Sensible World Of Soccer Review

By Chris Wilkins Published 9 January, 2008

Play sensibly now.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Sensible Soccer completely redefined football games when it first burst onto the Commodore Amiga scene back in 1992. Jon Hare, Chris Yates and co. took the top-down viewpoint of Kick-Off, zoomed the viewpoint out a touch and came up with a fast, flowing and intuitive take on footy that was instantly playable, yet full of hidden depths. Its eventual evolution into Sensible World of Soccer took that depth even further via a succession of tweaks to the gameplay and a hugely absorbing management element. It was a heady combination, and by the 96/97 version, Sensible had refined it to a point where it was pretty much as good as it could get.

By then, the Amiga market was as good as dead as a commercial platform, and the PlayStation revolution ushered gaming (and the genre itself) into the third dimension. With Sensible hopelessly unprepared to make the transition to the new consoles - or 3D techniques in general - two poorly received versions of Sensible Soccer appeared before the company was eventually disbanded and its IP sold off to Codemasters.

Meanwhile, EA's FIFA completely captured the market, closely following by Konami with its ISS series, which then itself evolved into Pro Evolution - a situation which remains today, despite the fact that neither series appears capable of delivering on its potential, leaving many footy fans hankering after a game which could deliver on the fast-paced purity of the mid-90s SWOS titles. Sadly, despite having rich promise and some great ideas, Sensible Soccer 2006 arrived on the PS2, Xbox and PC pretty much an unfinished product. Another comeback thereafter seemed unlikely.

'Sensible World Of Soccer' Screenshot 1

The advertising in full flow.

So when it was announced that the 96/97 version of SWOS was coming to Xbox Live Arcade in its undiluted, untampered Amiga form, gamers across the world tentatively rejoiced whilst keeping their breath unceremoniously bated. The anticipation reached fever pitch as release dates came and went. July. September. Silence. And then, when the game finally did get a release for a few hours on 19th December, it was of course pulled when it became immediately apparent that users were logged off Xbox Live as soon as they loaded the game, making online multiplayer games impossible. Fortunately, the correct version of the game was uploaded a couple of days later, and fans could finally enjoy what had become one of the most long-awaited games ever to grace Xbox Live Arcade.

The initial reaction is generally one of relief as it becomes apparent that Codemasters has conquered the urge to mess with SWOS' game mechanics and, as promised, delivered a spot-on port of the 96/97 update - albeit with online play and the choice of new, sharpened up visuals.

So, how does SWOS stand up in 2008?

Very well, as it happens. The presentation has been given a fresh lick of paint with a tasteful, faithful graphical update that now adheres more accurately to the rose-tinted memories we've held in our minds about all things Sensible Soccer. It sports some impressive new details as well as some sinister, but not too intrusive, Future Publishing-related advertising (fortunately it's limited to the hoardings in the enhanced version - the original version features no such product placement). The Richard Joseph-penned music and sound effects have also been tidied up a touch, without meddling with them.

As great as SWOS was as a multiplayer game, the career mode also helped set it apart from the competition (here's looking at you Kick Off 2), and I'm pleased to report that this element of the game has survived the journey to XBLA fully intact with hundreds of teams and thousands of players to choose from. I instinctively picked Mansfield, a team of minnow proportions that I have supported since I was knee-high. Mansfield's journey from the murky depths of the pond to the vibrant glow of the higher divisions was underway. Well, sort of.

'Sensible World Of Soccer' Screenshot 2

OK, who wants the ball?

Losing the first dozen or so games played sends home a striking reminder of how much you need to practice to get good at the Sensible World play mechanics you knew so well back in the '90s. After years of having those skills dulled in the intervening years by playing FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer, getting back into the mindset required to play Sensi isn't as straightforward as you might expect - and getting used to playing it with a 360 pad certainly isn't easy to begin with.

The gamepad of choice for the hours of relentless matches played on my Amiga over a decade ago was the Megadrive's, with a d-pad allowing swift, accurate movement of team players around the pitch. The 360's d-pad unfortunately does not match the precision of SEGA's, offering a far greater span of movement over the Megadrive controller and thus introducing exaggerated movement of the player. Alternatively, the 360's analogue stick can be used, although after using the stick once I reverted quickly back to the d-pad - at least then I felt I was in control of the direction I wanted to send my player. A quick friendly game using a Mad Catz joystick, delivered by the big guy in red with the sack, also proves to be a frustrating experience and ultimately pointless.

