Sensible Soccer hard as F***!

[UHATEIT]

Alright I got myself a copy of Sensible Soccer last week and have played through around 15 games. I have lost every single one of them except for 1 game (a 0-0 tie) and literally have gotten maybe 8 shots on goal in the 15 games TOTAL. Those little buggers just keep stealing the ball away from me. I can't seem to get anything to go well in the game, even on Beginner mode.

 

it's a soccer game, there couldn't possibly be a learning curve. Anyone else find this game to be fairly tough?

[Lost Dragon]

Not a fan of the game on any format, but seem to remember claims the A.I routines were improved or based on a later Amiga version of the game, for Jaguar version.

[UHATEIT]

Yeah the computer is pretty tough. Would likely be better playing against a second player I imagine.

[LianneJaguar64]

Alright I got myself a copy of Sensible Soccer last week and have played through around 15 games. I have lost every single one of them except for 1 game (a 0-0 tie) and literally have gotten maybe 8 shots on goal in the 15 games TOTAL. Those little buggers just keep stealing the ball away from me. I can't seem to get anything to go well in the game, even on Beginner mode.

 

it's a soccer game, there couldn't possibly be a learning curve. Anyone else find this game to be fairly tough?

Ha, trying playing the sequel, Sensible World of Soccer, absolutely brutal. Honestly there is definitely a learning curve to sensi, it's a game all of itself. I tend to find going to the edge of the box and shooting with C is the easiest. Also hitting C from the halfway line to hit the ball upfield tends to get me possession in a good scoring area

[UHATEIT]

I can barely hang onto the ball and make it far enough back mid field to even be able to take a shot, the computer players always seem to steal the ball! I may have better luck with Fever Pitch Soccer

[LianneJaguar64]

Not a fan of the game on any format, but seem to remember claims the A.I routines were improved or based on a later Amiga version of the game, for Jaguar version.

I adore this game, so we'll have to agree to disagree I believe you might be referring to the general update from the Amiga original, where the goalkeepers were made better by amongst other things. But that update was also released on Amiga

[Trooper Galactus]

Honestly, I just have a sealed copy in my collection and am unlikely to break it open. Never was a fan of soccer games to begin with. Kind of odd there are two soccer games, a snowboarding title, and even a motocross and rally car game for the Jag, but not a single baseball title. Makes the Jag a bit unique among its contemporaries.

[UHATEIT]

Honestly, I just have a sealed copy in my collection and am unlikely to break it open. Never was a fan of soccer games to begin with. Kind of odd there are two soccer games, a snowboarding title, and even a motocross and rally car game for the Jag, but not a single baseball title. Makes the Jag a bit unique among its contemporaries.

I personally am not a soccer fan either, but in attempting to get a full collection I snagged this and Fever Pitch. My Sensible Soccer was loose and the Fever Pitch is still new and sealed so I likely won't open it but Hoping that one is ultimately a bit better than this one. Sensible Soccer came with high reviews, even tho the graphics are terrible. But man it's a hard game!

[Trooper Galactus]

I personally am not a soccer fan either, but in attempting to get a full collection I snagged this and Fever Pitch. My Sensible Soccer was loose and the Fever Pitch is still new and sealed so I likely won't open it but Hoping that one is ultimately a bit better than this one. Sensible Soccer came with high reviews, even tho the graphics are terrible. But man it's a hard game!

Yeah, I got it for the collection, but I have no intention of ever playing it unless a friend really pesters me to do it or I just decide to really go game-by-game through the entire Jag library. I generally don't play sports games anyhow, so I don't feel super compelled to do it when I have about thirty games on my current gen systems I haven't touched yet.

[Lost Dragon]

I adore this game, so we'll have to agree to disagree I believe you might be referring to the general update from the Amiga original, where the goalkeepers were made better by amongst other things. But that update was also released on Amiga

I loathe football games period..Sensible..Soccer..Kick Off you name it.

 

I'd heard the Jaguar version was based on later Amiga version and among the improvements were better A.I..but person who made the claim is a serial bullshitter who would consider Jaguar version superior just for being on the Jaguar..so i would keep the salt shaker handy at all times :-))

[juansolo]

Never played it on the Jag, but it's my favourite game on the Amiga! It's definitely old school (ie not easy!). Which team you play and who you play against absolutely will effect the difficulty. So if you're playing Acrington Stanley taking on Brazil, you're gonna lose. So certainly playing friendlies, try and choose teams of a similar level ( in the 90's ). Multi-player is where this game utterly shines. Aftertouch on the ball is essential, as is passing. I mainly play my brother at it. But that said I'll play the computer for practice. Also bear in mind that football isn't a goal-fest. Some games are draws, the score might only be 1-0, this is normal.

 

Honestly persist with it, it's the greatest football game ever made (on the Amiga... no idea of the difference between the Jag version).

[+madman]

Haven't played the Jag version much, but I used to play the heck out of the SNES version in the 90's. The graphics weren't much, but had their own unique look and I thought the gameplay was top notch. The controls just "felt" right.

[82-T/A]

Love this game. I used to play it ALL the time with my roommates. I don't think I've ever played against the computer, only against a second player, but man, it just doesn't get better than that.

[Sapicco]

Honestly, I just have a sealed copy in my collection and am unlikely to break it open. Never was a fan of soccer games to begin with. Kind of odd there are two soccer games, a snowboarding title, and even a motocross and rally car game for the Jag, but not a single baseball title. Makes the Jag a bit unique among its contemporaries.

