World Cup Gaming

For this week’s blog I thought we’d deviate from our awesome arcade machines and look at some classic football videogames through the ages as there’s nothing better to get you in the football mood than some favourite footy titles from the past. So let us take a look at some:

Virtua Striker series (Dreamcast/ Model 2 / Model 3 Arcade)

Virtua Striker was the first soccer game to use 3D graphics and for the time featured breathtaking graphics. When playing the game on an Elite system with graphics ramped up to 1080p, it holds up to any PS3 or Xbox 360 game. It shows how far emulation has progressed in the last decade. The Virtua Striker game’s fluid controls and flow of the game created a benchmark in arcade football gaming which few have bettered.

Kick Off series (Amiga and others)

This game caused quite a stir and was extremely well received by gamers. Developed by Dino Dini, there were many sequels including Player Manager- the first football game to feature both playing and managing your team. There’s a loyal fanbase dedicated to the series. There’s even been a couple of Kick Off World Cups since. However I dont think it generates as much furore as the current one 😉

World Cup ’90 (Sega Megadrive)

This is perhaps one of the more shoddy examples of football games, however the game came free with the Megadrive so it has a special place in my heart. Even though the game was pretty crappy and the controlling the goalie was essentially hit and miss- it’s worth a couple of games and reminiscing when you unboxed your brand-new Megadrive.

Everyone has their own favourite football games and there are plenty to choose from. When you have your friends over to watch the game, there’s no better warm up for the match then a couple of games with your nearest and dearest.

Hope you enjoy the World Cup, and Happy Gaming!!