The complex suite of moves and control pad combinations found in the likes of FIFA and Pro Evolution Soccer are intentionally (and thankfully) absent from Sensible Soccer. One-button control was the 'sensible' approach to the football introduced by Jon Hare and the Sensible Software team. Aftertouch added to the ball on leaving the player still makes for some sensational if somewhat impossible goals.

I can't help feeling though that the XBLA version of SWOS is somewhat harder than I remember when playing on the Amiga. The XBLA goalie displays athletic super-human skills, acrobatically saving goals from all angles; the ball is snatched from you relentlessly by the opposition on your approach into their area; quick directional changes see you losing possession of the ball as it trickles to the possession of the opposition whilst you run in the opposite direction thinking, for a brief moment, that the ball is firmly glued to your foot.

'Sensible World Of Soccer' Screenshot 3

Hands firmly in protective mode.

With your manager's hat firmly atop of head, tactics can be defined that improve not just a player's contribution, but the way the whole team works together. See your players' values rocket with careful management, or see them collapse in a heap with disappointing frequency. Changes to your formation will display a tick or a cross depending on how beneficial it is to your players, and, while it isn't always clear why these reactions are given, it's nice to see an instant improvement in your team's chemistry.

The much-touted graphical enhancements to SWOS will not disappoint the hardcore Sensi fans either, and will probably become the mode of choice for the majority. Playing the game in standard mode is a stark reminder of how dated the graphical look of the original game has become - especially apparent on the high-def monster screens of today. Gamers new to the series who have been brought up on the 3D delights of the modern console football games may very well blurt out in disgust at the 2D imagery seen on their screens. Remember, though, you were probably playing Sensible on a crappy old 14" portable. Were you really expecting anything else?

The online mode, which was tweaked to kingdom come to ensure multiplayer perfection (hence the ridiculous release delays), is refreshingly lag-free. Actually getting into a game though is a feat in itself. The disconnection rate is excessively high, and judging by the other player's ranks this is a problem across the online board. I could give SWOS the benefit of the doubt here, what with the problems experienced by players with Xbox Live over the Christmas period, but realistically only time will tell if this aspect of the multiplayer experience improves.

Online play has proved frustrating also due to a bug that seemingly affects off-the-ball moves such as heading the ball and tackling the opposition's player. More often than not, these moves cannot be successfully actioned during online play, though the single-player mode does not suffer such issues.

'Sensible World Of Soccer' Screenshot 4

Super Goalie to the rescue.

Once an online match is finally allocated, both players have control of the pre-match menus, which makes the setup screen a confusing battle for selective dominance. A Pro Evolution Soccer split screen, or just being able to see your own selections on-screen, would be far more user-friendly and less confusing, but I guess that's a legacy of staying true to the original code-base.

The rosters being used are those of the 1996/97 data, obviously to avoid licensing issues. The sheer volume of misspelled names and old data is crying out to be brought bang up to date. Unfortunately an edit feature has been omitted, so fans of Liverpool and Chelsea will have to make to do selecting Merseyside Reds and London Blues respectively. Somewhat grating I know, but there you go.

The Achievements are also something of a missed opportunity. It would have been nice to see more linked to the career mode. I'd much rather work towards winning a World Cup or getting a Div 3 team up to the top flight than shoring up a gamerscore for winning a penalty shootout or knocking in a header.

All minor gripes aside though, SWOS remains a triumph of playability over tedium and proves the franchise is still a strong contender for the greatest football game of all time. Ten years have passed since I first played this game and still I continue to soak up hours playing it. After the sorry series of franchise hiccups that have been bestowed upon the fan base over the last ten years, Sensible Soccer is back.

8 / 10

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Comments (79) Latest comment 2 years ago

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

  • GamesConnoisseur #1 4 years ago

    Aye this seemed much so harder and faster than I remember playing on Amiga! Perhaps if someone can pull out Amiga and play the game next to XBLA then can compare if any real differences on the gameplay front.

    It could be that when I was much younger was much able to keep up with the speed! Still quite glad to have this on my X360 hard drive.

  • Lexx87 #2 4 years ago

    I'm utter shite at this game...I still enjoy it though.

  • Dizzy #3 4 years ago

    Awesome game... played it at a friends for hours ;)

    But hard indeed in single player.... my old skillz are gone :(

  • Rev.StuartCampbell #4 4 years ago

    Sadly, despite having rich promise and some great ideas, Sensible Soccer 2006 arrived on the PS2, Xbox and PC pretty much an unfinished product.

    Wow! How much would EG have given it if it had been finished..?