A jag baseball game with MLB teams and players would be neat. Is there an ST game at least that could be ported?

[Christos]

Never been a fan of sensi either. Best football game I played was Goal! Of course kick off ii is great also. I dont know of any baseball game on the ST but there are excellent tennis games as far as sport games go.

[+Stephen Moss]

Graphics may not be the best but small less details sprites provides a bigger view of the pitch which is useful. I have won a few games against the computer but it is not easy, which team you control can make a difference as can the players, sometimes changing the formation or subbing the default starter with someone from the bench provides better results (perhaps they are faster/better ball control skills).

I find on tackles the computer team generally dispossess me so pass when the opposition player gets close, use C if you have to but I find B is better, if you aim it at your man he will generally get it. As for shooting as I recall C generally goes high, B low but try to use the D-pad to affect the ball path to try and get the keeper going the wrong way. Also when shoot at goal/into the box try to remember if you hit a high or low shot and get your nearest player to the path of the ball to slide/head as applicable to hopefully deflect the ball path.

 

European football is not really my thing so I would rather play Troy Aikman than sensible soccer but it is ok for a quick play, what annoys me most is you pressing down to try and get your nearest man to the opponent in possession and the view (and thus your nearest player) changes and to press up otherwise you are now running away from the possession man.

It has been awhile since I played Fever Pitch and that was on an emulator but I think I preferred sensible soccer for the wider pitch view.

Edited September 14, 2017 by Stephen Moss

[Atlantis]

Don't remember the Amiga version to be impossible in 1p but think we choose to play good teams like Brazil and let the computer play lets say Malta.

Played lots of the game in two player games against friends where the AI didn't matter. Get a friend on the other controller and be equally bad at it??

[Lost Dragon]

Thread bump, but stumbled across developer talking about Jaguar version:

 

 

'The Jaguar version runs at full speed (60fps, no slow down) in 256

colour mode with 8 channel 16bit sound for the crowd.

 

All the menus use 65535 colour mode.

 

The controls are as in the Megadrive version (ie 3 button, shoot,

kick, pass) we think the Jag version is by far the most playable of

them all.

 

The version we have converted is the International teams version not

sensible world of soccer (if this version sells ok we may do the world

update next year on CD). all team and player names are real (if you

have a PAL machine, we had to change them for the NTSC version)'

 

So there you have it.

 

 

I've never seen any sales figures for it, but clearly weren't enough to green light a follow up on Jaguar CD.

[UHATEIT]

Thread bump, but stumbled across developer talking about Jaguar version:

 

 

'The Jaguar version runs at full speed (60fps, no slow down) in 256

colour mode with 8 channel 16bit sound for the crowd.

 

All the menus use 65535 colour mode.

 

The controls are as in the Megadrive version (ie 3 button, shoot,

kick, pass) we think the Jag version is by far the most playable of

them all.

 

The version we have converted is the International teams version not

sensible world of soccer (if this version sells ok we may do the world

update next year on CD). all team and player names are real (if you

have a PAL machine, we had to change them for the NTSC version)'

 

So there you have it.

 

 

I've never seen any sales figures for it, but clearly weren't enough to green light a follow up on Jaguar CD.

So there was a supposed sequel or there is one on the way possibly for the Jag CD? I still have trouble with this game from time to time when I play. I find Fever Pitch Soccer to be much easier to score on. I finally did score a goal in Sensible Soccer and actually took a 1-0 lead but then got smoked 5 goals by the other team after that and lost. It's just too hard for me!

 

I think after I posted about this on the AJF page on Facebook someone sent in a screen shot of winning with like 33 goals! I struggle just to score 1 goal haha!

[Lost Dragon]

From the quote, it looks as if Jaguar Sensible Soccer had proven to be commercially successful (and 1 would have to assume the same wold of applied to the Jaguar CD ), a newer version of Sensible Soccer with updated teams etc would of appeared on Jaguar, just as the Amiga original received updates.

 

 

I know Kick Off creator, Dino Dini has been quoted as saying no publisher would put up funds for a conversion of his title, Goal! to the Jaguar as projected sales were dire.

 

So it's little wonder Jaguar has so few Soccer titles to choose from.

[+jeremiahjt]

Why did they have to change the names for the NTSC release, but not the PAL release? Are there really two different versions of this game?

[+Stephen Moss]

Why did they have to change the names for the NTSC release, but not the PAL release?

 

I was also wondering that.

I can only think (without checking the team listings) that as the structure of the World Cup format can only contain a certain number of teams that core top class teams such a Holland, Germany, Brazil, France, Italy that people may want to play as are common to both versions but beyond that each version has more regional teams so that people can choose to play as their national side, i.e. the NTSC version may have USA and Japan whereas the European PAL may not in favour of more European teams.

[Gummy Bear]

Are there actually 2 different carts, or does the game just detect the console region?

[Ayreon]

I think it detects the 60/50Hz mode like super burn out does (changes MPH (60 Hz) to KM/H (50Hz)) I never tried though, but it's probably the easiest way to do this.

Edited September 7, 2018 by Ayreon

[Lost Dragon]

Looks like the quote has created more questions than answers.

 

I'm not a Soccer fan so have never tried the Jaguar version...did dabble with Microprose Soccer on the C64 at the time.

 

I've never seen the Jaguar coders interviewed or a Making Of Jaguar Sensible Soccer done in the UK Press.

 

Maybe a future interview prospect here for Arcade Attack?.