New Star Games

FourFourTwo magazine's review of New Star Soccer 2
July 2004

You’re 17 years old with the world at your feet. You’ve got your pick of clubs and an enviable salary. Only your choices on and off the pitch will influence whether you grow into a Gazza or a Shearer. So what the hell are you doing in the casino when you should be training?

Right from the kick-off, this visually simple but deceptively addictive title breaks the rules of football games. As an individual player you must vie for personal improvement, negotiating your salary and selecting how hard to train in order to develop your skills.

During a match you make key decisions in the heat of the moment – take the ball 20 yards out, for instance, and you can pass, shoot or dribble goalward. You must play to your strengths and read situations well to attract media praise and the attention of bigger clubs, thereby - and here’s the key - increasing your earning power.

The thirst for cash that provides impetus for New Star Soccer 2 isn’t just an indictment of the motivations of the modern player: you need readies to balance your off-the-field influences. Splash out on clothes, vehicles and houses for friends, families and even a string of girlfriends to keep them sweet.

If you can’t wait for your savings to mature, the casino beckons. Better still, you can make like Keith Gillespie and have a flutter on the gee-gees in a self-contained mini-game reminiscent of that Derby Day arcade cabinet from the seaside holidays of yesteryear.

Further tension is added to the gameplay by the fact you must also placate your chairman, team-mates, fans and media. It’s a simple enough balancing act until the lads fancy a night out and your missus has just rented a copy of Love Actually.

This is a refreshing, if somewhat simple, attempt to model the lifestyle and motivations of real footballers. It’s not a long-term hook, but a brilliant curio that will raise a wry smile from the 99 percent of us who don’t earn £50,000 a week. When you throw away £100,000 at the casino like a spoilt brat you might even feel a pang of sympathy for the nouveau riche of the football world. As it turns out, even virtual money corrupts.