  • lucky_jim #5 4 years ago

    Interesting little bit of historical revisionism sneaked in there re Sensi 2006! Didn't EG think it was the best invention since sex, or something?

    /awaits knock on the door from the EG Stasi...

  • seasidebaz #6 4 years ago

    yeah go mansfield! i lived near there for a few years, can't believe how well they're doing at the moment at footie!

  • ccfb #7 4 years ago

    "All minor gripes aside though, SWOS remains a triumph of playability over tedium "

    Unless you're playing online? Minor.

  • Benno #8 4 years ago

    As good as gears then?

  • defdaz #9 4 years ago

    Yay another old game that we can splooge over! Why waste millions developing AAA games when all you need to do is buy the rights to an old game (the older and shittier the better, woohoo!) and re-release it! GAME ON!

    Reminiscing is all well and good but c'mon.

  • lordofdeadside #10 4 years ago

    Fantastic to play, crippled by it's difficulty though. far far too hard.

  • binky #11 4 years ago

    I swear this is fast than I remember it on the amiga. Just as much fun though.

    I noticed that online you can pick the other players team for them... probably a bit of a bug there surely?

  • Wolfman #12 4 years ago

    I always pull out the old amiga to play Sensi with my bro every christmas. I also downloaded the demo of the 360 version. I have to say unless there was a major change in game speed between the original SS and original SWOS then the 360 version is much faster and much harder.

    Using the amiga joystick is somewhat easier than the dpad on the 360 though, but I couldn't just pick up and play it like the amiga version. Perhaps I've just spend too many hours on the original version and thus any small change throws off my skills but it just didn't feel right. Im disappointed. :(

    -wolfman

  • haowan #13 4 years ago

    as good as halo lol

  • Eighthours #14 4 years ago

    Sadly, despite having rich promise and some great ideas, Sensible Soccer 2006 arrived on the PS2, Xbox and PC pretty much an unfinished product

    Credit for not editing this line out, EG.

  • bengray66 #15 4 years ago

    "96/96 version"

    Remind me eurogamer, which version was that ;-)

    I love this on Live, but i've had reall trouble with Lag and Live problems that its put me off for a while.

  • killest #16 4 years ago


    Interesting little bit of historical revisionism sneaked in there re Sensi 2006! Didn't EG think it was the best invention since sex, or something?


    Damn right, Sensible Soccer 2006 got 9/10 (betta than halo, gear of war, mass effect and whatever else scored 8/10 *groan*) oh and also better than SWOS which also recieved 8/10.... :p

    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=6513 4&page=2
    ]http://ww w.eurogamer.net/article.php?art...[/link]

  • wowami #17 4 years ago

    jeesh - bought and played last night.
    is this what its like to get old - all seemed so easy when i was sweet 16.....

  • Zomoniac #18 4 years ago

    It's really not a football game though. It's as relevant to football as Pong is to tennis and Ridge Racer is to driving a car.

  • pinchofsalt #19 4 years ago

    If its a version of the Amiga version, I'll eat my computer. More likely the harder PC version.
    Also the 4 or 5 injuries a match with the AI receiving no cards (whilst I receive a yellow for my single foul in the match) must also be a bug.

  • varsas #20 4 years ago

    Any idea if this might turn up as Wii Software?

  • WiseNail #21 4 years ago

    Glad I'm not the only one finding this much harder than expected. Can't see me completing any of the 10 goal achievements any time soon...

    Still quite fun though.

  • Wolfman #22 4 years ago

    Apologies in advance, I just can't help myself.

    "Any idea if this might turn up as Wii Software"

    There is a wii-al possibility!

    -wolfman

    *runs away very fast*



    Edited by 1 at 09/01/08 @ 09:59

  • Snooz #23 4 years ago

    Played this on my old modded box for hours, hard as hell, but a few hours against my buddy left us with amazing play just like the old days.

    I wonder how hard it would be to transfer this into a PES-like version. Only two buttons but still you can do crazy dribbles, 1-2 passes and nice combinations just like the most advanced games.

  • TheDifficult3rdAlbum #24 4 years ago

    >Sadly, despite having rich promise and some great ideas, Sensible Soccer 2006 arrived on the PS2, Xbox and PC pretty much an unfinished product. Another comeback thereafter seemed unlikely.

    So, 9/10 seems accurate in hindsight then :-P

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #25 4 years ago

    The fact that it's bloody hard and I'm shit at it is testament to a faithful conversion; well I remember suffering 13-0 drubbings playing against my older cousins.

