This Autum is going to be a football-fest on mobile, with
FIFA 08,
Pro Evolution Soccer and
Real Football 2008 duking it out for top-dog status.
It might not be a big console brand, but on mobile
Real Football is the veteran of the bunch. We grabbed Gameloft product manager Nicolas Rodeghiero to find out more about the new version, and how it's going to take on the competition.
Pocket Gamer: The big change in Real Football 2008 is that it's fully 3D. What impact does this have?Nicolas Rodeghiero: With its players and stadia entirely modelled in 3D,
Real Football 2008 offers a new kind of football gaming experience on mobile.
First of all, the full 3D creates a unique visual impact for the player. It really gives you the feeling that you are watching a match on TV.
Thanks to the dynamic camera system, you can experience the matches up close – you follow the match with a lateral camera that slightly rotates. On free-kicks, through-in and penalty-kicks, the camera is placed just behind the kicker for a better overview of the field.
But the most amazing aspect is the new replay system. You can watch the last sequence of a play again in slow motion and from every angle by freely rotating the camera.
However, the visual impact is not limited to the camera system. Three famous stadiums and all players were modelled entirely in 3D, up to the smallest details. Also, numerous 3D cinematic scenes at the beginning and at the end of matches, during goal celebrations, after a foul, etc, add some intensity to game.
Finally, the full 3D also has an impact on playing sensations. Players' animations and the ball physics (the movement of the ball) are more realistic than in a 2D game. With the
2008 version, sensations are becoming closer to those experienced on consoles.
What are the other key changes and improvements over last year's edition?For more than five years, our team has adapted the development of football games and technologies on mobile to make
Real Football games evolve year after year.
There are many innovations in
Real Football, but the slightest innovation must also support the playability of the game. Playability is the heart of a football mobile game and, each year, we try to improve it.
As a result, we have waited until 2008 to make the first full 3D
Real Football game because it was impossible to do so before while preserving the playability.
One of the main improvements is linked to the artificial intelligence. In the
2008 version, each team has a different profile and each player has their own playing style and special attributes.
For instance, when you play with the Squadra Azzura, you will certainly notice the 'catenaccio' (defensive power) of Cannavaro's team mates, which contrasts with the direct playing style and long passes of English teams.
Also, if you observe Robinho, you will notice his ability to pierce defences. It is quite amazing to recognize a team and players simply by observing their behaviours on the field.
Moreover, this year, the
Real Football database is even bigger than before. You can choose from more than 200 teams, including clubs, national and legendary teams (100 in the
2007 opus), and about 4,300 players (1,600 in the
2007 opus). Each player has 17 skills and three physical attributes, which allowed us to create any type of football player.
There are also two new game modes among the seven available modes. With the Challenge mode, you relive matches that have left their marks on football history – 14 challenges are available. You can change the fate of the French national team after Zidane's foul during the last World Cup final (you even see the headbutt).
You can try to play as well as Liverpool after the Champions League final half-time, in 2005, against AC Milan. In the Road to 2008 mode, you take part in the next European Nations Cup, from qualifying rounds through the finale. You will play with the real pools and all the teams... even the most modest, like Andorra or Macedonia.
Finally, we also have a new system of place kicks. On the free-kick, you can choose from a direct kick, an assisted kick, a short or a long pass. On the corner kick, you can choose the receiver with a target and kick a short or a long pass. These new place kicks offer additional challenge and more freedom to the player.
Obviously, there's even bigger competition this year with Pro Evo joining the mobile crowd. What do you see as the key advantages and strengths of Real Football 2008?The competition will be tough, but
Real Football 2008 is well-equipped.
For five years, the objective of our team of football fans is to develop the most fun, realistic and immersive football game on mobile, to please the great community of football fans, regardless of the competition. That's why we always listen to players' expectations by organizing focus groups as the game's development progresses.
The main strength of
Real Football is its playability and the depth of its gameplay. You can easily control the player on the field and his movements are always flowing.
Football fans that are not used to playing football console games will be able to play
Real Football 2008 and perform numerous, amazing moves (volley, bicycle kick, header, one-two, through ball, etc) by pressing only a few keys on their phones. The advanced artificial intelligence also offers a great challenge for hardcore football gamers, if they choose the highest difficulty levels.
The quality of the 3D graphics is another advantage of
Real Football, as they make the most of next generation handsets. The level of detail is high, but the playability remains exceptional, without any slow downs.
Real Football is also exceptionally comprehensive. No other football game offers as many teams, game modes, dribbles, players, stadiums, etc.
Also, the intricate details of the game increases its realism. A speaker commentates, the coach reacts to plays, the goalkeeper's bottle sits behind his net, tackle marks lie within the turf, tiffos hover around the stadium, and you can choose the colour of the net, etc. There are lots of other small details that you'll notice while playing the game.
Our thanks to Nicolas for his time. See our
interview with Pro Evolution Soccer's mobile boss Axel de Rouge, and watch this space for a chat with the folk in charge of
FIFA 08, too. We're nothing if not even-handed.
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