soccer
Latest
The Goalkeeper: Every position will be famous for 15 minutes
Dateline, Macworld SF 2007: Mac game publishers have jumped on the SPSG bandwagon with a slew of Single Position Sports Games sure to thrill fans. We now have Placekicker, full of the excitement of the point-after conversion; Power Forward II Gold for hoops enthusiasts who need that extra bit of muscle; and the long-awaited but controversial split-screen title, Pitchers & Catchers: Spring Training. Who could ask for anything more?OK, those titles are all fictional (or possibly just wishful thinking). But this one isn't: The Goalkeeper, new from Winterwolves. This strangely specific soccer-sim is the perfect game for anyone who doesn't have enough fast-moving objects flying towards their head. You can build up your own 'keeper' character, with a mix of skills including Handling, Reflexes, Jumping and Charisma (the same set, oddly enough, used in the upcoming Tom & Katie: The Sims expansion pack :-). Once you get comfortable with the whole goaltending thing, you can jump up a simulation level and tweak your attitude towards your team -- useful in ANY workplace. You can even argue with your own coach if he decides to bench you, probably as a result of your lousy attitude toward your team. Slacker!I'm guessing that the market for this title may lie largely outside the ol' U.S. of A. Then again, I have colleagues who were so World Cup-mad that we ended up rigging QuickTime Streaming Server to pointcast the games on our LAN and avoid productivity losses lest people disappear to nearby taverns. Perhaps I'll pick up a couple of copies of The Goalkeeper as athletic-stocking-stuffers. Goooooooooaaaalllll!!![via MacNN]
SABC unveils HD broadcast unit for 2010 World Cup
While the World Cup in Germany led to skyrocketing HDTV sales, additions of channels, and worldwide recognition (South America notwithstanding), things have remained up in the air regarding the HD status of the next go 'round. While we've found that HD would be coming to South Africa at least partly in response to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, we still weren't exactly sure if everything would pan out so smoothly. While Sony's hoping to get into the football madness itself, SABC -- the host broadcaster for the matches -- has officially (and finally) acquired its first "outside HD broadcast unit" featuring "the latest in high definition technology." Moreover, the nearly $15 million unit is said to be "the first of its kind" on the entire continent, and will hopefully deliver the crystal clear picture and sound we HD sports lovers crave. If you're troubled that such a luxurious unit must wait three agonizing years to be put to good use, take heart, as SABC is already broadcasting "international cricket matches" with its newfangled toy.
IR Robot offers up next generation of foosball: Robot Sports Game
Sure, capping off a hard-fought round of Airhockey over a distance with a shifty hat trick elicits a great deal of satisfaction (or disdain), but sometimes we prefer to one on one, up close and personal. Coming from nowhere other than South Korea, IR Robot has unveiled a clever hybrid of foosball and rollerball that pits two to four combatants against one another in a slightly violent game of robotic soccer - one that puts Mr. Soccer Robot Football to shame . The remote-controlled carts are electrified from the table's surface, and can move in any direction while busting 360s on command in an attempt to land the ball in the opponent's goal. While we don't have any details concerning price or availability, we've definitely found the next addition to Engadget HQ's arcade room right here.
Winning Eleven headed to the Wii
Wiinning Eleven? Oh, we couldn't resist. In any case, the extremely popular soccer sim (which almost consistently dominates European sales charts immediately upon release) is coming to the Wii, complete with (you guessed it) a revamped control system designed specially for the system. As cool as a "power boot" clip-on ankle-brace for the Wiimote would be, however, we think it'll be something slightly more traditional. Strangely enough, the CVG article mentions whispers of that very insanity taking place in EA's camp, with the FIFA series. Bizarre. Winning Eleven is a brilliant series, and it's great news for Nintendo to have the series aboard. Note to the confused: Winning Eleven is also known as Pro Evolution Soccer in many parts of the world, including Europe. In retrospect, shouldn't it be called Pro Evolution Football over there? Hmm.