    I'm really enjoying it, not sure if it's going to overtake Carcassonne as my default Live game of choice (I think I've played that more than Halo 3 this year), but I do intend to plough a great deal of time into it in 2008. Groovy!
    Edited by 1 at 09/01/08 @ 10:23

  • step #26 4 years ago

    @Zo - just because it's not a boring wankfest simulation sporting 100% realism and accuracy doesn't mean it's not a football game. In fact, those sort of things are what makes a game less of a game than something like SWOS is, imo.

  • Wyrm #27 4 years ago

    No edit mode??? Stunningly stupid.

  • barnard666 #28 4 years ago

    I think the analogue stick is just fine for it....but yes it's way way too hard.

  • rhubarbandcustard #29 4 years ago

    Re-visiting things I loved back in the day is a painful experience. Having played the demo, SWOS is as naff today as the movie Terminator, Clive Barker's Weaveworld novel and Iron Maiden's Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son album. The lesson I will take from this is to stay with the new, and leave fond memories where they remain in the past. SWOS stinks.

  • LittleVoice #30 4 years ago

    Post deleted at 18:03:32 01-02-2012

  • [menace] #31 4 years ago

    'One-button control was the 'sensible' approach to the football introduced by Jon Hare and the Sensible Software team.'

    Yeah, very sensible, especially since most joysticks on Amiga had only one button...

  • Tomo #32 4 years ago

    I think it's a genius update. I don't think there's much more they could have changed without people going mad that things are being changed.

    The online was working perfectly for most of Christmas - I was getting through about 10 games an hour in Ranked mode, but since XBL broke, Sensi seems to have broken with it. Now it's nigh on impossible to find an opponent, so you just end up sitting in the lobby screen waiting for someone to connect to you :/

    The slide/header bug online is annoying, but it's hardly a deal breaker. Hopefully they can fix it sometime though and it'll be pretty much perfect.

  • bobthecow #33 4 years ago

    @wolfman - You're talking pap again!

    In the PR junkets for FIFA 97 or 98 the developers spent a lot of time talking about the mo-cap and telling people how it really took a surprisingly long time to dribble the whole length of a pitch. Something at the time that seemed so pedestrian to games players but we've just got used to with our super realistic simulations of football.

    This is exactly how I remember SWOS 96/97 (European Championship edition); fast, furious and insanely funny when everyone runs around the ball in circles next to the goal-line unable to get the vital touch. Mansfield could never dribble and even Giggs sometimes had trouble, but George Weah is a man of genius!

    Now to reconstruct my ultimate team of gingers: Shearer, Laudrup, Gazza, McMannaman, Tafarrell, the De Boers...

  • MuppetThumper #34 4 years ago

    SWOS is TOTAL SHITE.

    Bitter I may be, but I'm never going to give a game nostalgic praise when I can't score for naught 7 league games in a row. When the AI is able to spin 360 degrees and dribble like a genius and any attempt on my part to perform the same results in loss of ball control. When the AI always knows where to pass and is able to get its players into fabulous goal scoring positions and I on the other hand often have passes intercepted or worse have the intended recipients run the opposite way. When the AI can score from exactly the same long distance spot and under the same circumstances that I can't. This even when my team matches or betters (on paper) that of my AI opponent.

    So for sheer frustration and making me feel like a loser, its little wonder that I gave this a 4. But, you might say, its not the game's fault I'm crap and I'm being too subjective in reviewing it. Some people can play and have the achievements, right?

    Well the appalling disappointing gameplay (from my point of view) are not my only gripes. SWOS is an anticlimax in every way. For a start, its not even named properly. It should have gone up on XBLA as SWOS 96/97. There simply is no excuse to not have the correct teams in the correct leagues, and make some attempt to have the twisted player names updated too. Just how much work does it take? Bugger all is the answer. What about a button to s kip all other league matches so I can just get straight to my own game. I don't want to press A as much as if I was playing Komami's International Track and Field. What about slow-replays? Or turning them off completely?

    There are SO many little touches missing from the game that could have made the world of difference. Its a disgrace - Codemasters have obviously put a 2 man team on this - 1 programmer and a producer and have targeted the C$SH and nothing else. All they've done is made the game meet XBLA requirements (i.e. the online components) and nothing else. 800 points? Its not worth 400.

    MS are moving away from retro titles on XBLA. SWOS had a chance of countering that thinking, but instead it just strengthens it.

    Edited by 1 at 09/01/08 @ 11:22

  • BadBoyBonner #35 4 years ago

    I think most people will find that they were not playing Sensi on 50" displays - which gives the feeling that it is moving much faster than the original - which it isn't.

