Contributions > Descriptions by Luis Silva (13443)

90 minutes is a traditional action football game, featuring 7 leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, plus an assortment of clubs from around the world) and national teams. While there are no team licenses, most players feature real names and there's also a player and team editor, allowing to change name and number of players, who's in each national team, as well as creating teams from scratch, including its players.

Gameplay follows the norms of the genre - A to pass, B to throw a high lob, X to shoot, Y to change players, with the triggers to perform modifiers (though passes and lob shots) and sprint, although these can all be changed in the options. The player can also assign special tactics to each direction on the d-pad to adapt quickly according to the flow of the game.

Game modes include the usual - World Championship (based on the world cup), as well as national leagues and cups (as well as a customizable cup), with secret teams waiting to be unlocked by those who win them, exhibition and training. Options are also the usual on these kind of games - change half lenght (3,5 or 10 minutes), opponent level and game speed. At gametime, players can also choose the weather, time of day, and between 10 cameras. There are six stadiums to choose from, inspired by venues such as the old Wembley Stadium, the Nou Camp or the ArenA in Amsterdam.

F-1 Spirit is the first portable version of Konami's classic MSX top-down racer. It features three classes of open-wheel cars (which dub as difficulty levels), three game modes (practice, single race and championship) and 25 different tracks all around the world, with some of them only playable on the according championship, from the Japanese Formula 3 to the World F1 Grand Prix. On each class, tracks become longer (forcing pit stops), cars faster, and turns change from simple, low angle corners which require no more than a slight trajectory to elbow corners which require some skill to turn without losing speed.

Controls are simple, with the directional button steering the car and the B button used to throttle the car and A to change between high and low gear.

Endorsed by the then England and Manchester United captain and international superstar, David Beckham Soccer is the last of Rage long tradition in developing soccer games. It includes both national and club teams (from England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain), plus the ability to create custom teams, with details ranging from the usual name, strips and colours to the stadium. Other than Beckham himself, no player is licensed (likeness is preserved, but names are replaced with phonetic equivalents, such as “Owin” or “Zanetee”), but the editor also allows the player to customize each player and team. Game modes include friendly, club season, several international cups (including the defunct Home Championship), Classic Matches (some featuring the highlights of Beckham's career, others just classic matches), Beat Brazil, where the player starts with France, and tries to beat Brazil with a progressively weaker team, Survival, where the player face top international teams, with goals against carrying over, until the player loses a match, and Train With Beckham, a series of drill minigames destined to teach the basics of the game and unlock “secrets”.

Gameplay is similar to previous titles developed by the company (most notably Microsoft Football 2000 and UEFA Striker), and not unlike Beckham, has its strong point during dead ball situations, where the player can choose either to use a set play to get the defense offguard, or take a direct shot or swerving pass using the traditional arrow indicator. In terms of options, the game doesn’t offer much to tweak, only bookings, offsides, injuries, match length and the decider (simple or golden goal overtime and penalty shootout)

Winter Sports (no connection to the 49Games series) is a typical winter sports game, featuring 10 nations competiting in the usual events - downhill, cross country, slalom, ski jump, biathlon and snowboarding.

Game mode include tournament (where the player is in a race for points in all events in sequential order), multiplayer (against up to 4 human opponents) and practice.

This to-go version of Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000 is a top-down racing game, featuring two game modes (championship and arcade), 6 bikers and a variety of tracks in different scenarios.

Season mode features 3 championships, each with three stages composed of four races. The goal is to win all 9 gold medals by obtaining more points than the competition. Arcade mode is the same, except all championships and stages, as well as Jeremy McGrath, are unlocked from the start. The difference between championships is the engine size - with larger (thus faster) bikes, the player has less time to react, and going head to head into the edge of the track can be a matter of a simple bump in 80cc to a spectacular flip into the stands in 250cc, also because it becomes a lot harder to do sharp turns in a limited space.

While it can be played as a straightforward racing game, by performing tricks the player can obtain some powerups - a bomb will knock down the next opponent, the arrow temporarily boosts bike stats and the shield allows the player to barge into one opponent, knocking him off his bike. There is one big catch - the skull and bones knock the player out of his bike, which can prove to be decisive in a close race.

