198: Kick Off 2

Number 198
(9.4 points)
Kick Off 2
1991: 7

Appearing surprisingly low here, mainly due to the original Kick Off taking its place the following year, Dino Dini's brainchild divided critics and fans, but how does it fare in hindsight?

The play is vertically scrolling, top to bottom, with a bird's eye view. You can adjust the strength of your kicks, and there is an option to add aftertouch to the ball. There are a selection of teams to choose from (although they are almost identical) and both a league and cup mode to play.

Back in the day, computer game footy fans were in two camps: Kick Off 2 or Sensible Soccer. I was firmly in the latter, and playing this now confirms it. Although you can trap the ball with the fire button, most of the time it pings around like a pinball. Sensi is hardly an example of realism, but even that looks lifelike compared to what you see here. I think my biggest gripe is the passing: the view is so small that you can't see any of your players to pass to them, and the ball doesn't automatically go in their direction, something that practically every football game after Sensi has done. There are a handful of options for weather and such, but not a lot, and the team selection is pretty much nothing since every team is the same. This might have been passable on an 8-bit computer, but it's amazing to think this game commands such admiration, even today.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Kick Off 2 (1990)(Anco)[cr OCL]