    Put it back on that 14" Sony Trinitron portable and the sensation of the game being sped up will be lost I am sure.

  • Sulphur_Man #36 4 years ago

    It's great.

    Cannon Fodder next please.

  • qwerty123 #37 4 years ago

    I preferred the Megadrive version which had 2 buttons; one button was an instant shot.
    Still loving it though.

  • septimus #38 4 years ago

    Compared the speed to the TV game version I have (based on MegaDrive code sadly, but comes with Cannon Fodder, bonus), and the speed is a touch faster on the 360. Haven't had time to dig out my CD32 to compare, but now I mention it, I really should.

    Also, 2nd the Cannon Fodder next for Live (or PSN so I can play it with a BlueTooth mouse).

    -edit for spelling spackery-
    -edit 2- Amiga version is easier. Confirmed that last night while the wife watched rubbish on TV.
    Edited by 2 at 10/01/08 @ 09:05

  • yashin #39 4 years ago

    I'm not convinced that SWOS on XBLA is any faster than it was on the Amiga, but it's definitely harder. I can remember bringing East Stirling up through the Scottish leagues and never losing a single game, now I can scarcely score. I can still do all the old tricks, run rings round the computer teams, keep it tight at the back and place shots anywhere I like, but the keepers are definitely harder to beat.

    The online player database allows me to judge the skills of my imports far more accurately, but even the best players in my price bracket lack the ability to consistently beat the keeper in the way that George Shaw, Jurgen Petterson or Francisco Guerrero used to do back on the Amiga.

    But I'm not going to mark the game down simply because I'm frustrated that I can't win the Cup Winners Cup from the Scottish Second Division. The fact that it's more challenging, and ultimately more relaistic (if such a thing can be said of SWOS), is a blessing.

  • MrChuckles #40 4 years ago

    I need a different bloody joystick, i can't play with the analogue stick.

    Certainly feels right, but my thumb hurts after just 1 match so i haven't been able to practice much yet.

  • trevd72 #41 4 years ago

    i cannot see where the time has been put in. The menu system sucks and leads you up a path you can't get out of on occations. Multiplayer setup is rubbish. I cant even see any changes/update in the main game except the rubbish graphics. This is for the purist only i worry and although I love Sensi its not this one. I loved it on the amiga and have been playing the megadrive one for years, of late on the xbox and psp megadrive emulators and that version is just the best on the pitch.

    This version is the only game that has actually made me angry to play it and so I guess I will not be playing it.

    design wise it must have been done by the work experience lads. When in a cup or whatever and click through the results the button to start your match is highlighted so you miss the chance to actually manage the team if you press it too many times. That bloody oversized banner that appears all the time instead of the scored in the corner like everyone else. When you have two goals put past you early on you have to sit through the whole match no option to give up and move on and in a sinlge/multiplayer match no chance to restart. Then there are the team balances. Fulham play just as well as Liverpool yet are at opposite ends of the leagues. On the old Sensi you could set up a match like this to train with. The lesser team was slower and less accurate. So they left so much in for the purist unchanged and took this out. For me yet another Sensi-soccer mess. Never again will I pay for a Sensisoccer game. Megadrive version all the way.

  • ilmaestro #42 4 years ago

    Only an 8?

    ONLY A %&**%&^*%( EIGHT?!!!?!!?!??!!

    /quits EG

  • varsas #43 4 years ago

    Wyrm mentions a lack of edit mode...but can you still edit the formation? I remember spending an age on that to make sure players were in the right positions when the ball was in specific parts of the pitch; it made a real difference to how easy it was to create pass moves.

  • El_MUERkO #44 4 years ago

    8 compared to the 9 you gave sensi 06, nice

  • n_nlemon #45 4 years ago

    yes this game is hard against the cpu..

    and it isl fast.. the guys on the Codies board can confirm that..

    multiplayer however is a different story.. it's joyous.. the field is leveled and lag is mostly absent..
    even against friends in Finland..

    the matchmaking problems can most likely be attributed to XBLs current issues.. I've had problems across most of myl games..

    add in a Hori Fighting Stick (with a Sanwa octagonal gate mod for bonus awesomeness) and all is well..
    you should probably burn that mad catz heap..


    in closing.. well worth the £6.50.. even though I still only beat the cpu once in every ten games.. :/

  • fizzer25 #46 4 years ago

    Anyone else find that their team loses money all of the time and ya have to start looking to sell players?

