Sociable Soccer 24 Review (SFlav)
Warning: text wall ahead.
In 1994 I discovered both Sensible Soccer (PC) and SWOS (Commodore Amiga) and was immediately hooked. From then on, for over a decade, SWOS remained the only virtual football game I actually enjoyed and regularly played.
Now, 30 years later, Sociable Soccer 24 brings back the simple, fluid and addictive gameplay that, combined with the (possibility of) aerial/vertical view of the field, is pretty close to that original feeling. Sharp graphics and improved AI compared to classic titles complete the package for a game that is already very interesting, even though it's still in development.
Here are the few issues that seem relevant to me in the current state:
- The CPU should pass the ball a bit faster, without often carrying it for too long with the same player. As it stands now, it is kind of easy to steal the ball from the AI player -- no sliding tackle needed most of the time, by the way.
- Finishing should be more effective the closer you are to the goal, to encourage a well-built play. It would be OK if the ball sometimes hits the goalkeeper in a point-blank shot (and is deflected to a random direction, including the goal), but a perfect catch gets too frequent and doesn't make much sense, unless it's a high-ranked keeper. As the game works now, finishing from inside the box is not the best choice, because it's way harder for goalkeepers to stop shots from longer distances.
- I don't know if it was after the last patch, but I noticed that the sound of the ball hitting a player's body is weirdly the same as when it hits the post.
Some features for SS24 to be the new ~Sensible Soccer~:
- Choose 1st or 2nd kit before each match.
- Instant replay at any time during the match.
- Statistics at any time of the match.
- Highlights at the end of matches.
- Possibility to save highlights.
- Edit uniforms, club and player names.
- Match length options.
- Pitch options -- Normal, Dry, Hard, Frozen, Muddy, Wet, Soft or Random.
And after that, to finally make SS24 a worthy successor to ~Sensible World of Soccer (SWOS)~, in my opinion these would be the next implementations:
- Custom competitions (DIY) for more than one player. Away goals rule as an option would be sweet too.
- Career mode with signings, box office profits proportional to the team's recent results, player price fluctuations according to their performance, possibility of training your team in an empty stadium, be invited to manage national teams -- if you reach such level as a coach, that is.
That's it for now. High hopes on your new game, Sensi Team. :)