I soooo wanted this to be good.......I really did!
"Oh God" I thought "What if they make a complete hash of it?" Re-doing Sensi Soccer is like re-making a classic film.....and it's a risky business where if you get it right, then you'll be remembered forever. But if you get it wrong, you're tarnished and ridiculed.
The Amiga version was quite simply, the best game ever. Put it this way, I know people that went out and bought an Amiga, just to play Sensible Soccer! That's how much it affected people.
I don't think too many people will rush out to buy an Xbox just for this 2006 version though!
Something is missing that you can't quite put your finger on - the magic has somehow gone, left behind in 1989 along with Rick Astley. Graphically it's an improvement of course, the players look borderline commical, but Sensi Soccer was never about graphics.
The gameplay in the new version is pacy and precise if a bit on the simplistic side. Opponents are vast and various, where the best teams don't seem to be more skillful than the others, they're just a damn sight quicker.
On the whole, this was a big own goal for the name of Sensible Soccer. I'm sure the intent was there to re-create something special, but it just didn't work.