Eleven of the best...Console Football Games

Eleven of the best…Console Football Games

With the hysteria and enjoyment that football brings, electronic companies galore have long been making football games to help supporters replicate the pleasure they receive from their favourite sport in their own home. In a bid to look at the milestones in computer gaming history we review some of the best moments from past and present.

11. FIFA Street

The first of several FIFA games in this collection, the 2004 release from EA sports saw football going freestyle in FIFA Street. Avoiding the usual green fielded footballing experience, EA took football back to basics and back to reality in this fast paced 4 on 4 action game packed allowing the player to pull off the sickest moves and score points by doing so. Using the best International teams and players in the world FIFA's usual game play and control system was changed to increase playability for the user. Using the whole of the PS2 control pad, EA Sports patented freestyle game play was popular enough to make a spawn a sequel in spring 2006.

10. Fever Pitch Soccer

Released on 16 bit consoles in 1996 and latterly onto the Jaguar 64, US Gold sent the gaming world into ‘Fever Pitch' with their first major release. Allowing the player to participate as a host of International teams, Fever Pitch Soccer enabled players to use specialist skills to beat their computer or human based opponents. Using a combination of forwards with ‘explosive shots', midfielders packed with tricks and defenders able to get away with International fouls on their opponents, the player must battle their way through the game starting with a team of duds with successes meaning that stars were more willing to join their team.

9. Striker

Exclusively available to the Super Nintendo owners ‘Striker' became a hit on entertainment systems everywhere with its super fast game play and enjoyable arcade style. Played from a birds eye view, a player was able to select any one of 64 International teams with the aim of the game being to take the team of ones choice all the way through several International tournaments. Upon completion several un-lockables became available including the ability to play playing against teams created by game developers Elite and Rare. Added extras into the English version of the game allowed the playing of indoor soccer as well as full 11-a-side games; ‘Striker's' playability was almost as endless as the title music which was almost more memorable as the game itself.

8. FIFA 98: Road to the World Cup

The flagship game of the '98 World Cup in France, FIFA Road to the World Cup was by far the most option filled of any football game in recent memory. Released towards the end of the World Cup qualifying campaign the games aim was to select any one of the 200 teams available and lead them to the Championships in France. Combined with the option of being able to complete the usual Cup's and Leagues as the top teams from Europe and North America, FIFA 1997 development was customizable to keep interest deep in its gaming pleasure. With top commentators from BBC television drafted into provide commentary, the game itself was an accurate replica of tournament which it preceded.

7. Sega Worldwide Soccer

Undoubtedly the finest and most popular game on the 1994 created Sega Saturn; ‘Sega Worldwide Soccer' was by far one of the most superior football games on the market until the creation of the graphically superior 64 bit consoles. With the chance to play as more than 30 top nations, the first fully 3d football game was seen from a birds-eye view with intense graphical standards. Despite the consoles wholesale failure the game was regarded as a phenomenon and spawned a second mostly club based sequel in 1998.

6. FIFA 2000

The final instalment in the FIFA collection games before the next generation of consoles took the series to a new level, FIFA 2000 (released funnily enough in 1999) featured traits of its ancestors as well as inviting the player to get more into the game using ‘unique motion capturing'. Using Sol Campbell (and Robbie Williams) as cover stars FIFA 2000 allowed the unlocking of legends and the ability to play as ‘classic teams'. Boasting the addition of five leagues from it's predecessor, FIFA stepped up a gear in the new millennium by becoming the first game to provide players with a more advanced gaming experience as well as the usual EA Sports opportunity to place ones self in the game.

5. Pro Evolution Soccer 4

As the game which once more drew a line in the sand between Konami and EA Sports, ‘Pro Evolution' stepped up in terms of realism but also quality. With the opportunity to play as teams from England, Holland, France, Italy and Spain as well as the ‘best of the rest' from Europe and national teams, the game had more options than most. Improvements graphically allowed the player to feel more in the game with realistic chants and real to life movements replicated by players on the pitch. Major improvements on the previous season's version meant that Japanese developers secured sky high sales before securing a license from developers to increase the number of teams featured on future versions of the soccer sim.

4. FIFA 95

Exclusive to the Mega Drive this superb game became the second instalment in the successful EA Sports series. Carrying traits of what was to come in future years and building on what the original game had started FIFA '95 was improved significantly on the original. Improvements in game play provided the game with a more arcade feel. With no license from footballing authorities the game featured international and club teams from leagues across the world filled with ‘made up' players and developers of the game itself. With the unique opportunity for players to enjoy those celebrations that little bit more, pressing of the buttons on the control pad during goal celebrations caused fireworks, large amounts of cheering and crowd chanting increased playing pleasure.

3. International Superstar Deluxe

The beginning of the great Konami franchise the second ISS game for the Super Nintendo took the game up to an advanced level in 1993. Super slick graphical enhancements from the first version and the addition of new teams to the game changed the new deluxe version of the game more than enough to warrant purchase. A unique feature of the game kept in from the original was ability to participate in a number of realistic challenges known as ‘scenarios'. Highly related to events in the real footballing world players took control in certain situations during certain matches, points were awarded related to difficulty and as well as being able to participate in the usual cups and tournaments had their longevity increased by the development of new the new mode.

2. FIFA International Soccer

The first instalment in the FIFA franchise brought football fans the opportunity to compete as their favourite ‘fictional' International team in a serious of cups, playoffs and tournaments. As with all versions of the soccer title up until 1996 the each team was filled with a mix of made up players and EA staff. The game not only began the start of an excellent footballing dynasty but for the first time allowed more than one human opponent to play on the same side as one another. Boasting dozens of options as well as catchy title music FIFA International Soccer was perhaps not only the first game of its style but also the finest.

1. Sensible Soccer

Perhaps the most important title in console gaming history, ‘Sensible Soccer' ranks as one of the top games on the Amiga, its original format. Viewed from a bird's eye view makes the game most recognisable to fans and it is a system which has been built on and adapted over time. With the ability to play as almost every team possible as well as some created by the developers, the game was fully customizable with editing features able to open up the World of sensible soccer to the player, the game like so many others did not have a license so used the tactic of slightly altering the name of each player so as still slightly recognising but not breaking any rules. More tournaments than are possibly imaginable the game is seemingly endless with thousands of different ways to score and millions of different opponents to play against.