World Tour Soccer: Challenge Edition

Football is undisputedly the greatest game on earth but somehow it hasn't managed to really crack America - the problem is the lack of goals.

For US sport fans, it doesn't matter whether it's slam-dunking a basket, hitting a homer or catching a touchdown as long as scores keep coming thick and fast. We can't change the working of the real sport but in terms of sport games, this is where World Tour Soccer comes to play. Or to use a football punditry, this game is somewhat naive at the back.

To be more direct, it's a defensive nightmare. Tackles which seem routine in midfield become virtually impossible when your players are back to goal. Positional play would leave Alan Hansen weaping, while the frequently fallible keepers rarely help matters either, staying resolutely on their line to be beaten by outrageous drives and getting their angles all wrong at the near post.

That these defensive frailties don't ruin the game says much for World Tour Soccer's overall quality and a knack for doing the simple things well. The control system is slick and responsive, allowing you to move players with either the d-pad or the analogue thumb controller and using the top buttons to sprint. You can pull off a range of passes at will, from short balls to feet and chipped crosses to first-time-flicks and through balls in order to pick out your team-mates (which is made easier by a nifty arrow system showing where off-screen players are).

There's a genuine feel of control when shooting too, which is absent in other games, so that when the ball goes wide you know it's because you overhit it. Set-pieces are equally simple: use an arrow to indicate direction; set the power and try to get on the end of your corner/free kick. Indeed World Tour Soccer's is probably the easiest 'pick up and play' footie sim we've come across.

Admittedly, the purists might claim it's all a little too simple. The lack of aftertouch or a manual pass option means you're not offered as much control of your players as the more sophisticated titles (like the Pro Evolution Soccer series), although there are some advanced skill moves to master such as stepovers and spins. There's a good range of tactics to select from as well, with an equally intuitive management system allowing you to set up a wide variety of formations by cycling through position setups and overall style

Swapping players is just as easy and, thanks to the FIFPro license, the game includes accurately named players of just about every international and club side you could wish for. Somewhat bizarrely though most of these teams are 'locked' by default, requiring you to win competitions and earn points in order to use them. The lack of a league set-up is also slightly niggling, but is at least partly compensated for by the wide range of international and club cups, a suitably slick multiplayer wi-fi mode, plus a brand new challenge mode which awards points for skilful play, good passing and precise defending, thus encouraging the development of your game. This is a genuinely welcome innovation which adds an extra dimension to the challenge.

And even the defensive problems have an upside as the opposition's defences are just as frail as yours (until you progress to the highest Master Class level at least), so when you're in possession there's more chance of finding the net. Whereas defending frequently descends into frantic hammering of buttons to clear the ball, attacking is a joy, with first time passes, through balls and some brilliant movement off-the-ball by supporting players allowing you to tear most defences apart at will and craft some truly gorgeous goals.

There's no 'best way' to score either, with everything from tap-ins and deflections to flicked headers, lobs and 30-yard-screamers equally likely to bulge the net. Indeed play on anything more than the minimum four minute game and scores reaching double-figures are common. Even in a four minute match we were regularly slotting 3 or 4 against international opposition. But let's face it, you never get tired of scoring - hey maybe the Americans are right after all?

So overall this is an impressive performance. But, of course, as every true fan knows, winning the league is a marathon not a sprint and with the likes of Pro Evolution on the way World Tour Soccer is going to have to tighten up its defence if it wants to stay top of the heap longterm.

World Tour Soccer: Challenge Edition is on sale now.

World Tour Soccer: Challenge Edition

The soccer sim as managed by Kevin Keegan; immediately likeable, full of promise and always exciting to watch, but inadequacies at the back prevent it from taking the honours
Score
Chris James
Chris James
A footy game fanatic and experienced editor of numerous computing and game titles, bossman Chris is up for anything – including running Steel Media (the madman).