After FIFA 08 Sensible World of Soccer (SWOS) for the Xbox Live Arcade was definitely my most anticipated release of 2007. Imagine my surprise then on release day Codemasters and Kuju Studios pulled the game off servers because of problems with online play. Fortunately, the game appeared back on the marketplace a day later and, some online lag problems aside, is has met almost all of my lofty expectations.

Graphics 80/100

Like the recently released Speedball 2, SWOS features an option to use the graphical style of the original 1995/96 game or to use new enhanced graphics. However, unlike Speedball 2 the new enhanced graphics are far better than the original and definitely add to the overall experience.

The game still uses a top down view that shows about a third of the field but the new enhanced visuals support a HD-widescreen resolution that fills your screen without stretching the aspect ratio. As you can see from the screenshots the new visuals are also very crisp and clean.

The paltry catalog of animations and the simplistic player models remain basically the same as the original but the biggest change to the visuals (and by far my favourite) are the new stadiums, pitch textures and weather effects.

There isn’t an option to select stadiums but over the course of a number of seasons I’d estimate there are at least 5 different stadiums, if not more. These range from the typical oval stadium with pitch-side advertising, a track and the dugouts to lower-league grounds that have a junk-yard nearby and a hotdog stand! The variety of different venues adds to the sense of immersion during the course of a season. The stands and fans are also wonderfully depicted with individual punters visible.

The grounds also feature a nice variety of different pitch textures and much like New Star Soccer 3 there is some pitch deformation when you perform slide tackles. Rain and snow weather effects are present and the gentle fall of snow-flakes is definitely my favourite. Unfortunately, the weather effects aren’t always appropriate and during the course of a league season in Ghana I was quite surprised to see it snowing!

Menu screens are directly lifted from the original.

Audio N/A

It’s difficult to assign a score to the audio here since this is a remake of a game that came out when audio in sports games was quite primitive. Unlike the graphics there hasn’t been a major overhaul of the audio – 5.1 surround is supported but there’s no commentary and the chants are generic at best.

Options 90/100

This game should be mandatory playing for the folks at Konami (and even at EA Sports) as this is game that’s older than a decade and yet blows away current games with regards to features and options. The primary mode of play is the excellent Career mode which is was a pre-cursor to FIFA’s Manager Mode where you embark upon a managerial career that involves multiple divisions, nations and an active transfer market and club finances. What’s most amazing about SWOS’ career mode is mind-blowing number of different leagues and divisions available. At my best count there are ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTY SIX different leagues/divisions! Having the ability to start your managerial career in the Ghanaian (!) first division really puts the crappiness of Winning Eleven’s Master League into perspective.

Like the original there are no licenses but all the players have easily identifiable pseudo-names. Interestingly, the rosters (and the divisons) are the same as the original SWOS and therefore are those for the 95/96 season! As a result Wigan and Fulham are in the 4th division, Chelsea are a mid-table side and George Weah plays upfront for AC Milan!

The big addition to this iteration is online multiplayer. Unfortunately, this still hasn’t been ironed out and there are often major lag issues. Hopefully, this can be addressed in a patch as online play was one of the big selling points for this remake.

Gameplay 90/100

Despite tweaking the graphics, Kuju left the gameplay alone and SWOS plays just like you remember it.

The control scheme in Sensible Soccer is very similar to that of Kick Off 2 with the D-pad or Analog Stick for movement and a single button for kick/header on offence. The same button performs a slide tackle when on defense. Tapping the shoot/kick button when you have the ball does an automatic direct-to-a-teammate pass in the direction you’re facing. If you hold down the kick/shoot button then you’ll kick the ball in the direction your player is facing. The strength of the kick is dependant upon how long you hold down the button and also the amount of aftertouch you put on the ball!

The ball physics found in Sensible Soccer are unscripted but not to the same extent as in a game like Kick Off 2. Unlike Kick Off, you don’t have to practice for weeks to try and dribble around an opposing player. Right out of the gate this makes Sensible Soccer’s learning curve far more friendly. That said, dribbling isn’t as simplistic as it is in today’s games. The ball still isn’t always glued to your players’ feet and as you run faster the harder it is to keep control and the more likely you are to lose it. The differences in dribbling ability are also hugely apparent between players – try to dribble with Mark Wright and he’ll lose the ball very quickly, do the same with Del Piero and you’re much more likely to beat a defender or two!

The exaggerated aftertouch/curl allows for a number of spectacular goals from distance as well as block-buster 40 yard passes.

The CPU AI is pretty good and though you don’t see any real variations in playing styles (except for differences in tactics/formations) the CPU scores a solid variety of goals from direct free kicks to the occasional header from a far-post cross.

When you combine these elements you get an arcade-style soccer game that is almost without equal (I still think Kick Off 2 is better but I’m definitely in the minority). There are a massive variety of goals that can be scored, the excellent passing allows you to utilize a variety of playing styles from long-ball to Ajax-style short passing. The game does have a fairly steep learning curve (particularly if you’ve never played Sensible Soccer or SWOS before) but there’s a great deal of satisfaction to be had when you do succeed.

Replay Value 90/100

Online play definitely needs to be patched but even without that the amazing Career mode provide more replay value than many full-priced games. The enhanced new graphics with HD/Widescreen support mean make it very difficult to go back to playing the original and I’ve already abandoned emulated versions of this game.

Overall 90/100

Despite the problems with online play, Kuju and Codemasters have exceeded my expectations with this remake. The new visuals scream polish and the gameplay is as tight and responsive as the original. Even if you’re still playing the original on emulators I think this is worth a download for the new presentation and online play. If you’ve never played Sensible Soccer before then you owe it to yourself to at least give this game a try. It truly is one of the best arcade soccer games ever.

