Retro soccer games

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Was talking to my cousin at the weekend about the old soccer games we used to play on consoles down through the years, and how they really have come on some way to the likes of Pro Evo 2008 now as opposed to some of the shite from years back that we thought was unbelievable! So had a look through youtube at some of the older games, said there might be some on here who’d enjoy looking back over some of the memories.

one of the every first games i ever remember playing was my friends NES, and looking at it now, by God was it some shite:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYP9IaPjP70

We used to play Super Soccer on my cousins SNES then after that, remember the shoulder charge and the fat referee coming onto the pitch to book you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bS_AhhLzpgo

I had super kick off on the game gear, had an overhead view, and the ball would keep rolling on when you stop running:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qf-gY-_WXY

Then came striker on SNES to ‘revolutionise’ the soccer gaming. I remember this one because it had a deadly indoor football game in it too. Bad video clip, but all I could find:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4cEib1svLo

The FIFA series began then in 94 or so, and the first game of those I played was FIFA 95 on the megadrive:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZCrMncfv6k

Never had a playstation either, but cousin had one and used to play all the FIFA series, main one being from 1998 with all its millions of glitches:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9TnyI6ayyY

Moved to Dublin and there was always someone with a playstation. Used to play the death out of FIFA 2000, with its great crossing and powerful headers or volleys 100% guaranteed to score:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHMBYcLUS-c

Never really got into Pro Evolution until about 2002 and we had Pro Evo 4 in the flat in Dublin. Havent looked back since. This shows all the PES (or winning eleven) games down through the years:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8TaLIoESYg

We used to play Pro Evo 4 the whole time in Dublin, tournaments and everything. The new generation of consoles saw me getting my first console since the megadrive, even though I’d played the shit out of playstations, sure nearly everyone had/still has one. Got an xbox360 and one of the first things I did was got Pro Evo. This year then saw the latest in the series, Pro Evo 2008 come out, a fair way along since the first NES game! Video is of Ronaldo, but he has some class moves in it in fairness:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnoQgcX1POQ

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Sensible soccer, what a masterpiece. Shot from the halfway line. Bang, goal.

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Kick Off 2 on the Amiga was/is the best soccer game ever.

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Cracking post Gman - can’t see any of those in work but I’ll have a look at them at home later.

First soccer game I remember was International Soccer on the Commodore 64. Graphics were shite but it was wonderfully playable - think there were 9 levels that you progressed through with the Level 9 team wearing an all black strip - intimidating stuff.
http://homepages.tesco.net/~parsonsp/assets/images/IntSoccer3.gif

Microprose Soccer was the next one I really got into, possibly a forerunner to Kick Off. Ran much quicker than International Soccer and looked better but just seemed to lack that bit of control you had with the earlier game.
http://homepages.tesco.net/~parsonsp/assets/images/MicroproseSoccer3.gif

Next game I got into was Kick Off. This was the big game at the time but to tell you the truth I wasn’t overly interested in it. Not sure how much it moved on from Microprose Soccer and maybe it was kind of between computers for me but I certainly didn’t play it nearly as much as the above two.

Moved on to a PC then after a bit of a lull between machines and played Kick Off 3 which was shite. Then got into Sensible Soccer and subsequently Sensible World of Soccer. Got Sensible Soccer from a cousin of mine who doesn’t really follow sport and laughed at the notion of it and thought it was a soccer game for nerds who don’t like soccer. But when you played it then you found out how awesome it was. Superb playability, epic matches against the computer or against mates and when SWOS came out there were leagues, transfer markets etc. it was sensational.

Not sure of the timing of these now against SWOS but there was an Italia 90 game that was reasonable. Then a Euro 92 game came out and that was brilliant. Featured streakers, bicycle kicks and stuff. Great effort.

Can’t remember much then until Actua Soccer came out around 1996. This was my first experience of a FIFA type game on the PC only it was miles better I thought. Graphics were cracking, tv style presentation, wonderful commentary and sublime control. Played with Holland on that all the time and my Overmars was unplayable. Used to hammer Larryduff every evening with Overmars ripping him to shreds.

