Review

An impressive track record, but how does Gremlin’s latest effort stand up against the all conquering Fifa series? <p>First impressions are not too good, the unusually slow paced intro doesn’t get you in the mood for football action, unlike say Fifa99 or Three Lions which always gets you pumped up. The menu screens with backing music in the form of \"Let me entertain you\" by Robbie Williams are not the easiest to navigate. However they are functional and allow you to create your own leagues, teams etc. <p>Intros and menus doth not make a good football game and when you get to play a game first impressions are not good. After selecting from numerous international and club sides, as well as lots of stadiums, you get down to the action. And, first impressions are not good, the graphics are blockey and lack the crispness of Fifa99, it is hard to find a good camera angle. The controls are simple, lacking the fancy moves of Fifa99, this makes the game faster and coupled with some serious after touch high scoring games are likely. This makes Actua Soccer 3 a lot more arcadey than the in depth Fifa99. However one thing that has been present throughout all the Actuas is the feeling of lightness, the ball seems to float a lot and the players lack ‘weight’. <p>After getting used to it Actua Soccer 3 is a good football game, with lots of little details such as referees assistants (strangely missing from Fifa99), the ability to wander up the line from throw ins, the footprints left in snow and the trails left by sliding tackles. Commentary is good, provided by Barry Davis and Martin O’Neil, however it is not as good as the super slick Fifa99, but it does the job. One thing that is quite worrying is the computers tendency to foul your opponents whilst you don’t control your players, this can be very frustrating. The after touch is also a bit silly as you can actually get the ball to swerve in two directions, almost always resulting in a goal.<p>Despite it’s shortcomings Actua Soccer 3 is an enjoyable game, but it is not in the same league as Fifa99 or ISS98 both of which are great games. With a few tweaks Actua 4 could be a real contender, however a special mention must go to Gremlin for using real names without a licence. If you like your football games without the complexness of Fifa99 then you might consider the more arcadey Actua, but for everyone else I would say stick with Fifa99 or ISS98.