The 2010 Football World Cup is finally upon us and whilst South Africa is making football history, MyGaming decided to have a look at the history of football games. Lace up your boots and pull up your socks as we take a jog down memory lane.
Intellivision Soccer (1979)
The granddaddy of football games, Intellivision Soccer was also known as NASL Soccer (North American Soccer League). The game was first released by Mattel in 1979 for the Intellivision System, before making its way to the Atari 2600 in 1982. The game ‘pioneered’ the familiar stadium perspective common the most football games since.
Sadly, the game is considered to be rather atrocious, even by the standards of early console games. Although advertised as a realistic football game, there were only three footballers and one goalie per side, the controls were sluggish and inaccurate, and players could run off one side of the screen only to reappear on the opposite side.
RealSports Soccer (1981)
RealSports Soccer was Atari’s attempt to crack the football game market, but they didn’t do much better than the Intellivision Version. The game appeared on both the Atari 2600 and Atari 5200 systems. There were five players per team though, an upgrade from four. Control issues were the bane of this title. The team was forced to remain in their assigned sector of the field, and one had to cycle through the team, instead of snapping to the player nearest the ball.
Tehkan World Cup (1985)
Despite getting off to a shaky start on home consoles, arcade football games were making a good showing, epitomised by Tekhan World Cup game. This title nailed the fast paced fun of the arcade to a football game. The players shared a large trackball to control the movements of their team, and had a single button to mash for all football related matters, such as tackling, passing and shooting. Of course, at this point, things were still a long way from being realistic. Incidentally, Tekhan went on to rename themselves as Tecmo.
Kick Off (1989) & Kick Off 2 (1990)
Kick Off and its successor, Kick Off 2, were the first football titles to truly make waves amongst gamers and football fans alike. Kick Off was originally developed for the Atari ST and later ported to the Amiga. The games are noted for their giant leap forward in gameplay and animation. The ball was actually dribbled by players for the first time, instead of merely sticking to the player’s feet. This meant that gamers had to retain control and possession.
There were ball control dynamics in place, with gamers able to spin and curve the ball. Team tactics were employed and each player had a set of attributes dictating their effectiveness on the field. The games remain popular to this day, with enthusiats still holding yearly tournaments.
Sensible Soccer (1992)
Following it the wake of Kick Off was Sensible Soccer, another revered classic on the Atari ST and Amiga systems. The gameplay and control dynamics were firmly in place, following the example set by Kick Off. Sensible Soccer was the first football game to encompass a wide range of professional leagues, divisions and countries. It featured an extensive career mode in which players could operate as one of the thousands of global football clubs. The rivalry sparked between Kick Off and Sensible Soccer is considered to be the first football game fanboy battle.
FIFA International Soccer (1993)
The publishing giant EA threw its money into their first FIFA licensed title, to great effect. Also known as FIFA 94, the game was first released for the Mega Drive, Master System, and Sega CD. It used an isometric view, another first for football games. Another claim to fame is the introduction of multi button controls, instead of the usual single button mash of previous football games.
Whilst it didn’t break any moulds in terms of gameplay and features, it was a landmark title in what was to become a hugely popular yearly football game franchise that has gone from strength to strength since.
International Superstar Soccer (1994)
International Superstar Soccer (ISS) has its roots in Konami Hyper Soccer on the NES, the success of which fuelled Konami’s development of ISS for the SNES. ISS Deluxe was released a year later for the Mega Drive. Whilst EA had snapped up all the big name licenses, ISS was noted for its superior gameplay, which was lots of fun down to the core. This title also marked the birth of a rivalry between EA and Konami football titles.
Actua Soccer (1995)
As a footnote to the developing rivalry between Konami and EA football games, is the PlayStation’s Actua Soccer. The game didn’t stand out in terms of gameplay and features, but holds the distinction of being the first football game to feature polygonal 3D models. The series saw four releases between 1995 and 1999.
Pro Evolution Soccer (2001)
For the rest of the 90’s EA and Konami diligently dished out reiterations of their franchises, each polishing and refining elements of the previous, perfecting the recipe for football games of the 2000’s. Konami dealt a massive blow to FIFA dominance in 2001 with the first in their new franchise, Pro Evolution Soccer for the PS1 and PS2.
The animations were then regarded as the best in football games, with a smashing control and gameplay dynamic to boot, all of which made EA’s FIFA titles look rather dull in comparison. Some innovative features made their way into the game, such as a post-match highlight reel. The game also supported up to eight players.
The Future
As it stands, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer and EA’s FIFA series have established themselves as the two juggernauts of the football video gaming world. In the mid-2000’s the Konami titles began to suffer slightly due to a lack of innovation, whilst EA stepped things up a notch, but regardless, the rivalry between the two series remains fierce.
Both EA and Konami have released 2010 versions of their franchises, with the overhauled Pro Evolution Soccer 2010 garnering numerous favourable reviews. EA has of course nailed down the formula for their titles, with lucrative licensing deals on side helping to bring us titles such as 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. The future of football games is looking bright.
Association Football Video Gaming Retrospective << Discuss in the forum
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