codies are polishing it up b4 release.

    Nice :)

  • mechamonkey #14 4 years ago

    I cant help but think this will be a massive over-hype rose tinted spec 5 minute wonder.

  • IP #15 4 years ago

    Rose-tinted? For some, perhaps, but I'm happily playing SWOS regularly today, and it's still far more fun than 'modern' footie games. Of course, it'd be far more fun if I could buy a sodding copy for my DS, but I guess that's almost certain to never happen, for reasons I can't fathom.

  • OnlyMe #16 4 years ago

    Why is it that some people thinks old games are shit, no matter what? Heck, unless it's called Super Mario Bros or Sonic the Hedgehog, it's shit?

    Here's a reality check for the naysayers: old games can still be good, not everything is automatically shite just because it wasn't released yesterday. Or before you were born.
    Edited by 1 at 02/11/07 @ 17:02

  • Pazuzu #17 4 years ago

    I really hope they press on with a PC version - I've been specially warming up my skills in preparation for this release.

    Outlandish goals from a mile out on the wing, here we come!
    Edited by 1 at 02/11/07 @ 17:06

  • smelly #18 4 years ago

    *meh*

  • AZA #19 4 years ago

    @smelly

    show some respect son, this is Sensi :p

  • sadat #20 4 years ago

    what's persistence gaming?

  • smelly #21 4 years ago

    >show some respect son, this is Sensi :p

    Yeah, went back and played it recently on an emu (same as speedball 2).

    Not nearly 1/1000th as good as i remember.

    At the time, it was great - as everything else was shit. Nowadays, it's shit

  • smelly #22 4 years ago

    That, and after 2006, i dont trust them to do a proper job.

  • AZA #23 4 years ago

    you do raise some good points smelly tbh, well I spose it will be nice for the nostalgia hit if nothing else

  • IP #24 4 years ago

    "Nowadays, it's shit"

    I wish people would qualify statements like that. I love SWOS—still—for its immediacy, its inclusiveness (want to play in the Icelandic league, with then-accurate player names and people colouring? No problem!), its fast pace and its arcade-oriented gameplay (as opposed to the pseudo-realism—TV-realism, if you will—of more modern footie games). Oddly, Sensi/SWOS often 'feels' more like real football, despite its massively exaggerated style. And it plays on the frame, too, making it massively exciting when things get going.

    And then the naysayers grunt "it's shit", before attempting to bang some rocks together. C'mon—be constructive if you're going to slate one of the very few true classics of gaming, otherwise your comments lack bite and credibility.

  • OnlyMe #25 4 years ago

    Don't you know? If it's retro, there's no need to qualify statements. SWOS is basically top-down arcade football perfected, but it's shit because it didn't come out yesterday.

    If the game was released today, however, it would be announced as the best arcade football game ever created. Especially if it was released on a DS. Then it would be the wheel re-invented.

  • woodnotes #26 4 years ago

    This game + online = :o

  • keith123 #27 4 years ago

    Proper order, be happy athay aren't releasing a crap veriosn even if it does take longer. There's nothing worse than been taking as a mug (PES 2008 doesn't work etc.), they're blatantly saying their not gonna do this. I salute you Codies!

  • MrJonez #28 4 years ago

    All I want to know is whether it'll have the original '95-'96 rosters...that would be AWESOME, and the sole reason to get myself some xbla points from somewhere...

  • OnlyMe #29 4 years ago

    It's based on SWOS 96/97 (the last official release), and I think the roster would be for that season - but with slightly altered names because of license-issues.

  • OnlyMe #30 4 years ago

    So you didn't have a "normal" Amiga, then? The CD32 version is a bad port, and not the SWOS version. SWOS is so much better!

  • Notorious_LRO #31 4 years ago

    "...however we've been unhappy with the quality of the network performance and have rewritten significant proportions of the network code."

    They have rewritten proportions of the code? Meaning what exactly? Or did he actually say "portions" of the code? I'm sure there's a difference.

  • Shrike #32 4 years ago

    @beholdthelantern

    "Is that the shadow of wembley arch in the screen shot?"

    It is a sad reflection on modern gaming that when I hear the phrase "shadow of.." I think "action/RPG expansion pack!" and not "light being occluded". Coming soon! Sensible Soccer: Shadow of Wembley Arch.

    Also: Sensi in a few weeks? This brings the yay.

  • thehipster7 #33 4 years ago

    Looking forward to this, but then again felt the same re. Speedball 2, downloaded the demo and blimey it just seems rubbish to play now...a shame that.

    How about a Cannon Fodder or Megalomania update?

    Perhaps games are better these day, but at the time Speedbal, Sensi etc were just so innovative they live in the memory.