Games Database
PlayStation
Sport: Football - Soccer
| Also for: | PC, GBA, Game Boy Color, Dreamcast | ||
| Viewed: | 3D Combination | Genre: | Sport: Football - Soccer |
| Arcade origin: | No | ||
| Developer: | VIE | Soft. Co.: | VIE |
| Publishers: | VIE
(GB) |
Released: | 2 Mar 2001
(GB) |
| Ratings: | 3+ | ||
| Accessories: | Analogue JoyPad, Memory Card, Multi Tap | ||
Video
Summary
It hasn’t happened yet, and it probably can’t happen soon enough for football clubs like Celtic and Rangers (it must be so frustrating to be a Scot and a fan of a team outside of the Old Firm…) but Virgin Interactive have taken the plunge and gone for fully licensed team and stadium endorsements glory. Scots will not be happy with VIE’s choice of teams for this title however, as neither of the Glasgow giants has been included in the game. Fact is, there are just 16 teams in European Super League and that’s your lot. No hidden teams or players, none that we’ve been able to find anyhow, and very little in the way of frills. ESL does have the aforementioned licenses teams and endorsements with recognisable company names, and it has to be said, the stadia look wonderful. The attention to detail is spot-on and the crowd’s chanting and general level of noise boosts the atmosphere nicely.
And so to the game-play. It’s a crowded market, the football genre on PSX, so what can European Super League offer that the many others don’t? The answer is not much beyond the authenticity of the atmosphere and the teams and players herein. Liverpool’s Michael Owen, for example, is easily recognisable, and if you’re familiar with their human counterparts, there’ll be squeals of delight from hardcore footy fans and computer geeks alike as you discover the computer versions of the famous names in the game. But all the tinsel and fragrant flower petals in the world wouldn’t detract from the fact that European Super League is, regrettably, a walk on the mild side. It’s a football game for those who don’t really like football that much, and if you count yourself among that breed, then you deserve to have your console confiscated. The action is sluggish at worst and ponderous when it really should be heating up.
European Super League should have followed its real-life incarnation’s example. That is, it should have been thought through a little more than it obviously has before being brought to the table. Gamers who are serious about their football are directed to Konami's ISS range for the best soccer experience.
And so to the game-play. It’s a crowded market, the football genre on PSX, so what can European Super League offer that the many others don’t? The answer is not much beyond the authenticity of the atmosphere and the teams and players herein. Liverpool’s Michael Owen, for example, is easily recognisable, and if you’re familiar with their human counterparts, there’ll be squeals of delight from hardcore footy fans and computer geeks alike as you discover the computer versions of the famous names in the game. But all the tinsel and fragrant flower petals in the world wouldn’t detract from the fact that European Super League is, regrettably, a walk on the mild side. It’s a football game for those who don’t really like football that much, and if you count yourself among that breed, then you deserve to have your console confiscated. The action is sluggish at worst and ponderous when it really should be heating up.
European Super League should have followed its real-life incarnation’s example. That is, it should have been thought through a little more than it obviously has before being brought to the table. Gamers who are serious about their football are directed to Konami's ISS range for the best soccer experience.
