Power Soccer Review

In Power Soccer, the sport that the world calls "football" is reduced to its simplest form at the expense of the challenge normally found in soccer games. While Power Soccer can be fun if you're facing stiff opposition, the gameplay is usually lacking in that type of difficulty, in addition to lacking some crucial features and manageable controls. Power Soccer might temporarily appease those who want an uncomplicated and easy game, but it will certainly disappoint anyone looking for more.

Power Soccer is no stunner, visually or otherwise.

Power Soccer consists of two modes, quick match and power soccer. The two are identical, except that power soccer consists of six consecutive games--three qualifying rounds and a three-round tournament. Each round begins with a hand of rock-paper-scissors to determine who gets possession of the ball first. While it's a bit more fun than settling for a coin toss, the simplicity of the game rears its ugly head in this feature. It's pretty easy to guess which option the opponent will choose, based simply on the opponent's choice in the previous round.

With control of the ball, you can run, pass, or shoot. Again, here, the limitations of the game become readily apparent. Running can be done in eight directions by using the number keys, but the best approach is to run straight toward the opposing goal. Anything else is just going to result in the ball being stolen. Some teams have better ball bandits, though there's no way to tell which ones have them until they start running all over your team's players. A system that tracks attributes would have greatly benefited the game. To its credit, Power Soccer does offer six different formations to choose from at the beginning of each round. Some formations work better against some opponents, and choosing the correct one can be gratifying, even if it is based on a guess.

Shooting is similarly too simple. When you get within firing range, an oscillating meter appears onscreen. It's very reminiscent of those classic sports games that employ a similar meter for controlling the punt of a football or the accuracy of a basketball free throw. If you hit the shoot button when it's full, the goalie will be unable to make the save. This is a great detriment to the actual game of soccer, which often relies on the defensive ability of the goalie, whom, in Power Soccer (as in most mobile soccer offerings), you never get to control. The players you do control are thankfully those closest to the ball, but switching between them is not easy. As a result, being a ball hog is often better for the team.

One of the options that really devalues the game is "quick resolve," which allows you to end a game immediately. Here you'll receive a final score, which is generated by the computer, that's loosely based on your current game statistics. This means that if you win rock-paper-scissors (very likely), make a beeline toward the goal, and then score, selecting quick resolve will usually give you a win for the match based on your statistical domination of your opponent during those first few seconds of the game. There might not have been any other way to facilitate this kind of feature in the game, so it probably shouldn't have been included. A sneaky player can actually win a full tournament of Power Soccer in fewer than two minutes. If, for some reason, you're losing a match, you can quit in the middle of it and then restart without incurring a penalty.

Power Soccer may not be difficult strategically, but it sure is difficult to manipulate your character and properly control the ball. Switching directions is choppy and sometimes stops you dead in your tracks. Additionally, the game has a few frame rate problems that further contribute to its control woes.

There are quite a few teams to choose from, and each one sports different gear--such as the glasses and black-and-white kit of the Silicon Alley team, or the ninja gear of the Hakushaku team. It isn't until you see the alien-themed soccer team that you are reminded that the Power Soccer tournament is held to crown the best soccer team in the galaxy. The game would have certainly been more interesting if that idea had been explored a bit more.

Power Soccer does exhibit some personality here and there. While the graphics on Series 60 handsets are relatively bland, goals are accompanied by a humorous still of the goalie (looking terrified), along with one of the game's only aural responses--a tiny vignette of music in an otherwise boring sea of default cell bleeps and boops. The only other music of note is the title screen's "Clementine" theme, which isn't very soccer-esque. However, at least it's catchy in a familiar sort of way.

If the humor, or any of the game's barely there uniqueness, had been taken a bit further, Power Soccer might have better distinguished itself. Instead, the game is a bland experience that's marred by dubious design decisions. Whether you call it soccer or football, the simulated sport is presented poorly here.