Lacklustre soccer sim
The football genre in the 1990s was one which creaked heavily under the sheer weight of so many releases, with new titles seemingly published every week, and which makes seeking them all out a rather tricky affair. The Premiership is another such entry and despite a few interesting additions and innovations to the tried and tested formula, it sadly stands as little more than a curio, suited only to diehard soccer fans. Among the better features of the game are its managerial aspects, with an extensive range of options which allow players to keep track of their team's finances, training, transfers and other such vital facets of running a successful soccer team. One particularly neat option is the ability to select a 'hatchet man' for an upcoming game, a player who can be relied upon to carry out some ruthless hacking or other unscrupulous task! You can also choose from the standard set of formations before starting a match, and also give out worldly words of wisdom to your players as they hit the pitch, including such gems as 'Just play football and avoid all tackles' or 'Kick the !!!! out of them!!' The main gameplay takes the topdown approach familiar from Kick Off or Sensible Soccer but unfortunately The Premiership lacks the excitement and thrills offered by these classics. While the off-pitch aspects are a neat touch and lend the game some variety that will be appreciated by armchair managers, they are rather poorly integrated and somewhat lacking in depth. If you're after a managerial game, then Premier Manager 3 is a better bet. Likewise, the on-pitch action is not as fun as other games, making this a soccer sims strictly for diehard fans and completists.