Fancy hats, oval turf tracks and people waving tiny bits of paper on the stands. Welcome to the world of horse racing. While most other racing games have the player controlling a motorized vehicle (such as a car or a powerboat), or using physics to move closer to the goal (skiing, sailing and so on), in G1 Jockey the player is controlling an animal, which makes it slightly different from other racing games in the market.

The player has to balance four things - the overall speed of the horse, the stamina, horse motivation, and the potential, which affects for how long the horse can keep the speed high after all stamina was lost - crucial for the last stretch sprint. It's impossible to raise all four at once, so players must have a well defined strategy to succeed.

Depending on their abilities, each horse might be better suited for a particular strategy or type of race, and each must be treated differently to achieve the best possible result. The game features a large roster of horses, and many tracks to choose from, including flat track and steeplechase races. Game modes include race training, a tutorial, two player mode, and the career mode, where the player starts as a rookie jockey, and must complete races and training sessions to attract the attention of better stables.

Tour de France is an arcade racing game based on the premier road cycling event in the world.

The game features 5 different game modes: Arcade. where the player competes freely on any of available tracks, Tour de France, where the player aims to win the prestigious competition in five years, by training and winning enough money to afford better bike parts and training sessions, Time Trial (racing against the clock) and train basic skills.

As the player is controlling a bike, it isn't just a matter of pressing down the throttle button and avoid other competitors while keeping the best possible trajectory. While the last two are still as important, the player must pace according to the stamina of the racer. While it can be partially replenished using water bottles, to win races the player must use downward slopes to gain velocity while still recovering stamina as well as taking advantage of the slipstream of other riders. While losing all stamina won't immediately abort the race, the rider will stop and put a feet down until it recovers to an acceptable level, making any chance of a good result impossible. The race will stop, however, once the damage (sustained by hitting other riders of fences at high speeds) is greater than half of the stamina bar.

It was followed by Tour de France: Centenary Edition.

This pack features the PC arcade racing classic Crazy Cars 3, as well as shareware versions of:

• God of Thunder
• SkyRoads
• The Catacomb Abyss
• Hugo II: Whodunit?
• Fallout (a Columns variant)

Doing exactly what it says in the title, Let's Make a Soccer Team! starts with the player creating his own football team. At the start, the player chooses one of the six leagues, the region, hometown and colours of the club, as well as their characteristic playing style and the club secretary, which will guide the player through the most basic features. Additional features (such as designing the club kits and logo) are unlocked as the player advances.

At the start of the game, the player learns the backstory of the club - established 15 years ago, it quickly rose through the amateur divisions, but at an enormous expense - it's the end of the season, and to reach the second division the team has made a huge effort signing players, and while they're in the promotion playoffs, the club is broke, and the only way to survive is to reach the second division. To make things worse, a local tycoon is eyeing a club to buy, and the nearly bankrupt club might be the easiest target...

While the presentation is a lot different from other managers (excluding, perhaps, the ZOO Digital rehash of Premier Manager) due to the extensive use of 3D characters and models in the menus, as well as featuring some story elements, it features the same options as other managers in the market, featuring player and staff signing, team tactics and training, but also financial decisions like sponsoring and stadium and facility improvement.

By combining a Roland Garros license with their tried and tested tennis engine, Namco brings a third Smash Court Tennis title for the PlayStation 2. It was released exclusively in Europe, and was based on Smash Court Tennis Pro Tournament 2.

In gameplay, the game isn't much different from other tennis games in the market, but it differs from games such as Virtua Tennis by having some emphasis on stamina (some players get tired faster than others, and not only run slower but also lose power to return the ball on longer matches) and by forcing the player to hit the ball as well-timed as possible - a "nice" ball (with a yellow visual cue near the racquet) will be much harder to return, as it will bounce away faster from the player.

Featuring 15 real players from both ATP and WTA, the game features several game modes: Roland Garros allows the player to compete in the namesake, exhibition, and spectator, where the player can just sit back and see a game played by the computer, choosing one of the many cameras available, including the classic TV presentation or from the main stand.

