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Cluib Football Review
Chris Leyton
08/10/2003
Codemasters first foray into the football genre sees the release of 17 different versions, each unique to each individual club...
The release of Codemastersâ first foray into the football genre couldnât have come at a worse time for the UK developer, with the eagerly awaited launch of âPro Evolution Soccer 3â barely over a week away.
âClub Footballâ is without doubt one of the most ambitious videogame releases in recent memory. Instead of releasing one version, some clever bigwig at Codemasters decided to develop 17 different versions each uniquely based around an individual club. Everything within the game is tailored towards the individual club, with menu screens in the club colours and loading screens showing pictures of your favourite players. Itâs also allowed Codemasters to step over the tricky aspect of license deals, one that continues to hold back Konamiâs âPro Evolutionâ series.
The full line-up consists of many of the most popular clubs in the United Kingdom and the rest of Europe, including:
- Manchester United
- Liverpool FC
- Arsenal
- Celtic
- Rangers
- Leeds
- Chelsea
- Aston Villa
- Real Madrid
- AC Milan
- Juventus
- Ajax
- Barcelona
- Inter Milan
- Borussia Dortmund
- Hamburg SV
- Bayern Munich
Whilst âClub Footballâ cannot compete on a gameplay level with the sophistication of âPro Evo 3â, its attention to detail and authenticity provide more then a match for the likes of âFIFAâ and itâs offers such a unique opportunity that football fanatics will enjoy.
The main game offers two main modes in the way of a Domestic Season and the European Super Cup. Arguably the games selling point and certainly a relatively unique feature for football games is the ability to create your own player via an extensive âCreate Characterâ function and place yourself in the team of your favourite football club.
We can certainly see the appeal of this however we were ultimately left wanting for more; unfortunately this was the feeling that kept cropping up whenever we played the game. Having such a unique title as this, we were hoping for some type of Career Mode with a narrative that pitched players as a rookie fresh on the youth books of the club and having to make his way up to the first team. After the success of âTOCAâ we were hoping to see cut-scenes of Fergie loosing it at half-time in the changing room and kicking around boots to not understanding a thing during the interval at Chelsea, but alas no. Had âClub Footballâ featured something along these lines then it would have helped the game to stand out from the crowd, as it stands the game just doesnât offer anything new or even anything substantially better to the genre.
The actual game bears more then a close resemblance to âPro Evolution Soccer 2â; everything from the way one-twos are controlled, to the âpressâ defence system and calling out keepers with the Triangle button feels strangely familiar, but unfortunately it just doesnât feel as good as the ageing classic.
Although Codemasters have certainly improved it since we last saw the game in action (thankfully eliminating the ice-rink feel) we still believe the game is too sluggish and thereâs just not the layer of depth thatâs needed in football games. We found it next to impossible to discover any tricks let alone unique player traits, whilst the passing system is adequate if somewhat less then remarkable and the shooting system nowhere near to the refined technique featured in the âPro Evoâ series.
The actual game looks close to the game of football and the player AI makes sufficient runs into space and looks convincing, however unfortunately the keepers are prone to making some very dubious mistakes.
On a presentation level âClub Footballâ is up there with the very best however, rivalling even the mighty âFIFAâ series. The luscious presentation filters through from the menu screens to the action on the pitch, although we were left slightly perplexed by the lack of replays during the half-term interval.
Focussing on individual teams has allowed the developers to portray a level of authenticity in the games visuals a notch above all of the competitors. The stadium models have to be the most realistic weâve seen in a footie game to date, whilst the character models bear a scary resemblance to their real-life counterparts. Depth-Filtering effects certainly seem to be the in-thing for football games at present and to this extent âClub Footballâ doesnât disappoint, cut-scenes frequent the game showing players reactions to events on the field and likewise their managerâs celebrations or commiserations.
