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Developers World Championship: Match Report - England v Australia (Last 16)

GTA: Chinatown Wars (England) vs Real Racing (Australia)

Developers World Championship: Match Report - England v Australia (Last 16)
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ENGLAND GTA: Chinatown Wars (Rockstar Leeds)

VS AUSTRALIA Real Racing (Firemint)

So, how on earth (or air) do you follow up a certified classic like N.O.V.A. v F.A.S.T., involving two critically acclaimed giants of the iOS platform?

Try this feature list on for size, that’s how:

- two MORE Gold Award-winning titles nose-to-nose;
- a host nation attempting to emulate the legends of 1966;
- rekindling of the fiercest rivalry in world sport...The Ashes!
- one of the biggest video game franchises ever taking on the iPhone's homegrown champ!

We could barely contain our excitement at the drivers’ enclosure as the evening's combatants swapped guns for gasoline and ammunition for acceleration in what promised to be a truly epic tyre-to-tyre drag race.

Rockstar Leeds' Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars roared into view on the back of one helluva reputation.

England’s famed drive, shoot, and steal-em-up had ridden Spore: Origins off the road four times in the group stages, effectively ending USA’s chances of topping Group C.

Hoping to overtake it on this atypically balmy British evening, Real Racing’s track pedigree was second to none.

With this and Flight Control on its CV, leading Australian developer, Firemint, had handcrafted two bona-fide iPhone legends already in its lifetime: the Pelé and Puskas of the App Store, if you will.

In a race this tight, would the length of the driver’s cone make all the difference or would the infamous Brown Banana powerslide into play once again?

Kick Off: 7.30pm, 26th June

The critical view: The starting whistle was drowned out by revving engines as this tie screamed off the line at 100 miles per hour. Despite the frantic pace, however, there was plenty of precision in play too. Turn for turn, corner for corner, dive for dive, these two iOS icons were matching each other in every conceivable way for the first few laps around the iStadium II.

After twenty minutes, the variety in GTA’s gameplay, allied to some compelling personalities, gave the English a sight of clean air.

Without a clear targeting system upfront, though, the hosts couldn’t convert any of the three clear-cut chances created by their enterprising co-driver.

Both captains undoubtedly possessed great engines, yet the Australian skipper appeared more suited to stay the course for longer, as Rockstar's cover version showed first signs of a splutter ahead of the interval.

Sensing a gap ahead of them, the Real Racing garage unleashed a simultaneous six-car attack, accelerating into the corners to draw away the markers and allowing their neat social features to slip through the middle unchallenged and steer one past the 'keeper's despairing drive.

1-0 to the Aussies, then, and they certainly seemed to be comfortable with their lead. Indeed, some of the commentary team thought they'd repeated the decisive move just moments later, but it turned out to be just a video replay automatically uploaded to YouTube.

Of course, the English teams tend to come into their own when backs are reversed up against a wall, and so it proved just five minutes later.

After a flurry of activity on the halfway line, the England manager quickly raised its Gold Award up the flagpole, inspiring the home team to change up a gear and race down the flanks. The resulting cross in looked innocuous enough, at least until the Rockstar boys leapt up and carjacked the covering defender.

Quite literally stealing in to deflect the ball home, the Chinatown Wars striker managed to successfully evade both goalkeeper and any heat from the officials, thanks to their unique 'spraybooth' celebration.

With minutes to spare, the Aussie sporting director looked to be preparing to strike back, as the pit-crew emerged with fresh tyres and their own Gold Award, but after spotting a dark cloud on the horizon, he cancelled the manoeuvre and instead radio-ed a more conservative message to his team.

Clearly content to keep something in the tank, the Australian team eased back to a steadier pace and the teams parked up level at the break.

Half time: England 1 – 1 Australia The Fans’ 45: As temperatures and humidity rose, so did the tension in the stands. England may have had home field advantage, but Australia had an inexhaustible number of barmen floating around and about the iStadium. Suffice to say, all parties were well lubricated and in good voice.

And appropriately so. The two sides were putting on an extraordinary display for the masses, their Beckham-esque 3D visuals attracting admiring glances from female fans as well as the technical committee.

GTA's radio was buzzing with six new stations, but this didn't unsettle their Firemint foes, whose own local wi-fi battles and online leagues had prepared the players brilliantly in the training camp.

