Total Football
a game by | Domark Software, and Acclaim |
Genre: | Sports |
Platform: | Genesis |
Editor Rating: | 2/10, based on 1 review |
User Rating: | 7.3/10 - 3 votes |
Rate this game: | |
See also: | Sport Games, Sports Management Games, Soccer Video Games |
Total Football was a rather late release for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and for some bizarre reason it also got a release on the Amiga as well. Keep in mind this was 1995 so you will see why it is kind of weird that this game was even made, let alone released for the platforms it was. The 16-bit era had a ton of football/soccer games, but truth be told for everyone that was great, there were like five that were not good, and sadly this one here falls more into the not good section, but it is still very interesting to talk about and look at.
Not A Level Playing Field
You may think that I am being harsh on Total Football and comparing it to football games that we have in this modern age, but that is not the case at all. This was released in 1995 and by this time on the Sega Mega Drive, you could play Sensible Soccer, FIFA, International Superstar Soccer, Striker, hell even the Italia 90 World Cup game was better. Sadly, this game comes nowhere near to any of those other games I mentioned.
One Button To Rule Them
The worst aspect of Total Football is the controls. In Sensible Soccer, as it was made with the Amiga in mind, you have one button that does everything and it works, it depends on how long you press the button for and it is a great system. Despite being released in 1995 and on a console with three buttons, this game only uses one and what the button does depends on the player's position on the pitch! A defender will hoof the ball up the pitch, a winger will cross it and a striker will shoot…. however, more often than not the action will not be what you want or need it to be.
It's In The Game… Well Not Really
You play Total Football from a similar point of view to the 16-bit FIFA titles, but things are a little closer to the pitch. Somehow, EA made this work, but in this game, the angle is at odds with the direction you are pressing on the controller, it is a very awkward control system and one that takes a long time to get used to. There is a decent selection of game modes for you, you can play in a league, a knockout tournament, and a World Cup style tournament with group and knockout stages. There are only international teams in the game and as you have probably guessed, there are no real player likenesses here.
Back in Christmas 1993, an aunt bought me Pele for the Sega Mega Drive as she knew I loved football. While I was grateful I was bought a new game, that game was bad and at the time the worst football game I had ever played, Total Football is worse than that! There are just so many better football games to play on the Sega Mega Drive and even the Amiga! I will say that if you played football games on the Mega Drive back in the day, give this one a try as you will be amazed at just how bad it is, especially in the control department!
Pros:
- The voice quality when it shouts “free kick” is pretty good
- The stadium looks ok
- The selection of game modes is not bad
- I think the game is interesting to play due to how strange a release it was
Cons:
- The game controls terribly in every regard
- It is one of the worst football games I have ever played
Download Total Football
System requirements:
- PC compatible
- Operating systems: Windows 10/Windows 8/Windows 7/2000/Vista/WinXP
- Game modes: Single game mode
Player controls:
- Up, Down, Left, Right - Arrow keys
- Start - Enter (Pause, Menu select, Skip intro, Inventory)
- "A" Gamepad button - Ctrl (usually Jump or Change weapon)
- "B" button - Space (Jump, Fire, Menu select)
- "C" button - Left Shift (Item select)
Use the F12 key to toggle mouse capture / release when using the mouse as a controller.