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Sensible Soccer coming to XBLA in November
Fans of, well, Soccer, will be pleased as punch to learn that the remake of 1994's Sensible World of Soccer will finally be making its way to Xbox Live Arcade sometime this month. At least, it will if everything goes well, according to developer Codemasters.Codemasters producer Jim Brown tells Eurogamer that the classic Soccer/Football title still has another round of submissions internally, as well as Microsoft's own certification process, but that the team anticipates the game's availability on XBLA within the month. According to Brown, delays on the game's release have been due to the multiplayer network code, which has been reworked significantly for stability. Sensible World of Soccer was deemed one of the ten most important games of all time back in March, by a panel including our very own Chris Grant.
New at Japanese DS stations: Yosumin, Winning Eleven
Japanese DS owners (i.e. everybody) will have some new demos to try at DS download stations this month, in the form of Square Enix's puzzle game Yosumin and Konami's adorably named World Soccer Winning Eleven DS Goal x Goal! We're hoping that the availability of both of these games will lead to more information, especially about Yosumin. We've already learned from the screens that Winning Eleven features a slot machine that dispenses attribute points.Yosumin is the rectangle-clearing puzzle game first seen here as a demo, which, being a puzzle game, is somewhat of a departure for SE. We're watching this one with interest, because if it's successful, Square Enix's DS offerings may begin to diversify further. Also it's cute.
First Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 shots
Pro Evolution Soccer games may not always get pulses racing in the US, but the series does enjoy hit status here in Europe. Given the limitations of the DS, last year's PES 6 provided a surprisingly serviceable soccer game, despite being stripped of much of the detail and gameplay intricacies that appeared in the home console versions.Indeed, it sold well enough for Konami to give things another shot on the handheld, and CVG now has some of the first screens of Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 DS. Like last year, the whole thing is blocky as hell, but hey, at least it looks a little more intuitive than the holy mess that is the Wii version.Feint past the break for another couple of screens, or head to CVG for the full set.
A little more video of Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer
Konami seems to be one of the few companies using motion controls to make a game potentially more in-depth instead of more casual-friendly. That seems like the right approach for the new Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008. We can't imagine the Winning Eleven series being anything but complicated, and we wouldn't want to see it transition into a party game or whatever.GamesRadar took some video of the game in action, which allows us to see what a real gameplay session would look like. Pointing to pass seems like a natural method of control that will also allow for greater precision and quicker moves. Way to make us care about soccer games, Konami!
Friday Video: Keep your eye on the ball
Soccer fans, take note -- Konami's next installment of Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer is looking pretty good, and it seems they spent some time on the Wii controls. In this week's video spotlight, we've got a lengthy look at the control scheme ... and it's no watered-down, casual-friendly deal, either. Check out the video and see for yourself.
UK soccer boss losing players to 'video game passion'
Harry Redknapp, manager of the Portsmouth team in the English Premier League, has expressed some concern about what he believes is a lack of local lads willing to kick balls and score goals. In a column for The Sun, he opines that the British working class is turning its back on the sport, too absorbed by the fancy graphics and inert pleasures of digital entertainment. It seems back in his day, the kids "lived and breathed football." But now? "All I see are the dazzling lights of bedroom windows from the glare of TVs and computers." Unconcerned by his admittance to being some sort of peeping tom, Harry insists that the "hunger and drive" of working class boys has been replaced by "video game passion." If "football cannot compete with an X-Box," the situation must be especially grave when said "X-box" is playing FIFA '08. Unable to face the insurgence of gaming in a constantly changing youth culture, Redknapp reckons he'll turn to Africa's players who "want it more." It's not like they have video games there... right?
Wii releases for the week of October 8th
Much like last week, this week is chock full of new releases for our beloved Wii. There's even one release that was to already be released last week, but had to be bumped forward to this week. There's even a title that originated on the GameCube releasing this week (which we've had some mixed feelings about).. Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast Balls of Fury FIFA Soccer 08 Bleach: The Shattered Blade Thrillville: Off the Rails Looney Tunes: ACME Arsenal Mercury Meltdown: Revolution Rock and Roll Adventures
FIFA '08 headed to Mac?