Then got into the FIFA series like Gman and only bought into Pro Evo when it made its way to the PC. Played it once and haven’t played FIFA since - just in a different league. Bought an Xbox 360 last year purely to play Pro Evo and to be honest I’ve been a small bit disappointed. Miss all the editing I used to do on the pc and I hate the absence of some crucial options. The gameplay is superb and I still play it religiously but there’s just a load of options in the background that annoy me.

Manager game-wise there have been 4 games for me:

  1. Football Manager from Addictive Software on the C64.
    http://homepages.tesco.net/~parsonsp/assets/images/FootallManager2.gif

  2. this was brought on a level by Tracksuit Manager

  3. On the PC I first bought Football Director 2. Sent into town by my mother to buy two books for her and told her I lost the money on the bus but actually bought FD2. Ridiculously difficult game where you ran out of cash every year. Your players had as skill rating of 1-9. I remember in one game we had this striker called I. Pigey who had a skill rating of 1 but he scored 25 goals a season for about 3 years and got us into Europe where the money was. Sensational goalscorer, then inexplicably we (myself and Larryduff) cashed in (he was worth feck all because of his low rating) and things went sour. Don’t think I ever played the game again after that.

  4. Onto Championship Manager/Football Manager. Remember playing that on a computer that wasn’t even nearly good enough to run it but it was just so fucking good that the half hour waits between matches were worth it. Fell out of love with it around 3 or 4 years ago and can’t find room for it anymore.

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I’d say I played them all once or twice at friend’s houses but more so the FIFA games as I had a megadrive. Also, remember playing the crap out of ‘World Cup Italia 90’. The ball always sounded like it was punctured and when you were tackled it looked like you were driven over by a steamroller.
Video of it here-bit crap but all i could get:
[ame="
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzka-TD_O0s
eature=related"]YouTube - World Cup Italia '90[/ame]

Had all the Fifa games and don’t mind saying I was class at them (Wouldn’t be hard I suppose). Fairly handy at the Pro Evo too. If they had GAA games up to it’s standard, I don’t think I’d ever work again.

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I remember that World Cup game alright Pikeman. Its the same as Super Kick off too, or extremley similar with tackles and 2 types of kicking, high and low. but in that one the ball wouldnt run away from you.

Never really had too many manager type games, but remember playing the shite out of C’ship manager 98 on PC. Was class. i got Middlesborough from the first division to being 3 times CL winners within 7 years. I bought Kevin Gallen for 2m and sold him for 20m to Real Madrid. Had Kluivert and Del Piero up front for me!

Must have a look at the old Madden versions too!

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Sensible soccer rings a bell on the sega mega drive. Played it in college. Overhead view, we set up a world cup qualification group, buddy was France, I was Bulgaria. Ginola giving the ball away in Paris, rest is history… happy memories

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Pikeman the pen shootouts on that World Cup were great, I used to leave the controller down for the duration of the game so that it would finish 0-0 and then we’d have some great peno shootouts.

Earliest memory would be that International Soccer on the C64, but there was another one (in tape obviously) called Emelyn Hughes Soccer, and it was similar to International Soccer, great gameplay, slightly better graphics as well.

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Football Manager on the C64 was some game. That P Mariner lad was the best player ever to grace the electronic gaming world. 30/40 goals a season guaranteed. The tape having to load between every game was an annoyance though.

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Hey guys, loving this thread, I’ve played most of the games on it, and especially remember Emlyn Hughes soccer fondly! Would probably hate it if I played it now!

I’m giving this thread a bump just in case any of you would be interested in a Sensible World Of Soccer tournament on 21st Jan in Athlone? It’s at an Amiga meetup in the Prince of Wales hotel.

For me, it’s the best football game ever and I still play it to this day and get the same buzz out of diagonal headed goals as I did back in the day!

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Hi SWOSIreland

cracking idea for a sensible soccer tournament

wont make it myself but i hope it goes well and dare i say becomes an annual event

TSG

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Cheers The_Selfish_Giant , it’s something I’ve wanted to do for so long, and so I said feck it, why not.
Fingers crossed it will be annual. At the Amiga event is gonna be David Pleasance, ex MD of Commodore and we’ll also have a Skype chat with Jon Hare, maker of SWOS!

ps, you can play SWOS online against people now, but I’ve done it and have had my ass handed to me. A lot! Some seriously good players out there! :smiley:

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