"At the time of writing, there were 1573 games available in the App Store. Now there are games for the iPhone and then there are GAMES for the iPhone! How do I tell the difference? Well, if I launch a game and my first reaction is "ok-cool", then its just another game on the iPhone - but, if I launch the game and at first I remain quiet (in disbelief), then a huge smile covers my face and the only thing that comes to mind is "woa-are you serious?!" - then you've got a GAME on hand."
GameLoft's Real Soccer 2009 is one of those "woa-are you serious?!" GAMES for the iPhone!
Game Options
Real soccer 2009 is hands-down a great game for the iPhone and holds the unique title of being the first 'true' sports game. You will be surprised at the depth of the game and the variety of options you have for gameplay. You can choose Exhibition, Cup, League, Penalty Kicks, Training and Trophies. There are 198 teams, 12 stadiums and 3 difficulty levels for you to choose from. You will enjoy the same amount of customizations that you are accustomed to on console games. Change your team's jersey, weather, stadiums, time of day, length of the match, and additional rules (extra time, golden goal etc). You can also specify playing formation and make substitutions during gameplay. You are provided a stats sheet of each player when making substitutes. Quite frankly, I was surprised at the level of detail Gameloft managed to squeeze in.
Game Play
Three words - engaging, addictive and fun! The graphics are really great but though the game has a polished look, it still can be improved -weighing in at 69 MB, the developers can still squeeze in some more. On easy, the game's A.I. is pretty much a walk through, however, it gets more challenging and more entertaining as you increase the difficulty level. For controls you have a virtual D-pad and A and B buttons. Real Soccer is the perfect example of a game that would benefit from an optional add-on such as icontrolpad for hardcore gamers. The D-pad reduces the viewing area and can be a problem if you have fat fingers. However, don't get me wrong, what the developers are able to achieve with the multi-touch and accelerometer is truly remarkable! The controls don't take away from gameplay, you can still perform very complex tricks, lob passes, tackles and much more. Tilting your iPhone back and flicking it for a throw-in definitely takes first prize!
Overall, Real Soccer 2009 is an impressive start for sports games on the iPhone and Gameloft has set a pretty high standard for other companies who may want to develop similar titles. You can grab your copy of Real Soccer from the App Store for just $9.99!
What we'd love to see in the next update:
- multi-player over wi-fi (already confirmed)
- improved controls - possibly incorporating the accelerometer for movement
- improved graphics - we can't have enough!
- commentary during game-play
- smarter A.I.
Check out the gallery of screenshots!
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