TV SPORTS SOCCER | GAME REVIEW
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TV Sports Soccer is a simple, yet fun football game available for mobile, tablet and Apple TV. It was developed by Rantmedia Games, who are based in both Cardiff and California. The premise of TV Sports Soccer is very basic, as you must score goals to progress through an endless number of pitches. If the opposition comes into contact with your ball for a long enough time or intercepts your pass/shot, then it’s game over and you must start from the beginning. This means that there is no career mode to complete, with the only objective to score as many points as possible to climb the leader board. However, climbing that leader board is no easy task. To put things in perspective, it has taken me many attempts to achieve a record points total of 39, yet the player currently sitting at top of the leader board has a record points tally of 3,090. There’s no higher motivation than trying to beat the record of other people. Rantmedia Games also included a leader board for you and your friends, so you can get competitive with people you know as well as strangers.
TV Sports Soccer uses simple visuals with a Voxel style, which looks similar to Minecraft. Opting for these simple graphics was a wise decision as it makes the game look colourful and appealing, while finding its own identity rather than being compared to other football games such as FIFA. The music is also a great addition, as it is energetic to match the fast paced nature of the game, yet is not distractive or tedious after playing for a long time. The sound effects such as the kick of the ball and the referee’s whistle also do a good job in creating an immersive football atmosphere.
The simple controls suit mobile and tablet extremely well, while the Apple TV controller is slightly harder to master for the game, although this could be due to my lack of experience using one. The touch controls are difficult to adjust to at first, as the movement controls can feel restrictive, while the shooting can occasionally be non-responsive. Once you get used to the controls these issues become less frequent. This is evident as you see yourself improving after multiple games and gradually increasing your record. The game encourages you to pass the ball to your teammates, as it gives you extra points and increases the speed of the ball. However, passing can be inaccurate, and so dribbling past players is usually more effective in the early stages. There are also a couple of glitches in the games, especially when the ball collides with the outer boundary. The ball has on occasion become trapped between boundary and player, with only a restart able to fix the issue. The game also feels awkward when you lose possession of the ball, as the closest player will aimlessly run towards it, often colliding with the opposition and disappearing off camera. Incidents such as these can be a pain and slows the tempo dramatically.
The game’s greatest flaw is its limited content. There is no alternative mode to the main game, and unfortunately no multiplayer, despite the fact that it would work extremely well with the game’s concept. The only customisable options available is the colour of your team’s kit. While the limited options are understandable due to the limited budget, it does leave you thinking that the game is overpriced at £2.29. If the game was priced around £1 it would seem more appropriate. TV Sports Soccer is the kind of game that is perfect for playing a few minutes while waiting for a bus, as it doesn’t require an internet connection unlike many modern mobile games. However, despite being fun and addictive, the game can become repetitive rather quickly and so is unlikely to leave a lasting impression on you.
words RYAN JONES
