Game Review
Sensible Soccer is the first game of the popular series of football sim created by Sensible Software and published by Renegade.
With this package, we are publishing the first and original release of SensiSoccer, not the v1.1 issued sometime later - also called Sensible Soccer: European Champions - 92/93 Edition.
This revolutionary game, a real milestone in the history of sports videogames, was released in 1992 for Amiga and Atari ST. Until then, Kick Off 2 was THE choice when you wanted to play football with your friends on your computer. But Sensible Soccer changed everything, creating two factions: the ones that still preferred Dino Dini's sim, and the ones that migrated to the new game created by Sensible Software.
The new soccer sim was designed by Jon Hare (aka "Jops", Sensible Software co-founder) and Chris "Chipper" Chapman (lead programmer), with the help of Chris Yates (the other co-founder) and David Korn. Jops and Chipper were big fans of Kick Off 2 and decided to make a football game that could be even better. They kept the top-down perspective and viewpoint of Mega lo Mania, and they put the little men in a football pitch. They didn't use the "loose ball" system of Kick Off. Instead, they decided for something in the middle: in Sensi Soccer the ball sticks to your feet, but just partially. Plus, they developed a sophisticated AI, based on the formation decided by the coach, but with enough freedom for the little football players.
But what was brilliant was the amount of stats they added into the game, mapping real football players into numbers. The stats are reflected in the game so that when you control Roberto Baggio or Marco Van Basten, you really feel the difference.
Anyway, if you had an Amiga, you already know all of that. So, what are you waiting for? Call your friend, plug your joysticks, and have fun!
Review by: GN Team
Published: 7 April 2019 5:21 pm
Users Reviews
So..... Let's start by saying that the whole "Sensible Soccer" series has experienced a golden age, which in my opinion was largely dictated by the mediocrity of soccer games referring to the period in which Sensible Soccer was released, i.e. in the 90s. I too remember Kick Off as the only soccer game with some depth, however, when Sensible Soccer came out, there was talk of stratospheric artificial intelligence, very accurate realism, and also having managerial implications. All these statements I have been able to check them personally and I must say that they have NOT at all kept the promises made. Of artificial intelligence, if we can express ourselves in this way, I have not found the slightest trace. The opposing teams, controlled by the computer, when for example they started the game, ALWAYS hit with an absurd kick, always in the same place, and always absolutely inconclusive. The contrasts between the players took place in reverse! The player who had to tackle an opponent who was aiming for the net, instead of tackling him, as happens in reality, with a frontal tackle, ran towards him, without making any tackle, he overtook him and positioned himself behind the opponent he was supposed to tackle!! ! And from that position he tried to take the ball away from him!!! The goalkeeper... another (puah !) "gem" of programming, could be an insurmountable barrier, who managed to "block" cannon fire even from a very close distance, or he could turn into a total rookie and let himself be pierced by a very weak shot. The action of the teams controlled by the computer was really non-existent, in practice a single player started with the ball, never passing it, arrived a considerable distance from the opponent's goal and let go of a very questionable shot, when the goal was even more than 30 meters !!! This was the synthesis of the so-called artificial intelligence... Possession of the ball and forward at a charge pace until an opponent took the ball away from him, or he arrived at that ridiculous shot from almost half the pitch.
Another aspect without particular depth was the managerial side. Basically, if you wanted to buy a player, you just had the necessary money and there was no problem!!! So no negotiation, no interference from rival clubs, and no predisposition of the player to move to that particular team. Very unrealistic, but at the presentation of the game it was this aspect that was much advertised.
During a career, you could ALWAYS have the same team. The values of these players had no change over the years, basically the players never aged (another ridiculous thing!). Also during a career, both your team and the opposing team never complained of any injuries !!! So if some rare game accident happened then it made sense to have a bench, otherwise the substitutes would never have played! (yet another joke). Not to mention any player changes in the opposing team, this started with certain players and if there weren't (very rare) injuries, it never changed. So don't expect to see that your opposing team that is losing, looks for more offensive potential, replacing a defender with an attacker... I've NEVER seen such things. Furthermore, even the bookings were things that ONLY concerned that game. No player has ever been disqualified for two yellow cards in different matches. At the start of each match, each player again had his conduct completely free from bookings or sending off!
In conclusion, a real disaster, even if it is true that, as I have already written, in that period, there weren't many football games and those few were very approximate. However, none like "Sensible Soccer" was so hyped and "acclaimed" by the critics. For me it was.....is, and will remain a mediocre game of little interest. As a vote I chose 30% only because there weren't any lower in value!
Review by: Maurizio Petta
Published: 22 February 2023 3:42 pm
Review by: GN Team
Review by: Maurizio Petta
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