AuthorJeffeEyesRimmer I arrived back to Australia from a trip home to the UK recently. As well as catching up with family and friends (yes we have those) I also had a look through some old childhood things and amongst it all I found a few old computer games left in a storage box in the attic. The game that brought a wry smile to my face though was Championship Manager 02/03. I played the hell out of that game when I was young; it was the first real manager game I played and set in motion a love for the franchise that still is going strong 13 years later. That got us thinking about all the other football games that indoctrinated us further and made our love for the game stronger. Here are a few games that we Outcasts loved. Sensible Soccer
Let’s get the big one out the way. Sensible soccer was the first football game we ever played. The now iconic top down game was the first real football game that captured the game we love and made us start down our adventures in the virtual world. Although we could go play football in the park and dream of being a world class player the Sensible Soccer computer game world let you live it to a degree that we hadn’t before, and we loved it. FIFA 1997 There were previous FIFA games we had played but this was the first to also include indoor football as a game mechanic. Why do no games now also feature this now? The indoor games were great fun. It was also a game that had the wonderful voice of Des Lynam introducing the matches. This made it feel like match of the day (at the time) and made it more immersive for our young selves. We played the death out of it on our Mega Drive system; we bet some of you won’t remember that console. Actual Soccer 1 & 2 The first series to have an actual 3D engine and it was magic to us. The first PlayStation and its games may have aged a bit now but in its day the Actual Soccer series were the first to blow our tiny minds with the graphics. It had 3D rendered players and pitches and had great commentary (for the time). Also, as a Welshman it had the Super Furry Animals providing the soundtrack, amazing. Championship Manager 02-03 While football management sims had been around for a while by this point this is seen by many as the pinnacle of the franchise (even now). The game had a good mix of in depth tactics, stats and game mechanics but was not so detailed that it would be daunting and put you off. It blended the complexity and the fun of being a manager brilliantly. One of us still has this version installed on our laptop. While the new football manager series are brilliant and we love them too this first iteration we played will always have a special place in our hearts. Pro Evolution Soccer 2 Once upon a time Pro Evo was the best football game on any console system. The hat has slipped a bit since then (although the 2017 version is better than FIFA) but back in the day Pro Ev ruled. It didn’t have the licence of FIFA but the key difference was that it was fun. Something modern games could learn a lot from, what happened to the fun? We played Pro Evo iterations 2 through to 4 during our University days with housemates and fellow lazy students, halcyon days all, halcyon days. Football Chairman The newest entry on the list and it is surprising that it hadn’t been done before. Rather than sit you in the hot seat as manager of the club Football Chairmen has you as the owner. It’s a simple concept but one that football manager fans had been dreaming about for years. Bring your made up club from the lowest tier to the Premier League, hiring and sacking managers, signing off on player sales and purchases and upgrading the stadium. While FM had become so in depth this IPad game can be played quickly and easily. It did make us cold blooded chairmen firing manager’s mind. What games have you enjoyed over the years; miss any of your favourites? Are there any we should play? Let us know. |
AuthorsJust Some Fans Writing About Football. Archives
June 2018
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