The beefier mode is the ProTour, where the player creates and customizes his own player, from appearance to playing style, and start a career, taking part in tournaments and completing training sessions in order to improve the player, so he or she can break into the elite. Challenge mode includes the training session mini-games of ProTour, as well as Bomb Tennis, a special mode where the court is filled with bombs, and as a player wins points, the opponent's side is flooded with even more. The goal is to detonate the bombs by pushing them into the flames, and forcing the opponent to get caught in one explosion. Also included is a complete training mode, which explains in detail the differences between shots and allows newcomers to adapt themselves to the gameplay style of this title.

By completing certain goals, the player unlocks additional items, such as clothing, music tracks, trivia cards, player information and even secret players.

While the soccer tournament is often downplayed not only inside the Olympic movement but also by the soccer-following community, in 1996, by the occasion of the Games of the XXVI Olympiad in Atlanta, US Gold decided to release a game representing the tournament.

The player can choose one of the 33 teams, and participate in exhibition matches, arcade (a 32-team cup knockout), Olympic (the 16 team tournament mimicking the actual tournament), or play on an all-versus-all league (from 3 to 16 teams). The games feature the usual options found in contemporary games, such as match length and draw rules, as well as define several weather patterns from wind to the bumpiness of the grass. All 5 stadiums used in the actual Olympics are present.

Following previous winter sports titles (including the official game of the Torino 2006 Olympic Games), 49Games presents another light simulation of some of the most popular winter sports, including alpine skiing, snowboard half-pipe, ski jump, speed skating, biathlon, luge, bobsleigh, skeleton, figure skating and curling, for a total of 18 different events.

While not as complex as the specialized games developed by the German company (there's no waxing the skis, for instance), the game features a solid physics engine, which provides more realism than some of the more arcadish approaches to the genre. Gameplay varies by event, with the player being in full control of the athlete in most events like alpine skiing and half-pipe (which plays like most radical sports games featuring tricks and flicks instead of being "on-rails"), while other modes feature an higher focus on rhythm, like speed skating and figure skating. Curling plays like most games previously featuring the event, but there are two modes: simulation plays like the actual sport, where a team scores a point for each stone closer to the middle than the opponents' closest, while game awards points for each of the stones inside the target.

The game features three modes: Competition, where the player can participate in 5, 9 or all 16 events (or customize them), Campaign, where the player has to complete a number of quick goals to unlock additional tracks and features from previous games, while Career requires the player to compete in 15 levels with an increasing number of events to do the same. Single Events allow the player to train on any event.

One of EAs best selling franchises sees another yearly update, just months after the release of UEFA Euro 2008. However, continuing with the improvements seen in previous games, the developers tweaked the game further, such as adding a new physics model, which brings more realism to collisions, but also increased responsiveness and goalkeeper AI and animations.

Featuring thirty leagues and passing the half-thousand team mark, the game includes the usual modes seen in previous games, with enhancements to the Be a Pro mode, now allowing up to 20 people on 20 different consoles to connect by the Internet and join a 10 vs. single match. There's also a new paid premium mode, named «Adidas Live Season», which tracks the real results of six of the biggest leagues (Barclay’s Premier League, La Liga BBVA, Ligue 1, Bundesliga, Serie A and Mexican Primera Division) to dynamically update players statistics up-to-the-week according to their form and performances. A new online mode, FIFA 09 Clubs*, reserved to PS3 and X360 users, enables gamers to form or join user-controlled football teams of up to 50 friends and field their strongest team when competing in Be A Pro. As FIFA 09 Clubs* will determine the best virtual team in the world teams will be relegated or achieve promotion to different divisions depending on their results.

After the highly popular first two games of the series (NHL Hockey and NHLPA Hockey '93), EA acquired both NHL and NHLPA licenses, and along the award-winning console versions of NHL '94 developed a more complex game for personal computers.

