International 5-A-Side Football |
Copyright/Publisher: Zeppelin Games, Programmed By: David Sowerby,
Graphics By: Neil Hislop, Music By: Andrew Rodger,
Release Year: 1991, Genre: Football/Soccer,
Number Of Players: 1 or 2
Foul! Another pathetic attempt at simulating footy. This time the 'action' takes
place on a horizontally scrolling concrete pitch, which is probably why you can't
do sliding tackles (ouch!). No, you just run into the ball to steal possession.
The main trouble lies in selecting which player to control. Rather than automatically
controlling the nearest to the ball, you have to press fire to cycle through all
your players - some are off screen! It gets even more confusing when the ball
ricochets off the side wall, hits a player's legs and zooms off again in the
opposite direction.
At least dribbling's easy enough with the ball glued to your foot. Pressing fire
gives you a straight kick of set strength, so there's no room for subtle passing -
not that you'd be able to select the right player quickly enough!
No, play consists of simply dribbling up the pitch a bit and shooting diagonally
at the wall so the ball ricochets into the net - don't worry about the automatic
goalie, he's as thick as a screenshot technician! (We're talking brain-donor material
here people!)
This amkes two-player games as predictable as playing against the computer
(two skill levels). Graphics complement the gameplay perfectly, resembling the
ancient International Soccer.
As well as the bland grey pitch, the players look uncannily like Corky Caswell,
ie blocky with slow, jerky animation! (Not to mention the drooling and lumps
of food that drop for his mouth! - Ed) Even an eight-team international league
can't save this embarrassing own-goal.
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