Keith Van Eron's Pro Soccer

aka: MicroProse Soccer, Microprose Pro Soccer
Moby ID: 3849
Commodore 64 Specs
Buy on Windows
$4.54 new on Steam
Included in

Description official descriptions

Arcade-style soccer game. It has two different parts: Indoor and Outdoor.

The Outdoor game is the normal European soccer. You may play single matches, league or tournament (world championships). Optional features are: weather effects, replays, customizable game length. Some quite funny movements and shots are available (e.g. banana flanks).

The Indoor game has US soccer teams (?fictional?) and plays on a much smaller field. It has different rules compared to outdoor soccer. You can play single matches, league and All Star tournament. The same movements and shots can be made, sometimes with even funnier effects (e.g. banana shot bouncing of the wall and into the goal).

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Credits (Commodore 64 version)

Programing by
Graphics by
Music & SFX by

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 82% (based on 24 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.4 out of 5 (based on 41 ratings with 1 reviews)

Unintentionally hilarious, but lacking as a serious football game

The Good
Offering both indoor and outdoor soccer makes for something unique, with distinct differences between the two.

The variety of different competitions is great, making for something ideal whether you want a progressive challenge, a real-life tournament, or a simple two-player kick-about.

The way the players slide around when it's raining is hysterical, although hardly realistic, and the maximum banana power option produces amusing swerving shots.

The in-game music is curiously catchy too.

The Bad
The fact that it originated on the C64 is obvious when compared to games such as Kick Off and Sensible Soccer, which are both much more sophisticated. Set pieces suffer the most - there are no fouls, the corners and goal-kicks are rudimentary one-directional affairs, and the throw-ins are hard to do much with.

Controlling the goalkeepers is very awkward - its not easy to save shots that are aimed well away from the keeper (that said, it's not too easy to direct a shot in a surprising way either). Maybe fully automatic keeper control would've been better.

Making use of the ball in or around the penalty box is unnaturally awkward due to the ever-present goalkeepers and their excessive reach. A few set methods of scoring seem to dominate, and against the easiest teams you can run up basketball scores

The Bottom Line
A relatively straightforward football game, with a few unique features setting it apart from the crowd, perhaps as an attempt to disguise the fact that it didn't play like real football, or especially well as a game when compared to things like Speedball.

DOS · by Martin Smith (61) · 2003

Trivia

Advertising

An advertisement used in the UK multi-format magazines C&VG and ACE was written to look like a review from the magazine in question, using the same text but stylized to look like the respective magazine's typical review format. The positive reviews quoted within the review were genuine, however.

Ports and conversions

Sensible Software developed the game only for Commodore 64. It closely resembles Tehkan World Cup arcade release and Jon Hare admits in "Retro Gamer" issue 33 that they took inspiration from it when it comes to a the top-down view perspective and game's physics. However many new ideas and elements were added. Sensible Software was not involved in any other ports for different platforms. Atari ST and Amiga versions were done by Electronic Pencil Co. and ZX Spectrum version was ported by Smart Egg Software

Awards

  • Commodore Format
    • April 1991 (Issue 7) - listed in the A to Z of Classic Games article (Great)
    • July 1993 (Issue 34) - Modern Classics: Sports
    • November 1994 (Issue 50) – #5 The All-Time Top 50 C64 Games
  • Computer and Video Games
    • Issue 06/1989 - Winner Golden Joystick Award 1989 for Best 8-Bit Simulation Game (reader's vote)
  • Power Play
    • Issue 01/1989 - Best Sports Game in 1988
  • ST Format
    • January 1990 (Issue #06) - Included in the list 50 Games of the Year. Category "Real Dogs"
  • Zzap!
    • January 1990 (Issue 57) – 'The Best Games of the 80's Decade' (Phil King)

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Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 3849
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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Rebound Boy.

Windows added by Rik Hideto. Commodore 64 added by Martin Smith. Amiga, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST added by Kabushi.

Additional contributors: tarmo888, Martin Smith, vedder, Patrick Bregger, mailmanppa, Jo ST, FatherJack.

Game added April 18, 2001. Last modified February 12, 2024.