While overall the game shares the same graphical style as the console versions, they are much detailed here, with jersey logos and even smaller details such as pixels decorating the Quebéc Nordiques jersey where their three Fleur de Lys should be decorating the players, and a much more colourful ring all around. Gameplay follows the same action-packed philosophy of the console games (including the new one-timer move), although at a slightly slower pace. Sound, however, is much improved, with clearer effects and digitized rink announcer and organ pieces. The game also features a brand new point and click interface, taking advantage of computer mice, making line changes much faster than console-style controls would allow.

As for game modes, the player can play exhibition games, seasons or play-off series with any of the 24 teams of the 1993 NHL season (Campbell and Wales All-Star teams are also available for exhibition games), all featuring real players with individualized stats in key playing abilities.

Following the previous game in the series, Cyanide decided only to tweak some aspects of the game, but still added a few new features, such as the ability to create a new ProTour or Continental team from scratch, improvements in the interface and AI and new track cycling modes and velodromes.

The game itself keeps up with the reputation of a solid road cycling management simulator, where the player is in charge of a professional team, by signing and releasing cyclists and staff (while keeping everyone pleased with their situation), keep sponsors happy by performing well in key races (which change according to the team - Quick Step will have very high hopes for the Spring classics and have more modest aspirations for the Tour de France, while Astana asks exactly the opposite). The core of the game are obviously the races themselves, where the player sets his strategy by reacting to breaks, how to control the peloton, and of course, when to launch what can become a decisive attack.

The track cycling mode, where the player controls his chosen athlete directly had . While gameplay remains unchanged, new modes were added - 200 Meters Flying Start, Scratch and Points Race, as well as the Omnium, which features varied events that test the overall ability of cyclists.

While games of the Pro Cycling Manager series attempt to recreate the feeling of being a Pro/Continental Tour cycling team manager, Tour de France: Centenary Edition is all about providing the thrills of being a cyclist, starting from the end of the peloton and making way to get a chance at victory. The game is licensed by the Tour de France, and features many real teams and cyclists in six stages, some of which available in reverse mode. Due to the nature of the name, this changes drastically the nature of the tracks - what can be a perfect track for climbers becomes one for the technical riders (with good breaking and turning abilities) in reverse.

While the game provides a much simplified arcade experience, it plays a lot differently from games featuring motor vehicles. The player has a limited stamina bar, which decreases as the player goes faster to break away from the current group or pedals harder to beat a steeper hill. In order to replenish it, he can drink a limited number of water-bottles, use down slope sections or, the key to a successful stage, use opponents' and team-mates slipstreams. However, this is not all without risks - down slope sections can be tricky due to the enormous speeds, and colliding takes stamina as well as time (and eventually, might force a retirement), and slipstreams are not always available or big enough. As cycling is also a team sport, the player can request a team-mate to slipstream him during a break, or to give him additional water bottles. They are also easier to slipstream, as they won't break away if the player close too long. Also playing a huge part on the race is the weather - rain makes pedalling much harder and increase the breaking distance noticeably, while fog reduces stamina loss, but players must be careful not to overdo speed due to limited viewing distance.

Game modes include training, arcade, time trials and the Tour de France, a career mode where the player can start a 5-year plan to become the world's number one cyclist by winning local races, which allows to afford better bike parts and training sessions. Parts affect mostly how well the player controls the bike, but as the game simulates the stage until the final miles, the starting position in the peloton is defined by the training, so a player who has a top bike but neglected training will struggle to perform well in the Tour de France, as instead of starting in the top 40 will start in 80th or even worse, losing precious time and both sprint and mountain points in the process.

NHL 2K8 is an instalment of 2K Sports' yearly hockey series. The player can control any of the 30 NHL teams and bring them to Stanley Cup glory on either Franchise or Season mode, or just play them in simple exhibition matches.

The franchise mode was extended, allowing more control of the team during the off-season (such as improvements in the draft and in negotiations), as well as tweaks to player progression and other changes to improve the realism of post-lockout NHL management - waivers, salary cap management, free agents and more. On the ice, while the game remains mostly unchanged, the new Superstar Moves bring a spark of world class hockey to the game, particularly on breakaways and penalty shots.

