Soccer Superstars

Considering us Brits couldn’t give a toffee for baseball, Gamevil’s Baseball Superstars created quite an impression. Its mixture of zany sporting action with RPG-like character development really struck a chord.

Imagine what we’d think if the developer ever made the same kind of game with a sport we actually cared (or at least knew something) about. Football, for example.

Imagine no longer – Soccer Superstars is here.

While it’s a decent addition to the franchise, though, it’s not as good as the bat ‘n’ ball variant.

The main reason it falls short is the representation of football itself. Moving around using the virtual analogue stick feels stilted, with the difference between a slight tilt to dribble and a full tilt to dash difficult to judge.

Gamevil seems to know that movement is less than satisfactory, as your players will move of their own accord if left alone. All you need to do is tap the ‘pass’ or ‘shoot’ controls when necessary.

Even then, the game lacks a sense of flow. You’re told that quick, first-time passing is the best approach, but the game can’t seem to keep up with such an approach. Your players will often delay when you want to execute an instant pass or shot.

Still, there is satisfaction to be had from the football. Scoring a driven shot into the top corner is always satisfying, as is teeing up your star player for a physics-defying special shot. Like Baseball Superstars, this fantastical element really sets the game apart from other footy titles.

The structure of the game is also extremely rewarding. While controlling a whole team in Season mode is subject to the weaknesses of the control system, My League is deeply absorbing.

Here you’re training up and controlling a single player in true RPG style. It’s very similar to Baseball Superstars, and only having to control a single player suits the limited game system far more than the full team game.

It’s this absorbing meta-game, along with the zoomed-in solo-player take on the sport, that makes Soccer Superstars worthy of attention.

Given the lack of any serious competition (unless you have a handset that can run Real Football adequately), Soccer Superstars finds itself as the best footy game on the platform despite not replicating the beautiful game particularly well.