FIFA 360 deserves red card, EA gyps again
It's as simple as this: FIFA 07 for Xbox 360 will include 7 professional leagues (actually, just 6, as Juventus is the only team featured from Italy Serie B) and 21 stadiums for $59.99. FIFA 07 for Xbox/PS2 will feature 28 leagues and 47 stadiums for just $39.99. Which one you buyin'? Heck, even the thrifty ($29.99) DS version's got 25 leagues packed inside that tiny cart, which begs the question: what's limiting EA's "next-gen" sports releases? Both FIFA and Madden continue to lack content and features present in the Xbox and PS2 versions. The good news is, Pro Evolution Soccer's arrival on Xbox 360 will likely encourage EA to clean up its act for the next go-around. Unfortunately, without competition, the same can't be said for Madden ... [Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
Winning Eleven Special Edition DS
So, Nintendo finally tossed us a bone and set the Black and Pink version of the DS Lite for release in North America. Still, any real gamer knows that all the awesome special edition everythings are Japan-only, and this little beauty is no exception. Soocer/football fans, go ahead and drool...the stylistic playbook sketch makes the Onyx Lite that much hotter. Sure, if you want it badly enough, you can import it...but who knows how much you'll be paying?
Pro Evo Soccer exclusivity proves enigmatic
Furious footie fans were quick to cry foul when Microsoft announced at the Leipzig Games Convention that Pro Evolution Soccer 6 was to be a 12-month, next-gen exclusive for the Xbox 360. The initial wave of anger has since been replaced with confusion, as several remarks from Konami seem to indicate that Microsoft was already celebrating a goal which they hadn't quite scored yet. Has Microsoft been caught in a lie or is this merely a case of misinterpretation and marketing hyperbole? The story thus far: After the initial announcement, Konami shoots down claims that Pro Evolution Soccer 6 is exclusive to the Xbox 360, pointing out that the game is a planned "multi-platform release" in order to satisfy "as many people as possible." Konami was right to take issue, as Microsoft never claimed to have total exclusivity. The deal only encompasses next-generation platforms. That means the PS2 version, sure to be the most widely played one, remains unaffected. Next, 1UP has a chat with series producer Shingo Takatsuka and triumphantly reveals that "Winning Eleven is not exclusive to Xbox 360." Well done, especially considering that Microsoft was speaking about Pro Evolution Soccer and not Winning Eleven. Same game, different regions. Microsoft is certainly to blame for not clarifying further, but nabbing Pro Evolution Soccer affects European territories, the only place where the series goes by that name. Takatsuka goes on to say that Konami "never said exclusive for one year on the next-gen platforms. We said this year. We were agreed that it was this year." The agreement largely occurs by default, as the man admits that the PS3 entry in the series has no chance of being completed before 2007. Next Spring is the earliest date it could see release and even then, it would be the Japanese Winning Eleven first, followed by the European edition. Can Konami put together the European release before 12 months have elapsed? Absolutely, especially if they want to prove Microsoft wrong. It would seem that Microsoft could be accused of being overly vague but not of being untruthful. Both Microsoft and Konami are correct and the confusion thus far is only due to different naming conventions and choice marketing words. Still, it'll be interesting to see which really lasts the longest -- Microsoft's 12 months or Konami's development time on a PS3 Pro Evolution Soccer 6. The race is on. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in.] Read -- Microsoft's original announcement. Read -- Konami denies 360 exclusivity. Read -- Series producer chimes in on the situation.
Mario Strikers Charged in the field
Wow, Peach! Now that's what we call a chest trap. And here we thought Nintendo wasn't about exaggerating the female form. But that aside, the game strikes home on the excitement front, particularly after all the screenshots we've seen from this upcoming title since LGC. This video clocks in at just over a minute and includes some decent gameplay footage, though the quality isn't the best.
