New Star Soccer 4 Review
Game Name: New Star Soccer 4
Developer: New Star Games
Cost: $20
Release Date: Out Now!
Review by Andy Yates
Football (or Soccer for some of you out there) is not my strongest subject, and when I started to play New Star Soccer 4, my lack of knowledge really started to worry me. However, I soon realised when I was picking player attributes such as passing, dribbling, pace, etc… that this was similar to the attributes of many game characters I’d played in the past. I therefore decided that this was a Football RPG!
I’m not trying to put Football fans off here at all. This game is extremely detailed, giving you the chance to re-imagine yourself as a budding young football star. In fact the level of detail here was just staggering and a little overwhelming for me. After spending some time setting up your character, including joining one of the “fictional” clubs, you are then able to develop your attributes so that your performance is better on the pitch.
For instance, you can buy fitness equipment such as a rowing machine, or skipping rope, using which can improve your pace. It gets almost RPG-ish here, which is not a bad thing, however because of these elements you do get a small amount of grind (ie, time spent doing lots of training). Not a problem for some, but perhaps a bit tiring for others who want to jump straight in and play a general soccer team-vs-team game. I actually enjoyed the training as it helped me learn how control my passes and shoot at the goal.
However, for those of you who do want to jump straight in you can play a basic match straight from the main menu without having to create a character.
When playing in a match or training exercise you control your character using the arrow keys, while pressing Z, X and C to either shoot, pass or lob. I didn’t use lob much but eventually got the hang of passing and shooting. Getting to grips with the controls was a bit tricky; you move in the direction of the arrow key you press, and I kept trying to rotate my character instead. Having this as a control option would have helped me, but I did get eventually get used to it. When things go right, it really is quite satisfying.
Keeping in with the lifestyle of a professional football star you have to keep a balance between your work and relationships. Maintaining a high level of detail as with the stats, you have to keep everything in check, from your boss’s attitude to you, keeping the press interested and even getting a girlfriend and family! You can also purchase frivolous items such as fast cars and houses, or spend the money on charity depending on how you want to be viewed.
So, I enjoyed my time with New Star Soccer 4, even though I’m not a huge football fan. I’m not sure I would recommend it to non-football fans, but anyone who has even the slightest interest should give this a go!
Score: 74 out of 100
Final words: I reckon any football (sorry, soccer!) fan will absolutely love this!
New Star Soccer 4 review end - click here to try the game!
Or click here to read the other independent games reviewed on ths site!
|