    Frustrating mind any way ya can stop this?

  • Matfink #47 4 years ago

    "No edit mode??? Stunningly stupid."
    Stunning opportunity for them to make more cash? ;)

    /me seconds call for Cannon Fodder!

  • thehipster7 #48 4 years ago

    Back in 1996 this was superb.

    Now I'm sorry as others have said it's cack. Though FIFA and PES may give a headache at times due to button combos, they play like football and just kill SWOS.

    Nostalgia, best left in the past...

    An updated Cannon Fodder would be very interesting though, but it'd have to be an update and a good one at that.

  • BM #49 4 years ago

    It's not hard, it just takes alot of practice. I've managed to get the mighty Bradford City to the summit of the Premier League with a cup win thrown in after a couple of seasons.

    I do agree that it smacks more of the PC version than the amiga one though, and is a bit harder than both were originally.

  • muters #50 4 years ago

    I, too, don't really see what the complaints of difficulty and silly speed are all about, as I've managed to get Mansfield into the Premier (er, Primary) League by my 4th season. The combined value of my defence is about 500k. That's not to brag, I mean when I play online I mostly get pretty tough matches, I've certainly lost my fair share.

    I wouldn't expect an objective review to give it more than an 8 or so, but for me SWOS is more fun than anything else I could possibly be playing right now. I didn't even realise I could curl passes until playing it on XBLA, it's the game that keeps on giving. :0)

  • WiseNail #51 4 years ago

    @jonarob

    "I can't believe people are slating this game because it's too hard for them to play. Just keep playing, get better, and stop being a cunt".


    Some people want their XBL Arcade games to be quick pick up and play fun experiences, therefore they should have a range of difficulties to suit all tastes (as per the Megadrive version). Scoring 1 goal in 6 games, and that from the penalty spot, does tend to take the shine off of this version of SWOS a bit.

    Congratulations, you're my first ever ignore.

  • Dermoth #52 4 years ago

    Dear oh dear oh dear. What a bunch of wusses.

    SWOS has always been, and continues to be, far too easy. If it were any easier it would be embarrassing.

    I'm still nowhere near being as good at this as I was on the Amiga (I have yet to master mid-and long range lob-shooting, which will come with practice - but I'm definitely a LONG way from being proper good at it) but I can still comfortably beat any AI team in the game provided I have a striker who can kick the ball properly.

    What we're seeing here is a generation of people spoiled on football games which do your shot aiming for you, or leave it down to a RNG algrorithm, or whatever passes for entertainment in FIFA. So here's a hint.

    YOU'RE MEANT TO AIM AT THE GOAL.

    *belated edit* Here's my excellent analogy. Imagine that the year is 2017. Got that? Right. Now imagine that for the previous ten years, every FPS developer in the world has decided that the only weapon that would feature in their FPS games was.... incredbily powerful homing rockets. Then someone releases a downloadable, accurate port of Team Fortress 2 , and everyone complains it's too hard to kill people.

    That's EXACTLY what's happened here.
    Edited by 1 at 09/01/08 @ 16:08

  • Waffleaber #53 4 years ago

    "So, how does SWOS stand up in 2007?"

    Erm.....

  • yashin #54 4 years ago

    Can we just clear this up - the MegaDrive version of Sensible Soccer was a vastly inferior abomination, Amiga SWOS remains the definitive version of Sensible Soccer and Codemasters were right to base the XBLA game on it.

    Winning against the CPU is still relatively easy, it's just a lot harder in the lower divisions because the available strikers aren't as potent as they used to be.

  • FooAtari #55 4 years ago

    "SWOS is as naff today as the movie Terminator.....and Iron Maiden's Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son album"

    o_O watched Terminator the other night. As awesome as ever IMO. Ok some of the special effects are definitly showing their age, but still a great film.

    Same with Maiden. If I hear a song I like chances are I'll like it for ever more (music is pretty timeless for the most part to me). Maiden > most metal bands around at the moment.


    Some old games don't play well today. Other old games and genres are left behind due to the belief that 3d = better. Well it doesn't always, there is still plenty room for 2D games. Many are as fun now as they always were.

  • Ikari2001 #56 4 years ago

    I can't tell if it's faster or slower than the original, but seems bout as fast as I remembered... and yup, I'm still crap in single player, and only marginally better on Multiplayer :p

    This is one for late night drunken gaming in my book. Lots of fun once you find someone else to play online or with a fellow drunkard hehe :p

    complaining about not having the up to date teams and no bludgeoned updated names? sorry I have FIFA if I want current rosters and lookalike players lol Sensi is 100% video game.