EuroGamer: MS pwned Leipzig
EuroGamer discusses Microsoft's dominance at the Leipzig Game Convention. Choice quotes: "The PR victory scored by Microsoft here cannot be underestimated. The power of the company's spin machine continues to leave the rest of the games industry in awe even after an entire console generation of experience" ..."There is a very clear winner, and a very clear loser, in the Leipziger Messe this week, as 150,000 consumers are currently finding out - and hundreds of press types have already discovered. The winner is Microsoft." Being European, these guys make a big deal out of Microsoft cornering the soccer market. However, 1up reports that MS may have..gulp..exaggerated (normally a Sony trademark) the extent of that coup (It looks like Pro Evo/Winning 11 and FIFA are "exclusive" only until the Konami and EA can finish developing them for the PS3). Was Sony's lack of a response due to calm knowledge that MS was over-selling its football shut out, or just their usual "Riiiiidge Racer" corporate buffoonery? [Thanks Charch & Lorul2]
Mario Strikers Charged pics and analysis
LGC may not have dropped the launch bombshell we all wanted, but the advent of sequels to two excellent Gamecube titles is nothing to scoff at. A French website, Puissance Nintendo, has a nice collection of screen caps for the newly announced Mario Strikers Charged, and show off some interesting facets of the game. The title screen, shown above, has three options available: Domination Mode, Road to the Striker Cup, and Striker Challenges. One can assume that Domination Mode is a simple, pick-up-and-play option; Road to the Striker Cup is the longer, tournament- or franchise-based mode; Striker Challenges, then, must be a series of missions or simple challenges designed to hone one's skills. The character selection screen only shows four initial players; the rest must be unlocked in some form or another. One silhouette is clearly Bowser Jr., and others have claimed that Pikachu, Ness, and Link can also been seen in the bottom row. The characters have four statistics: Movement, Shooting, Passing, and Defense. Overall, the visual style feels similar to the Gamecube version. The original Super Mario Strikers was an excellent later Gamecube title; here's hoping the Wii version can live up to the hype.
FIFA and Pro Evo sock it to Sony
In a Zidane-style head butt to the World Cup dreams of PS3 fanboys across the globe, Microsoft announced that both FIFA 2007 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 for at least a year. Always eloquent Xbox Europe boss Chris Lewis said it best: "Xbox 360 owns football." This shut out probably won't shatter too many shins stateside, but it should provide an added edge in the football-crazed international market. GOOOOOOOAAAAAAAL! [Thanks Rogue Soul]
Fujitsu Siemens kits up with football club crested laptops
Custom laptop designs are a dime a dozen these days, with everything from fast car logos to glorious "Pink Feather" designs being stamped onto the back of LCDs in an attempt to draw the eyes of punters looking for a new lappie. The latest custom job on the market is Fujitsu Siemens' team of soccer themed laptops which don the colors and crests of four different UK clubs: Celtic, Aston Villa, Everton, and Tottenham Hotspur, to be precise. Under the soccer shirts, the laptops are Amilo 1536 models featuring 1280 x 800 15-inch displays powered by a 128MB ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 graphics adapter. Dig a little deeper and you'll find a 1.83GHz Core Duo processor, 1GB of DDR2 RAM, and a roomy 120GB 5400RPM SATA drive. Not quite striker material, we know, but the £1000 (plus three year warranty) price tag ain't too shabby considering the bundled paint job. Fujitsu Siemens is promising other clubs will join the line-up to celebrate the recent start of the Premiership season, although don't expect any teams with notable rivalries to be released at the same time. If you follow English football, you'll notice that the first four club themed laptops are a rather disparate lot: there's no Liverpool to go with Everton, no Rangers to go with Celtic, and so on. These guys obviously know how to manage their laptop teams without starting a football riot.[Via Reg Hardware]
Microsoft head butts FIFA, Pro Evo Soccer into exclusivity
Speaking at the Leipzig Games Convention, Microsoft has announced that if you want to play the most graphically impressive footy games without gallivanting outside and running the risk of getting someone's head lodged in your chest, you'll have to do it on the Xbox 360. In what is sure to be a valuable coup, both FIFA 2007 and Pro Evolution Soccer 6 are bound exclusively to the Xbox 360 for a period of 12 months. The latter game is hugely popular in Europe and may prove to be quite a head butting killer app for Microsoft's next-generation console. The exclusivity doesn't include current generation consoles, it seems, but a significantly improved 360 version of Pro Evolution Soccer with Xbox Live support would likely prove irresistable to most. As for FIFA, well, it has "ultra realistic player motion and delivers complete responsiveness due to its ability to branch animations and the real-time calculation of real human biomechanics," according to producer Hugues Ricour. "Essentially our software engineers are writing human decision-making code." Look forward to not making a decision at all regarding the console when you buy a next-gen soccer game in 2007.