After FIFA 08 Sensible World of Soccer (SWOS) for the Xbox Live Arcade was definitely my most anticipated release of 2007. Imagine my surprise then on release day Codemasters and Kuju Studios pulled the game off servers because of problems with online play. Fortunately, the game appeared back on the marketplace a day later and, some online lag problems aside, is has met almost all of my lofty expectations.

Graphics 80/100

Like the recently released Speedball 2, SWOS features an option to use the graphical style of the original 1995/96 game or to use new enhanced graphics. However, unlike Speedball 2 the new enhanced graphics are far better than the original and definitely add to the overall experience.

The game still uses a top down view that shows about a third of the field but the new enhanced visuals support a HD-widescreen resolution that fills your screen without stretching the aspect ratio. As you can see from the screenshots the new visuals are also very crisp and clean.

The paltry catalog of animations and the simplistic player models remain basically the same as the original but the biggest change to the visuals (and by far my favourite) are the new stadiums, pitch textures and weather effects.

There isn’t an option to select stadiums but over the course of a number of seasons I’d estimate there are at least 5 different stadiums, if not more. These range from the typical oval stadium with pitch-side advertising, a track and the dugouts to lower-league grounds that have a junk-yard nearby and a hotdog stand! The variety of different venues adds to the sense of immersion during the course of a season. The stands and fans are also wonderfully depicted with individual punters visible.

The grounds also feature a nice variety of different pitch textures and much like New Star Soccer 3 there is some pitch deformation when you perform slide tackles. Rain and snow weather effects are present and the gentle fall of snow-flakes is definitely my favourite. Unfortunately, the weather effects aren’t always appropriate and during the course of a league season in Ghana I was quite surprised to see it snowing!

Menu screens are directly lifted from the original.

Audio N/A

It’s difficult to assign a score to the audio here since this is a remake of a game that came out when audio in sports games was quite primitive. Unlike the graphics there hasn’t been a major overhaul of the audio – 5.1 surround is supported but there’s no commentary and the chants are generic at best.

Options 90/100

This game should be mandatory playing for the folks at Konami (and even at EA Sports) as this is game that’s older than a decade and yet blows away current games with regards to features and options. The primary mode of play is the excellent Career mode which is was a pre-cursor to FIFA’s Manager Mode where you embark upon a managerial career that involves multiple divisions, nations and an active transfer market and club finances. What’s most amazing about SWOS’ career mode is mind-blowing number of different leagues and divisions available. At my best count there are ONE HUNDRED AND FOURTY SIX different leagues/divisions! Having the ability to start your managerial career in the Ghanaian (!) first division really puts the crappiness of Winning Eleven’s Master League into perspective.

Like the original there are no licenses but all the players have easily identifiable pseudo-names. Interestingly, the rosters (and the divisons) are the same as the original SWOS and therefore are those for the 95/96 season! As a result Wigan and Fulham are in the 4th division, Chelsea are a mid-table side and George Weah plays upfront for AC Milan!

The big addition to this iteration is online multiplayer. Unfortunately, this still hasn’t been ironed out and there are often major lag issues. Hopefully, this can be addressed in a patch as online play was one of the big selling points for this remake.

Gameplay 90/100

Despite tweaking the graphics, Kuju left the gameplay alone and SWOS plays just like you remember it.

The control scheme in Sensible Soccer is very similar to that of Kick Off 2 with the D-pad or Analog Stick for movement and a single button for kick/header on offence. The same button performs a slide tackle when on defense. Tapping the shoot/kick button when you have the ball does an automatic direct-to-a-teammate pass in the direction you’re facing. If you hold down the kick/shoot button then you’ll kick the ball in the direction your player is facing. The strength of the kick is dependant upon how long you hold down the button and also the amount of aftertouch you put on the ball!

The ball physics found in Sensible Soccer are unscripted but not to the same extent as in a game like Kick Off 2. Unlike Kick Off, you don’t have to practice for weeks to try and dribble around an opposing player. Right out of the gate this makes Sensible Soccer’s learning curve far more friendly. That said, dribbling isn’t as simplistic as it is in today’s games. The ball still isn’t always glued to your players’ feet and as you run faster the harder it is to keep control and the more likely you are to lose it. The differences in dribbling ability are also hugely apparent between players – try to dribble with Mark Wright and he’ll lose the ball very quickly, do the same with Del Piero and you’re much more likely to beat a defender or two!

The exaggerated aftertouch/curl allows for a number of spectacular goals from distance as well as block-buster 40 yard passes.

The CPU AI is pretty good and though you don’t see any real variations in playing styles (except for differences in tactics/formations) the CPU scores a solid variety of goals from direct free kicks to the occasional header from a far-post cross.

When you combine these elements you get an arcade-style soccer game that is almost without equal (I still think Kick Off 2 is better but I’m definitely in the minority). There are a massive variety of goals that can be scored, the excellent passing allows you to utilize a variety of playing styles from long-ball to Ajax-style short passing. The game does have a fairly steep learning curve (particularly if you’ve never played Sensible Soccer or SWOS before) but there’s a great deal of satisfaction to be had when you do succeed.

Replay Value 90/100

Online play definitely needs to be patched but even without that the amazing Career mode provide more replay value than many full-priced games. The enhanced new graphics with HD/Widescreen support mean make it very difficult to go back to playing the original and I’ve already abandoned emulated versions of this game.

Overall 90/100

Despite the problems with online play, Kuju and Codemasters have exceeded my expectations with this remake. The new visuals scream polish and the gameplay is as tight and responsive as the original. Even if you’re still playing the original on emulators I think this is worth a download for the new presentation and online play. If you’ve never played Sensible Soccer before then you owe it to yourself to at least give this game a try. It truly is one of the best arcade soccer games ever.