This sequel to the early PlayStation bestseller adidas Power Soccer expands on the number of available leagues (from 3 to 5, with Spain and Italy adding to the English, French and German leagues) and a "Top 20" division with top European Clubs, as well as 56 national teams. The usual game modes and options in the genre make a presence here, being possible to play cups, tournaments or leagues.

As with the previous game, the same fast-paced gameplay remains, while the regular mode isn't much different from the remaining sports game in the first years of the console, with the face buttons controlling the basic aspects of the game, such as passing, lobbing or kicking (or different kind of lunges on defence). However, the game gains a new dimension in the "arcade mode", where it's possible to bend the rules with infamous kicks to the head or unleash the trademark move of the series - the Predator Megakick, named after the then revolutionary boot models. However, doing those decrease the players' stamina meter, and after the bar is depleted, players not only no longer can make special moves, but also take longer to recover from a tackle, so longer games can be won (or lost) by the number of players that can't feel their legs no more.

Rugby 08 is the seventh rugby union released by Electronic Arts, and the official game of the 2007 IRB Rugby World Cup. It features 23 national teams (some unlicensed), the fully licensed Super 14, Guiness Premiership (England), Celtic League and French and Italian team (unlicensed), as well as the Junior All Blacks, the Australian A's and the unlicensed Pacific Islanders and Barbarians, as well as dozen of stadiums.

Game modes include the Rugby World Cup, Practice, several national and international tournaments such as the 6 Nations. Tri-Nations, Super 14, Guiness Premiership and the European Trophy, as well as the World League, where the player takes complete control of a team in the 3rd division, and builds his way up to the top division, while earning enough transfer points on the field to keep wages in check and get new signings. A new game mode is also featured, where the player has to re-write history from previous world cups in order to unlock highlight videos from each World Cup and other goodies.

Other features include more flexible camera control, allowing the player to kick the ball more accurately and react quickly after a scrum or lineout, new set pieces and faster defending formations and improved AI. The Impact Players also make a return, and you can expect Dan Carter to pin-point a punt almost from end to end or Bryan Habana to wreck defenses apart with his speed.

The soundtrack is provided by bands such as Malajube, Howling Bells or Tokyo Police Club.

This unofficial expansion for Microprose Grand Prix 3 adds three of tracks to the simulator - Indianapolis, Malaysia and Monza, as well as updated stats for the 2000 season and an editor for Team and Driver names, engine power, reliability and grip, as well as weather, car weight, pit lane speed limit, allow track records to be saved regardless of distance, as well as reset them and change which driving aids are available on each skill level.

After asking players to put requests on the official boards, Gerald Köhler and his FM07 team decided to do a first on the long roll of EA Sports title: an expansion.

Amongst the leading features, the player can now start his career like many managers do: both inside the field and on the sidelines, as the player-manager. Several new screens present the player with additional data before and after key moments of the season, including the "Ups & Downs", where the player's ratings are re-evaluated according to his performance during the whole season. More statistics are presented to the player so that the player can decide what and when to do more easily.

On the 3D engine side, new stadiums were added and matches can now be played on snow.

Night falls at the Smurf Village. Inquisitive Smurf brings Smurfette along to Papa Smurfs' laboratory to see the Magic Crystal that allows them to travel to anywhere in the world, but suddenly Smurfette breaks it, and they are gone! Now they must face the challenges in all continents in order to retrieve all shards of the Crystal and return home.

A classic platformer, this title allows the player to choose between Inquisitive Smurf and Smurfette (there are no differences between characters) and collect all 10 shards scattered on the playfield. There is a larger emphasis on exploring the levels rather than killing enemies (no score is given for them), so they can be avoided in most occasions, but if the needs arise, be dealt with a kick or in Mario fashion by jumping over them. Some shards can only be obtained by jumping on an enemy, using the sprint jump or using the scenario (ropes, or vines). While large falls don't harm the Smurfs, improper contact with enemies does. Each 1-up has four hearts, and at the fifth contact a life is lost and the player must restart the level. Once all lives are lost, the game is over - there are no continues. To fill the meter there are hearts and small Smurf icons scattered or hidden somewhere in the level, and on all stages there's a key that unlocks a bonus level if all three are collected at the end of the continent. In these bonus levels the player collects as much objects as possible which translate into hearts when the time closes. If the player fills the meter, a 1-up is awarded.