Nintendo unveils Mario Strikers and Battalion Wars sequels at Leipzig, little else [update 2]
And the first new game to be marched onto the stage at the Leipzig Games Convention is Mario Strikers Charged, a Wii sequel to Mario's Gamecube exercise in frantic ball kicking. Eurogamer reports that the game is visually similar to the previous entry, but that it now sports special moves for the Wiimote. You can seemingly hold the Wii controller up to block incoming shots with your hands, though more enterprising players will surely have a lot more fun (and awkward injuries) strapping the wiimote to a foot and going ballistic. Battalion Wars 2 -- as in BWii -- was also announced and is expected to be playable on the show floor. No new information on it yet, but rest assured that we'll keep you updated. That being the opposite of what Nintendo has done regarding Wii launch information, of course. Many expected their "Wii Prove Our Promise" keynote to toss a stick of dynamite into the Wii rumor mil and blow the constant launch date hearsay and price pontification to unrecognizable smithereens, but Nintendo has deemed it necessary to keep people in the dark for a little bit longer. We'll get you for this, Iwata.[Update: One other minor announcement: Europe gets the gloriously pink DS Lite on October 27th.][Update: There's some video footage now up of the game. Check it out here and after the break.]
Robo-One Robot Battle Ball -- heck yes
Sure, that crazy idea of soccer bots besting the human World Cup champs by 2050 will be plenty fun 44 years from now, but how about a bit of entertainment in the here and now? Robo-One has just the thing with their new Robot Battle Ball competition, which mixes the tried and true dynamics of soccer, but throws out all the lame rules like "no hands" and "no head-butting." The result is a rather entertaining game, and though the contestants are currently remote-controlled, we're sure these little bots will figure out the necessary maliciousness on their own before long. So peep the read link, watch the related video of Robot Battle Ball action and get ready for the next big thing in sports. At least until NFL starts back up again. Oh wait, nevermind.
Winning Eleven and yet another DS bundle
Because we need options when we're looking to buy a DS Lite, and Nintendo knows us for the bundle junkies we are, Konami's World Soccer Winning Eleven will be bundled with the Jet Black DS Lite in late September. Of course, the black Lite is being released September 2 in Japan, but the Winning Eleven version is reportedly prettied up with a special graphic a la the Pikachu Lite. What'll it be? Konami's not telling yet ... but we're holding out for a sweet headbutt shot. And bad news, soccer fans -- looks like this bundle is only going to be offered in Japan for now. [Via The MagicBox]
MLS pushing "The Beautiful Game" on HDNet
In case you didn't have your fill of high definition round-ball football action during the World Cup on ABC & ESPN, Major League Soccer wants you to remember we play some soccer in HD over here too. They've scheduled 10 of the remaining 15 HDNet broadcast games, 7 of which will be exclusive to the network. All are broadcast in 1080i and 5.1 surround, the list of games scheduled so far follows.
In case you were wondering about import demos...
Overly optimistic reader Duscrom downloaded the demo for Namco's weird first-person soccer title, Love Football, to an American 360 via his Japanese XBL account. He dejectedly reports that, while Marketplace isn't blocked, "import" demos are indeed region encoded (Not very surprising, but you can't knock a fanboy for trying). It's a fact made more frustrating by the knowledge that piles of NTSC-J games are collecting dust on store shelves as I type, ignored by infamously picky Japanese gamers. Why not make these demos available to the rest of us, if only to create buzz and international goodwill? I'm sure there are plenty of appreciative, paying customers who would love to give, say, Bullet Witch a shot.
Breakfast Topic: Football and WoW
For me, venturing into Azeroth is a form of escapism. The real life intersects with WoW in many ways, from various in-game pop culture references to events like Noblegarden and Winter Veil. However, sometimes there are parts of the real life you don't want to see in your virtual world of choice.With the recent World Cup fever, England has gone football (or soccer, to some) crazy. I'm not a fan of the game; let's skip the anti-football rant for now. I foolishly thought WoW might remain a football-free zone, but logging on to the European servers these days gets a fair few /yells, spam in General ("Come on ENGLAAAAAAAAAAAAAND") and even talk in various other chat channels. It's impossible to ignore everyone talking about the game, and yet I wish I could. Not only does it break the immersion, it's tiresome.Are the American servers succumbing to World Cup fever? Or are they truly football-free? If the latter, I may have to dust off an alt or two. Or should I suffer the spam in order to conduct an extensive investigation into the declining number of PuGs when a match is on?