Inside Mac Games reports that one of their readers, while registering FIFA '08 for the PC on the Windows side of Boot Camp, noticed that EA has both PC and Mac versions of the uberpopular soccer -- sorry, football -- videogame listed for registration. And that's a pretty good indication, of course, that FIFA '08 is on its way for the Mac.Personally, I've never really gotten into videogame soccer-- the last soccer game I really loved was Nintendo World Cup way back in 1990. And while I hear that Winning Eleven is the biggest star in the genre right now (although Sensible Soccer, I know, has its fans), FIFA is definitely still competitive. Lots of football fans, I'm sure, would love to see it on the Mac.So we'll see. Obviously no release date yet (although a good guess would be by the end of '08 -- snicker), and we'll see if EA just slipped up or if they really plan to release this one. But FIFA '08 would be yet another nice addition to the growing line of games for our platform.
Winning Eleven DS Goal x Goal: Screens x Screens
Check out some screens from the other Eleven. This isn't the soccer RPG from Level-5, but rather the plain-vanilla soccer game from Konami. With RPG elements. Or at least, a shop. Winning Eleven DS Goal x Goal is the sequel to the game that released as Winning Eleven Pro Evolution Soccer 2007 in the U.S.So why would we be interested in a DS soccer game? Well, it's got some bonus minigames! If that helps. Oh, and it's got 2-on-2 Wi-Fi play. Also, despite the fact that reviews for the first Winning Eleven DS game were mixed, people really enjoy those Winning Eleven games, we've heard.
Making of FIFA 08 Wii
So, EA has been doing these behind-the-scenes videos for upcoming soccer football title FIFA08. The latest one, which has that exotic flavor that only comes from being in French, takes a look at the controls in the game. With the power of the Wiimote and nunchuk, you'll have to actually perform throw ins like you would should you were playing the actual sport, like, outside.We've also tucked another video taking a look at motion capturing past the break.
Level-5 bringing soccer RPG to the DS
Level-5 is set to bring a very unique title to the DS in Japan. A soccer game with RPG mechanics, Inazuma Eleven was first revealed via Famitsu magazine in Japan. The game will charge players with taking on rival teams, all while controlling the action with the stylus.As if that weren't enough, the game is also going to support wi-fi, allowing players to battle each other online as well as exchange things. The game will also feature over 1,000 different characters.You can't get a weirder combination of genres and, because of that, we're instantly interested.
The best PS3 game at Leipzig was a soccer game
The Leipzig Games Convention has come and gone, and the critics agree: Konami's Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 is the best PS3 game on the show floor. What? I guess Sony made a big deal about FIFA for no reason. The jury stated "Football is coming home: the best current football game celebrates its PS3 premiere with diving, wall building and complete online support - including leagues and rankings."The game is apparently so good that it also won an award for being the best PS2 game at the show. We knew that Germans loved their soccer, but we didn't know that they'd prefer this game over all the other games at Games Conference! A shock victory, perhaps?
LGC07: FIFA 08 to include video uploads, 5 vs. 5 online play
EA announced some new details on the next iteration of the FIFA series here at Leipzig today. Firstly, FIFA 08 will play at 60 frames per second on the PS3, so EA has clearly gotten over whatever development problems it had with Madden. The game also has an impressive feature list as far as team and league numbers go: 30 leagues 575 teams 15000 players Each of these players will supposedly use 35% more processing power whilst playing than in any previous versions of the game resulting in 1000 decisions made per second per player. We're not sure we can make even close to that many decisions per second, as we still have trouble deciding just which flavor of fruit drink to purchase. Will that leave us at a disadvantage?After seeing all the FIFA 07 videos on YouTube, EA decided it would make it easier for players and integrate video uploads directly into the game. There are no details regarding where they will be uploaded to, but for the moment we're optimistic about this feature. Finally, an announcement came regarding a post-launch downloadable extra mode which will allow gamers to play 10 person 5 vs. 5 matches online. Up to 10 consoles (EA said PS3s, but we're assuming it will be available for the 360 too) can connect online for true member-of-the-team online football (yes, football, not soccer) action.
Hudson Soft throws their cap into the minigames ring
Hudson Soft recently announced Deca Sports, a minigame collection with -- obviously -- ten different game types that actually look pretty interesting. The game, which is set to come out this year, was revealed in Japanese magazine V-Jump and appears to include tennis, archery, volleyball, go karts, basketball, and more. As far as sports collections go, Deca Sports actually looks pretty ambitious, and the scanned screenshots are easy on the eyes. Check 'em out for yourself after the break. Looks like EA Playground is going to have a little competition! Frankly, we may have to come down on the side of archery, but controls and content will certainly be a factor for each. We can't wait to see more.