  • MuppetThumper #57 4 years ago

    well jonarob, isn't it equally silly to call someone a 'cunt' because they have a different opinion to you.

    hypocritical neanderthal.
    Edited by 1 at 09/01/08 @ 17:36

  • OnlyMe #58 4 years ago

    The game's not harder, faster or crap. It's perfect. Ninja Gaiden was hard as hell too, but that didn't stop it from being brilliant. I remember the first Burnout was really hard too, 'cause you'd crash as soon as bumped a car and trading paint was completely out of the question. It was still great.

    And SWOS isn't really hard, it's just difficult and different to play for many - I've noticed that some even don't know how to use the after touch feature properly (you can lift and lob the ball as well, not just curve it to the left or right).

    If you ask me, it should've recieved ten for value alone. Once you learn how to play well, you'll never stop playing the game. I know, I've been playing for sixteen years already, and I'm not about to stop either - now that we have even fancier graphics and all.

    And stop with the analogue. It doesn't work like a digital stick would, and you have to move it really quickly to get the most out of the aftertouch, so the digital d-pad is much much better. Even if it's a crappy d-pad. Curving and lifting the ball is much easier and more precise with it.

  • FooAtari #59 4 years ago

    Even if SWOS is hard for most people. So what? Get over it and don't play it.

    I found Ninja Giaden to be pretty damn hard. I didn't like it. But that does't mean I think it should be easier. It wouldn't be Ninja Gaiden if it was easlier and a lot of love it the way it is. I wouldn't want it changed. No games will every be for everyone, and they shouldn't be either.

  • T-Bag #60 4 years ago

    The difficulty is EXACTLY the same as it was on the Amiga and it plays almost identically. People may be remembering sensible soccer on the MD/SNES which was a totally different game and even easier.

    Once you remember how to play it is incredibly easy to beat the AI teams. As I have still played the game regular over the last 10 years I had no problem jumping straight in and according to my stats I have only lost 3 games out of about 150. You just need to get used to how to play the game.

    I was almost certain I wouldn't be able to play it with the analogue stick after years of using a joystick but amazingly I found it absolutely fine.

    Best game of 2007 offline.

    Online it just doesn't work.

  • CLOSEALDO #61 4 years ago

    best arcade game to date...end of

  • Dermoth #62 4 years ago

    Could someone explain to me how modern football games are better than SWOS? I'd love to hear someone argue for PES or FIFA over this. What, specifically, is it about those games that eclipses XBLA SWOS?

    WARNING - Any answer which contains the words "fun", "skill", "challenge", "controls" or "entertainment" will instantly be laughed off the page. Restrict yourself to "pretty graphics", "functional online play" and "appeals to cackhanded knuckledraggers who find aiming a bit complicated", and we'll have a chat.

    It depends what you want from a game really, doesn't it? If you only want nice graphics, online play, and a lobotomised shooting system that caters to your incompetence, then yes, SWOS is well out of date. If you want a challenging, fun football game, OTOH...

    Shoulda been a 9. And every PES and FIFA release in Eurogamer's history shoula been a 4.

  • smelly #63 4 years ago

    Downloaded this after the review - been playing for few hours

    Online is SEVERLY BROKEN to the point of being unplayable.

    And I could've played the original without online play on an emulator.

    (I should've known better after the 2006 review...)

  • OnlyMe #64 4 years ago

    You can't score, so it's shit. Good logic there.

  • smelly #65 4 years ago

    apparently best selling arcade game yet..

    so people must disagree with you.

    .. That said, i still want my money back due to the broken online mode... its fucking unplayable online.. And for that reason alone deserves a drop of 2 score points (imho) - the only reason i got it was for online
    Edited by 2 at 10/01/08 @ 03:59

  • septimus #66 4 years ago

    Get some real friends. Online SWOS is no where near as good as playing the game with mates and a few beers.

    Anyway, the Amiga version is easier, played it again last night. Plays better actually than this version, feels more balanced.

  • MuppetThumper #67 4 years ago

    smelly
    apparently best selling arcade game yet..

    You got a link for that? Wouldn't surprise me though. Anticipation had been building for ages.

    OnlyMe
    You can't score, so it's shit. Good logic there.

    No, I think you'll find its shit for many more reasons, including lack of menu tweaks and options and un-updated teams & players. It was always going to be the case this game would sell, so it justified more investment in development than it got.

