Authenic and enjoyable soccer sim
Soccer fans looking for an officially licensed game will find the detail they want in this game and while it isn't the greatest football sim out there, if you've played all the rest, it's worth a look. The game features all the 16 teams from the '96 European Championships, along with all the players, and provides a number of playing options. These include a full championship, friendlies, and practice matches. The practice games are a good place to start, and allow you to hone your shooting skills in preparation for the real deal. The control system is nicely simple to pick up, but with enough depth to ensure that it will take time and skill to pull off the more complex moves. Graphically and sonically, the game takes a fairly realistic approach, with smooth and well detailed visuals, and plenty of background effects, including some comprehensive commentary. Generally, a good game of soccer is to be found here, although the AI isn't exactly the greatest, with matches being pretty easy to win. This really is the biggest drawback, with the added authenticity making this an attractive option for those after a deeper soccer sim than something like Sensible Soccer 2006, although for many Actua Soccer 3 remains the benchmark.
