Glitchy Soccer Battle Would Be a Better Title - Future Soccer Battle Review
Many moons ago, my son and I played the bejeezus out of a truly fun arcade-y soccer game called Sega Soccer Slam. More recently, I introduced my six-year-old nephew to the glory that is Super Mario Strikers (or as Nintendo is calling it now, Mario Strikers: Battle League, but I refuse to acknowledge this change for reasons). The game I am now reviewing, Future Soccer Battle, is much like those aforementioned alt-sports titles, just a good bit more violent. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Let’s find out...
In the world of the future, the most popular sport is Future Soccer Battle, a kind of indoor soccer where all of the players are tricked out cyborgs with armor and guns. It’s the perfect diversion for those who enjoy a little (or a lot) of combat mixed with their soccer.
The gameplay and rules for Future Soccer Battle are essentially the same as a normal game of soccer: You have to play against the other team to score more goals than them, but here the players can shoot the opposing players with their guns. If a player is shot, he will be knocked out or stunned for a few seconds—with the exception of the goalkeepers, who are protected by an energy shield. There are twenty teams to choose from to challenge the arcade mode or to play just a single match.
The good here (the Ted Lasso, if you will): It’s a fun idea (even if the “combat sports” thing has been done several times before with games like Speedball and the previously mentioned Sega Soccer Slam and Mario Strikers) with well-rendered and colorful graphics. In short bursts and single matches it plays well enough to be a satisfying diversion for those who love a simple game of the ol’ footie.
The bad here (the Carlos Kaiser, if you will): All the players look exactly the same in Future Soccer Battle...just with different country-coded colorings on their combat armor. There are no special moves, crosses, or through balls, or even any charge moves at all. On top of that, the controls seem sluggish at times, and it’s rather difficult to aim and shoot.
Also the computer AI on both the opposing team and controlling your teammates is staggeringly dumb at times. They will shoot (both with their guns and the ball) at nothing, and the goalkeeper will just randomly throw the ball back out into the field to just about anyone after making a save. As an old goalie myself this hurt my soul. Seriously.
The ugly here (the Vinnie Jones, if you will): I twice encountered a game breaking bug in Future Soccer Battle while playing the arcade/tournament mode. It happened after the idiot goalie made a save and the ball caromed over the net to the area behind the net but before the (virtual) stands. At that point, the game should reset with a corner kick or something, as the ball is out of bounds, but no, not in this case. The ball just sat there and no one could get to it. The computer players tried to literally run through the net to get to it, and the player that I had under control was stymied by an invisible barrier just past the end line. The game finally reset at halftime—a good two minutes later.
The game also hard-crashed on me in the arcade mode at the Street Fighter II-esque menu screen, where a plane is shown flying to the country of my next opponent. I had to restart the game each time this happened, which was of course rather annoying. For a title that came out some time ago, I feel that the issues mentioned above, specifically the bugs, should have been addressed in some fashion with a patch or something by now. They clearly have not, so it’s difficult for me to recommend Future Soccer Battle even though it has some cool ideas and gameplay. It may be worth fighting through the frustration if you dig a good game of arcade-style soccer.
SCORE: 2 STARS OUT OF 5
PLAY IF YOU LIKE:
• Captain Tsubasa ZERO - Miracle Shot. Give Future Soccer Battle a whirl if you enjoyed GMO GP Inc.’s well-designed arcade sports/anime experience.
• Sega Soccer Slam. Future Soccer Battle may not be as tightly designed and over-the-top as Sega’s overlooked masterpiece, but it has similar play mechanics for sure.
💬 Have you played Future Soccer Battle? Let us know what you think of it in the comments! Even if you haven’t played it, leave a comment sharing your thoughts on your favorite “combat sports” titles! And no one better say Bill Laimbeer’s Combat Basketball...
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