|
What’s this? A console soccer game from DreamCatcher? DreamCatcher isn’t known for this type of game so I was bit intrigued to see how good it would be. When I received the game, I immediately noticed the box art. It’s very “wild and crazy” style.
The actual game isn’t all that good and doesn’t really live up to the promises promised on the boxart. You can pick from several characters and go all around the world, which is pretty cool. There are also a number of tricks to pick from. Unfortunately, the game’s controls aren’t that good. You won’t really want to explore its Arcade or Championship modes because of this. They feel a bit too slow and loose, making the easiest of plays a bit harder. The AI of your opponents isn’t all that good but then again neither is that of your own teammates.
If you can bring a few friends over, you can play the game with four player multiplayer.
The game’s visuals are quite good. The player models are well done and animated very fluidly as they move about. The crowds in the various locations look very nice and animate with preciseness. The different locations all have their own unique look with are pretty cool. There aren’t any huge differences but it’s nice to see that they are more than just name changes. The particle effects for the same work quite well and make the sand look better.
The audio in the game is pretty good. Technoish music makes up the menus but there isn’t any tracks during actual gameplay. The sound effects are standard stuff. The announcer speaks the language of the location you are in, which further differentiates between the locations. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have many lines to say.
If you happen to like soccer games, Ultimate Beach Soccer’s flaws aren’t too major. If you don’t particularly like the genre, well, then there are better ways to spend your hard earned cash. Then again, it may be a nice gift purchase considering it isn't all that bad and only $30. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Nov 16, 2003
|
