49: Empire Soccer 94

Number 49
(113.8 points)
Empire Soccer 94
1995: 40 (48.8)
1996: 36 (65.0)

The 1996 list described this as "Speedball 2 but in shorts". Well, I'll be the judge of that.

Played from a top-down perspective, Empire Soccer plays at a similar speed to Sensible Soccer, but with larger and more colourful graphics. There are the usual array of playing options, and being as it was released in the World Cup year of 1994, there is a World Cup option available (though it doesn't have the same teams as the real life equivalent - England is in there, for instance). The main draw of the game comes from its sophisticated control system, which allows for a range of different tricks and kicks, giving you full control over the ball.

Unlike other football games on this list, I had no problem getting to grips with the basic controls - I won my first match 3-0 - so for me that's a positive sign. Reading that there are more advanced moves you can use is encouraging, too, as it suggests there's some benefit to practising the game. As for the comparison to Speedball 2, it doesn't have the same tightness of control, with the ball bouncing around quite a bit, and as usual on the Amiga, if you're going to play a top-down football game, why not Sensible Soccer? Still, it's a nice effort.

Recommended TOSEC disk(s):
Empire Soccer 94 (1994)(Empire)(PAL)[cr FLT]