Ten of the best football video games of all time

Ah football video games, the bane of any young relationship; they’ve provided us with so much entertainment down the years and are a cause of instant mood swings. “Shotgun Barcelona,”that’s so unrealistic,” “why don’t you run faster!” are just some of the quotes that are screamed at our television screens, but what makes us get so attached to such visual antics?

There are a wide variety of football video games available on various consoles, and in this modern day and age they just keep coming with the release of the new FIFA 14 and upcoming Football Manager 2014. So here at Tibs News we’ve narrowed down ten of the best football video games of all time, and there are some real classics you’re sure to remember.

In no particular order:

FIFA/FIFA World Cup – EA Sports
Arguably the most popular football game across the globe. Since its birth as FIFA International Soccer in 1993, FIFA has grown from strength to strength over the years and has adapted its game play and in-game features to such an extent that it has now reached its 21st year of release. From FIFA’s old, one-off feature where before kick-off you could toss a coin and choose a side in order to determine possession, to their 2001 edition’s ‘disk scent’ where if you scratch and sniff the disk it will give off the same smell as that of a football pitch – thank god they didn’t think of sweaty crotch scent – EA Sports have certainly excelled themselves in the video gaming world.

Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) – Konami
The main rival of EA Sports FIFA, PES has also proved a popular game over the years and in some cases has even bettered the graphics and match features to that of its brother. However, one of the main issues that has always surrounded this game is the possession of licenses for team names, stadiums, kits, leagues and even players, with the latest version leaking Liverpool’s Kolo Toure to have more of a ‘YOLO’  look than ‘Kolo’, sporting a haircut similar to that of BBC Top Gear presenter James May. Overall though a great game that succeeds in improving each year, minus the licensing factor.

Football Manager – Sega
The footballing giant of the PC, Football Manager is the number one simulation game that boasts an exceptional array of managerial attributes, making you feel like a true football coach. What’s good about FM is that it caters for all abilities, allowing you to decide how much you want to be involved with a certain club, whilst step-by-step instructions are on hand for beginners. Managing an international team and selecting their pools is also good fun, although the game can sometimes be rather repetitive or unrealistic, with the same transfers or mind-boggling referee decisions likely to go against you.

International Superstar Soccer Pro – Konami
A huge hit with Tibs News. ISSP was considered the most playable footballing game of its time on PlayStation during its release in 1997 and that was largely down to it’s sound effects feature, enabling players to change the language of the commentator. Their play-by-play narration also proved a huge laugh, with shouts like “scorchio!” for when a player’s shot dribbled into the goalkeeper’s arms, “that boy’s got a steel skull” for a simple defensive header and “that’s yellow – that’s an early bath” for a common, first booking. And if you weren’t 100% sure what happened during the match, words like ‘goal kick’ and ‘goal’ would flash on the screen in big, capital letters to reassure you where the ball was, phew.

Ronaldo V-Football – PAM Development
Has one of the best soundtracks to a football game. Focused on the traditional Brazilian samba music, the menu page alone will get you clapping before you’ve even pressed a button. There were also a huge array of football nations you could play with which is always nice, but of course the stand-out team was Brazil, with that old flame Ronaldo being the modern-day Messi on FIFA. The tactic to win the game was running and once you found what button controlled speed, you were untouchable. Yet the goalkeepers were unrealistically good, holding on to most saves even though you were six yards out and full power on the shoot bar – except if you were playing as Ronaldo obviously.

LMA Manager – Codemasters
The game where Robert Huth cost more than Gerard Pique, LMA’s fully 3D match engine made it stand out from the pack, while it’s ‘create a fantasy team’ option challenged the footballing nerds of Europe to produce their best squad. Since it’s existence in 2000, features such as visiting a studio to watch the ‘live’ draws of football competitions or logging onto a Sky Sports News-esque page made LMA much more enticing and unique. Sadly, Codemasters stopped making the game in 2007 to the dismay of a few fans, who have since argued for a comeback on forums and blogs. I hope you’re listening Codemasters!

This Is Football – London Studio
What it lacked in player graphics it certainly made up for in team selection. From England to Libya, New Caledonia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, TIF offered an array of playable national and club football teams which even had real player names – apart from a few who had ‘Custom A’, he was a great striker. One of the best ‘features’ for TIF was the extent of the cheats, ranging from topless or hopping footballers, to playing football with an actual player’s head. Like many video games, this was one that certainly excelled itself in further years before finally finishing it’s production as ‘This Is Football’ in 2005.

Premier Manager – various
The game where every club wanted your players. Premier Manager was another popular simulation game and the first of its kind following its early release in 1992. Offering what I think was one of the best text commentaries to date, PM focused mainly on up-and-coming matches and transfers rather than the nitty-gritty background work Football Manager and LMA Manager offered. Yet the later games did offer a nifty telephone feature where a nice looking receptionist used to answer a ringing phone and allow you to chose the next steps. She never went home either, I hope I put her on minimum wage.

Sensible Soccer – Sensible Software
Another early starter in 1992, this football game was renown for it’s user-friendly features and one of the first whereby you could edit not only club teams but national pools as well.  One of the defining gameplay elements is that it offered a birds-eye view of the match itself, rather than the normal side view other video games offered around that time. Further features also allowed you to swerve the ball in what was called the ‘aftertouch’, an effective yet unrealistic mode that made David Beckham’s free kicks look average.

Championship Manager – Sports Interactive
A game to rival that of Football Manager, Championship Manager has been an outstanding success since its release in 1992. Based mainly on the British football leagues, the game offers unique tournament modes including Rumbelows Cup, Zenith Cup and the fictional Domark Trophy, named after the publishers of the game itself. Championship Manager was also known for releasing ‘update disks’ that allowed you to download the latest squads, promotions/relegations and managerial changes, nifty.

So there you have it, Tibs News’ best footballing video games. Other close contenders include: Actua Soccer, Three Lions, Red Card, Michael Owen’s World League Soccer and UEFA Champions League.

Now what you waiting for, dig out that PS1 from your loft, plug in the controllers, tell the girlfriend you’re ill and off you go.

By Aaron Aquilina

Follow @AaronAquilina25

Image provided by phalinn on Flickr