Nao robot replaces AIBO in RoboCup Standard Platform League
Aldebaran Robotics' Nao robot didn't exactly have all that many skills to show off at the recent RoboCup in Atlanta, but it apparently had enough to earn itself a place as the new de facto bot for the Standard Platform League (previously known as the Four-Legged League). Until now, that position had been held by Sony's AIBO, who will now apparently be relegated to cheering on its bipedal successor from the sidelines. The Standard Platform League, as the same suggests, requires all competitors to use the same robot, placing all the focus on software development instead of hardware tweaking. Unfortunately, it seems that you'll still have to wait a bit if you're thinking about competing as, last we heard, there was still no word on pricing or availability for the long-in-development Nao.[Via Robot Dreams]
Bluetooth SoundBall makes a racket when kicked
Although we're sure you've had your fill of soccer thanks to the recent onslaught at RoboCup 2007, Aleksei Stevens' SoundBall was just too good to let roll by. This Bluetooth-enabled, sensor-laden soccer ball may not look all that paranormal, but giving it a swift boot triggers communication between the ball and a nearby computer, which then converts the signals into beeps, boops, and other far out katzenjammer. As expected, different blows, rolls, and turns send out varying notes, and while talking about sound can only convey so much of the story, why not take a listen for yourself after the jump?[Via CNET]
RoboCup 2007: Winners roundup
Amid the oil, chips and gears of the gladiatorial sport of RoboCup, only the toughest, bravest, and those with the longest lasting batteries can emerge victorious. Like all great clashes, whether on the battlefield or on the ballfield, only one man (er, bot) can call him / her / itself a "winner." So who did win in RoboCup 2007? Well, the final standings (as detailed on the Cup's Wiki) don't exactly make for light or even sensible reading, but it appears that the foreboding yet attractive Team Osaka was beat out by Team NimbRo from the University of Freiburg in the Best Humanoid Robot event, the Tribots from the University of Osnabruck took home the middle-size league trophy, and the four-legged winners were the Nothern Bites, hailing from Bowdoin College in the US. For all the stats, you'll want to cozy up to a terminal with a nice, large cup of coffee and some serious hang time.[Via CNET]
Microscopic robots get their game on at RoboCup
Sure, witnessing the robotic incarnation of Ronaldo totally school his opponent and whip a game winner into the back corner of the net is quite impressive, but watching a nanoscale iteration attempt to do the same demands a slightly smaller (figuratively speaking, of course) level of respect for the creators. A total of five teams from North America and Switzerland built microscopic competitors that were around "six times smaller than an amoeba and weighed no more than a few hundred nanograms." The wee devices showed their stuff in the oh-so-fascinating Nano Cup soccer match, which had to be projected onto a screen in order for anyone to actually take a look at the action. Notably, several teams made mention of these diminutive creatures eventually ending up in various locales within the body, but we're sure the hardcore athletes were more focused on the final score than any future endeavours in the medical realm.
Robo Ronaldo scores midfield RoboCup goal
You've had ample time to scope out the vastness that is RoboCup 2007, but the fourth day of competition brought a little something extra in the form of an uber-talented soccer bot. The machines, which look an awful lot like those entered by Team Osaka, took to the pitch in order to give onlookers something to cheer about, and the videoed matchup between the forward and fullback captured the midfield goal perfectly. Interestingly enough, it seems that the defender either lost his footing or fell victim to a vicious headbutt to the chest, but his demise allowed the calculating shooter to line up an exquisite shot to the corner of the net. Enough color commentary, hit the read link to catch it for yourself.[Thanks, Danish K.]
EA Sports introduces kid-friendly waggle with "Family Play"
Never let it be said that EA can't innovate! Whatever we usually think of EA Sports, their new Family Play control system is really cool. Madden '08, NBA Live '08, and FIFA Soccer '08 will all include Wiimote-and-Nunchuk-based control schemes that will allow players to "take full control of the game"-- running, passing, kicking (not so much in NBA Live) and such. But they'll also include simplified Wiimote-only control schemes that reduce the games to Wii Sports-level . The controls become fully gestural, and the AI takes over some of the gameplay tasks that were previously yours. The coolest part? You can switch back and forth on the fly, just by plugging in or unplugging the Nunchuk. Even the method of choosing controls is streamlined. We are quite impressed.