  • yashin #68 4 years ago

    There's no pleasing some people.The apetite in the online community was strong for an unadulterated rerelease of the classic SWOS, and after the Sensi 2006 debacle, Codies must have listened. Aside from the pretty faithful graphics revision and the sadly inevitable player name changes, the offline game is fundamentally the same one I spent so many hours playing as a youth.

    My interest in playing online is limited, and the few games I've played have had the occasional bit of lag, but no more so than any other XBL game I've played. IN XBL play, the tackling/heading and quitters issues definitely needs sorting, though.

  • OnlyMe #69 4 years ago

    septimus: did you play SWOS or Sensible Soccer on the Amiga? To me, it's neither more difficult nor easier on the Amiga - which version did you play? The game got harder with every release, so unless it's SWOS 96/97, it's not right to compare. Which is the version this game is based on.

  • smelly #70 4 years ago

    "I've played. IN XBL play, the tackling/heading and quitters issues definitely needs sorting, though."

    Those"issues" make the game unplayable online though?

  • smelly #71 4 years ago

    As for it being "harder" I'd imagine this is a straight port from the amiga code (considering they kept the god awful menu systems - i'm sure of that fact), so the only thing which could POSSIBLY make this harder is the 360 pad (which to be fair they have little control over).

    My gripes with this are:

    1. Online if fucked, may as well not bother including it (and promoting it as having online play) if it's not going to work
    2. The menu system is still as god awful as it was back in the amiga days. Seriously, with the time they've been working on it, could they not have made the interface even SLIGHTLY usable? Honestly, how many people on here accidently started a CPU vs CPU match the first time they used the shitty interface?
    3. 96 teams.. Again, with the time this conversion has been in development - you'd have thought they'd have bothered to at least change the names (if not the stats). I dont care if michael owen is called M.Owon, or whatever, but at least lets have up-to-date players!


    But I *really* don't think it plays any different to the amiga version? The only thing which MAY be true is they've obviously upp'd the frame rate a bit - which MIGHT be making it harder to play...

    Tough one to rate, because it IS still the old classic game..

    i'd give it 7/10 (or 6.5/10) because of the above problems...
    Edited by 1 at 10/01/08 @ 19:35

  • OnlyMe #72 4 years ago

    I think the Amiga version ran at 50hz, while the PC version ran at 60hz, which made it feel a bit faster. I may have read somewhere that XBLA version is 60hz.

  • smelly #73 4 years ago

    Im fairly sure the amiga version probably ran at something like 25fps.. but i cant prove either way so i'll shut up

  • Masked_Avenger #74 4 years ago

    Looking around it seems that Chris Wilkins' gamer tag is "boyotaffy". Now you might want to go take a peek at his SWOS achievements, because he has one. The fair play for not fowling in a game achievement. Why are people reviewing games at Eurogamer if they haven't even fucking played them??

    Apologies if "boyotaffy" isn't your gamertag, but it seems to be, seeing as your Eurogamer ID seems to be "sabreman".

  • Masked_Avenger #75 4 years ago

    I mean, you don't even have "Deau ex Socca" which means you haven't even won a fucking game! How can you pass judgement on it?

  • thehipster7 #76 4 years ago

    Dermoth - yes modern games much better graphics etc and also more skill and playable.

    Shot aiming in Sensi your kidding right?, shooting in Sensi is all about finding the angle and aftertouch, same goals every time, it's basic these days.

    FIFA and PES you can place shots, chip, hit a soft but better targeted shot and though the game engine has some impact, try shooting without aiming and you'' rarely score.

    Dribbling in sensi LOL Passing in Sensi LOL.

    It's Pinball meets Pong mate, accept that and I may chat with you.

  • JimJam #77 4 years ago

    Playing this just reminded me that the playing dynamic of SWOS was poorer than the earlier Sensible Soccer variants on the Amiga. Too much reliance on the ultra-quick forward and a long ball over the top, and not enough all-round team play.

  • BremXJones #78 4 years ago

    Masked_Avenger: Coming from someone linking to this over at Ramraider, so I don't actually know for sure, but I can almost guarantee that Chris reviewed SWOS on a debug 360 on Partnernet*, which has its own separate system completely. Looking at reviewers gamertags doesn't really say much, man.

    KG

    *sic, probably.

  • irve77 #79 2 years ago

    you know it's a shame .. i've still not bought SWOS simply becasue at the very least i want the proper Team names !

    I can live with Erik Contana and Dave Peckham in a side ... but where is hte fun in beating Manchester Red ???

    it's not what we were promised when this was first announced !! if they updated it with an editor i would buy it instantly