Despite the responsive controls and at times truly exhilarating gameplay neither side was able to work a clear opening and, as the laps rolled on, they increasingly cancelled each other out.

With fuel levels running low in both tanks, extra time beckoned. Nobody dared mentioned the 'p' word, but it loomed menacingly in England's wing mirror.

Full time: England 1 – 1 Australia

Extra-time: The first half of extra-time brought no great changes. With plenty of longevity on offer from both apps and neither side willing to take risks in the corners, stalemate prevailed in the close and humid conditions.

And so we entered the final fifteen and the last chance for either side to win it before submitting to the lottery of a shoot-out.

Unsurprisingly considering their record, the English looked most intent on finishing the job from open-play and with 118 minutes on the clock they thought they'd done it. A hopeful long ball into the box took a lucky deflection off a defending spoiler and fell to a GTA who rifled a shot into the top corner.

Surely, that was the winner! 2-1 England...except no, the linesman had raised a flag and the local authorities had their notepad out.

As the slow-motion replays revealed, Rockstar's player had rather too literally rifled his shot, taking out a defender and knee-capping the 'keeper in a shameful drive-by en route to the goal. Not only was the goal ruled out, but a second yellow meant a spell in the clink so England would be without a key man as the inevitable ensued...Penalties!

A.e.t: England 1 - 1 Australia Penalties: Penalties, penalties, penalties. Traditionally, The Three Lions failed miserably from the spot. Would today produce a repeat of England's solitary shoot-out success v Spain or the dreaded Italia '90 reverse?

1. Graphics
2. Gameplay
3. Innovation

The signs were positive for both teams as the first six spot-kicks were dispatched with piston-like precision on behalf of Graphics, Gameplay, and Innovation.

So far, so even then, but Real Racing had a secret weapon in its glove compartment: it's unsurpassed opposing AI between the sticks. At 3-3 in the shoot-out, a nervous English character stepped forward to take the Controls pen.

4. Controls

Unfortunately for the Leeds-based centre forward, he didn't hit this one quite as cleanly as he'd hoped and although it was still bound for the corner, the Aussie 'keeper read his mind and (driving) gloved it round the post.

The striker collapsed to his knees and even the heartfelt consolations of his tooled-up colleagues couldn't rouse him to watch the Australian's pen. Just as well too, as it was cleanly and clinically dispatched. 4-3 Australia with just one pen to go.

5. Multiplayer and social features

Under phenomenal pressure in front of a capacity crowd, Rockstar's coach looked to his players for a volunteer to replace the man sent off in extra time. Who'd step up for their country? Who'd put their reputation on the line? Who'd be consigned to wear a vegetable for a head or appear in pizza ads? Hello? Anyone?

Belatedly, the truth dawned, as unlike the DS version, the iPhone outing for GTA Chinatown Wars didn't actually have any multiplayer modes, or much in the way of social features come to that.

After much muttering the vice-captain finally ambled forward to the strains of six awesome radio stations - after all music was a, erm, sociable medium, wasn't it?

Clearly lacking in confidence, (which was hardly helped by the final stocky Australian kicker confidently stretching out his wi-fi multiplayer and online leaderboards on the edge of the box), the brave Brit stepped up. Score this and England would still have a chance of taking it to sudden death updates; miss and they'd be dancing on the streets of Richmond, Victoria.

He kept his head down as he started the run-up, making it difficult for the keeper to get a read - would he go to the left or the right, opt for power or placement?

None of the above. Despite a purposeful swing of his left peg, the player took his eye off the ball at the crucial moment, completely scuffed the contact, and fell flat on his back as the ball rolled meekly to the right...but hang on, the keeper had already dived full-length to the left.

For a moment, the entire stadium was silent, time seemed to slow down, and everyone held their breath until...the ball bobbled wide, the Australian fans bubbled over the hoardings, and the GTA boys collapsed to the ground, heads-in-hands.

The unthinkable had happened again. When it mattered most, England's virtual shooting sticks had let them down from 12 yards. Recriminations would inevitably follow in the morning papers, but it wouldn't change the result.

The hosts were out and the Aussies were waltzing into the quarter final.

Final Score: England 1 - 1 Australia*
(Australia win 4-3 on penalties)
Final Group Tables - Fixtures & Voting - Squads

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Richard Brown
Richard Brown
With a degree in German up his sleeve Richard squares up to the following three questions every morning: FIFA or Pro Evo? XBox 360 or PS3? McNulty or Bunk?