If you’ve never played a soccer simulator before then odds are you’re probably not that interested in soccer. It would be beneficial to remedy this unfortunate situation by playing First Touch Soccer, as this game will not only entertain and engross you but may just give you an appreciation for the beautiful game (soccer, that is). Combining an intuitive user interface, crisp graphics, smooth gameplay and loads of options, First Touch Soccer is an every-man sport-sim which will provide hours upon hours of challenging entertainment that will keep you coming back for more.
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| Is the guy wearing black levitating?!? |
From the moment you first turn the game on you’ll be struck by the beautiful graphics and the simple, yet effective, layout of the game. The options menus are easy to navigate, the team set-up screen provides a plethora of information on each player yet couldn’t be simpler to modify, and the game controls are mounted in the bottom corners of the screen, well aligned for your thumbs. A virtual joystick in the bottom left corner responds smoothly to minor adjustments and means you can control your player’s runs to perfection as well accurately direct your passes and shots. In the bottom right hand corner you’ll find three buttons which are all you need to co-ordinate both your offensive and defensive actions, depending upon whether or not you have the ball. In attack you have the capabilities to pass along the ground, lob the ball over a variety of distances and take a shot on goal, the power of each decided by how long you hold down the appropriate button. In defence, your arsenal includes a standing tackle, a sliding tackle and a button to change which player you control at the time.
The best thing about the layout is that it helps make it so simple to get to grips with the way the game works. There has been some criticism from various reviewers levelled at First Touch Soccer for being too slow in gameplay but a slower pace to the game is not necessarily a bad thing. For example, it means that you have far greater control over the specific actions of your players and you’re able to dictate exactly how you want to play your way to goal rather than just punting it up the field and hoping for the best. Its a far more accurate representation of the real ebb and flow of soccer and, combined with the great music, sound effects and bright, crisp graphics, it really puts you in the action and almost feels like you’re at a live game.
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| This is a good looking game of footy |
The controls, while making obvious sense and responding well, do require some mastering and this is never more evident than when defending. It can be difficult at times to get the ball off the opposition and the natural response might well be to start sliding in to get possession back but this will more often than not result in a foul and almost just as often result in a carding. Curbing your natural enthusiasm to digitally maul the opposition players and get them substituted due to injury means that your tackling will become more judicious and you’ll start to rely on your standing tackle to get the job done. With some practice, this approach yields good results and saves your players from being sent off unceremoniously. The only other negotiable negative is the fact that many of the teams are off-license so some of your favourite teams will have different names, for example, Arsenal is called London Red and Everton is called Merseyside Blue. This isn’t as really a problem because the game gives you the option of editing team names and all the player names are legitimate too.
Another fantastic thing you’ll notice about this game is the customisability and extra gameplay options. You can choose from over 250 club teams in 30 competitions across 7 game modes, including a Dream Team where you can choose each individual player in the team and even edit their kits, and the option to play Star Player mode where you take control of one player and lead them through their entire career. Win different modes with different teams to unlock classic teams and players and take your achievements to the next level via Game Center integration. Further bragging rights are on offer with the option to post your skills to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as well as the possibility to play “live” matches with any other player around the world.
Featuring a great soundtrack, beautiful graphics, hundreds of options and fantastic gameplay, First Touch Soccer is your first stop in soccer simulation. Prepare to be thoroughly entertained and enthralled as this addictive game gets your heart racing and thumbs working overtime to make your team the greatest in the world.
