Sensible World of Soccer: European Championship Edition was one of the finest games of its day and, in terms of pure game play, some of today’s football games such as fifa and iss still struggle to match it. Although the set-up is very simple and the graphics may not be of a high quality, this is a game so addictively playable that it simply cannot be put down for long. Building upon the earlier sensible soccer incarnations this version boasted a plethora of the finest teams and players of the early nineties from all over Europe.
These were the days when Aston villa were still a European force and Manchester united were only starting to dream of a decade of domination.
The in-game controls are easy to master with the bare minimum of effort when compared to modern football sims. Passing and shooting are easy to pick up while the swerve and lift placed upon each strike by the directional controls allow many different variations to be accomplished. Long balls can be productive, however the intricate one touch football, which provides a players best chance of scoring goals, is a little harder to learn and develops over a period of time. You needn’t worry about this though as you will soon find yourself determined to dominate Europe’s football competitions and
the amassed game time will start to show as your play becomes neater and more controlled.
One of the things most notable about this game is the speed at which it moves along. It is a rapid end-to-end affair and this adds to the excitement and tension. Formations and player selection can be tinkered with to allow you to be more attack minded when struggling back from a few goals behind. I should warn you now that a three – three - four formation can be quite addictive and you will find yourself throwing caution to the wind, as well as fullbacks up the wings, in pursuit of that winning goal.
Obviously in some areas such as the menu screens this game is a little rough around the edges and lacks the polish of later games. I can assure you though that this does not make an ounce of difference as the game play is of such high quality. This was simply one of the best games of its age, not just in terms of football or sports sim, but across all genres. I’m glad to say it has also stood the test of time and while other classics such as kick off 2 don’t seem to be relevant anymore this certainly is. I cannot recommend its download highly enough.