3037. FedNet is now in control of the federation, and in an attempt to gain the trust of the population following decades of corruption and warfare, the FedNet Space Corps were sent to the outermost planets to crush the small-time warlords still running the show there. After being "convinced" to join them in a tour of duty, he is assigned to an elite flight group with the only purpose of testing the most cutting-edge technology.

A remake of the original game of the same title released a few years before for the Acorn Archimedes platform, Starfighter 3000 features more detailed graphics (now all surfaces are texture-mapped and a fogging filter reduces clipping). Featuring 15 levels in 4 worlds, the player controls the Predator Mark-IV, a fighter ship capable of space and atmospheric flight. However, other than the handy boost button, the player has no control over the throttle, (unless he uses a flight stick with thrust controls such as 3DO's CH Pro stick) and must keep moving at all times.

In post 3DO releases, only two points of view are available: behind (better for acrobatics and general flying) and cockpit (accurate aiming and NOE flight). The 3DO release contained several more, like a TV-style fly-by-cam, weapon cameras, and enemy cams that could show a nearby enemies' POV.

By picking up crystals the player is able to upgrade his craft and obtain more ammo, and by combining colours, get more powerful weapons, some also obtainable from parachute drops sent by FedNet.

One of the defining features of the game is using the laser (basic weapon) to terraform the map. As the game map is composed of tiles, some with higher or lower vertexes can be leveled by simply firing repeatedly at the same area. This allows players to strategically avoid heavy defense turrets by simply collapsing a hill, or destroy a heavier turret by simply burrowing the ground beneath it.

The player starts the game with three lives and earns one every 250k points. Losing all lives means a game over, but as there isn't a profile for each pilot (like in Tie Fighter), the game can be resumed freely from the last savegame.

Visually very similar to the Sim City series, Mobility also allows the player to control and dictate the growth of a city, but the main focus of the game is other: public transportation.

While the player is in charge of developing an empty plot of land like in SimCity 2000, by "zoning" areas to residential, commercial and industrial buildings in different densities, as well as services such as malls, schools and several entertainment facilities, the true goal of the game is assuring all citizens can move from their homes to their jobs, commercial and entertainment buildings without stressing in traffic jams or overpolluting the area, lowering the quality of life of those living next to busy streets. For that, the player can setup traffic signs, define maximum road speeds and priorities at crossings, create an efficient network of public transportation buses, and at more advanced levels, urban railroads and several commodities such as parking spots, active navigation and "park and ride" systems.

Research also plays a part in the game. Long-term projects of emissions reduction, fuel consumption efficiency, electric and hydrogen vehicles and teleworking all affect the city efficiency and quality of life of your citizens. As the goal is to keep a large city with as little people driving and polluting as possible, by adjusting traffic fines and taxes (providing bonuses to drivers of minicars, for instance) and rewarding those who renounce their car, work at home or decide on a non-fossil fuel powered car by giving them a lower tax burden.

There are two game modes: Normal and Master Mode, where the player is free to develop the city even if it went into debt or features poor evaluations. In this mode, simulations settings can also be tweaked to study the effect of them in the map. Some scenarios where the player has to solve issues in a city are also included.

This compilation includes:

• FIFA 2004
• Total Club Manager 2004

Radically different from other racquet sports such as tennis, badminton uses a high-drag shuttle which gives it an irregular path. In this video game adaptation, the player controls the Japanese player in a competition against five opponents: Canada, USA, UK, South Korea and China. Each match is played on best-of-five sets, played to 15 (boys) or 11 (girls) points. Four different courts can be chosen.

Along the d-pad, two buttons are used to control the player - one to swing the racquet, and other to jump. By following the shadow of the shuttle the player can position himself correctly, and then hit it in perfect timing, giving it enough power and lift to reach the opponent's side, and then (hopefully) descend out of the opponent's reach. Jumping allows the player to hit the shuttle downwards but still over the net, reducing the reaction time for a proper return drastically.