Urban Freestyle Soccer - PS2

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Urban Freestyle Soccer (PS2)
Also for: PC, Xbox, GameCube
Viewed: 3D Third-person, floating camera Genre:
Sport: Football - Soccer
Media: DVD Arcade origin:No
Developer: Gusto Games Soft. Co.: Gusto Games
Publishers: Acclaim (GB)
Released: 13 Feb 2004 (GB)
Ratings: PEGI 12+
Accessories: Memory Card, Analogue Control Compatible: all buttons
Features: Vibration Function Compatible, Multitap adaptable

Summary

These days it seems that in order to add any kind of novel twist or hint of originality to a sports sim, the trick is to do away with the traditional scenarios and rules, and stick the players, ball and all, in the middle of the street. EA very recently did this with American Football, in the form of NFL Street, and now Acclaim brings us a similar take on real football. Or 'soccer', for our American cousins.

Urban Freestyle Soccer takes us back to our childhoods, kicking knackered balls around streets and other urban environments - garage doors and oil drums for goalposts (jumpers, surely?), few rules, and no offside. Subsequently, gameplay is fierce, frantic and aggressive, with an emphasis on taking the sport back to its street roots and thus delivering a more arcade-like football experience.

The game features a host of different game modes, including the likes of training, challenges, mini games and, of course, the main single-player experience, which sees you choose from 16 gang-based teams and vie for the crown of 'king of the street'. As you'd expect, there's also a versus mode, so you can take part in the action either alongside or against your friends.

Quite a popular feature with games of this ilk, Urban Freestyle Soccer places strong emphasis on over-the-top 'showboat' tricks and super moves. This is made possible by a combo system, which, as you master it, allows you to gradually add a range of moves to your repertoire, such as back-heels, juggling and scissor-kicks.

Delivering a rough, 'no frills' take on what is a much-covered gaming genre, UFS offers simple, arcade gameplay, removing a lot of the realism, and replacing it with exaggerated, high-adrenaline fun - in much the same way as the recent NBA Jam did with basketball. If you've had enough of FIFA-esque super simulations then you might want to check it out.