Fans of the Amiga version of Sensible World of Soccer will dribble out of the corner of their mouth to hear that the Xbox LIVE Arcade version of the game holds true to its original. Everything found in the 96/97 version is present in its full pixelated glory. If a blast from the past isn’t your thing, then when purchasing the game you will be able to turn on the High Definition sprites in the game. This in-turn adds its own quirkiness on top of the original stellar gameplay experience. The enhanced mode features full widescreen support (instead of the 4:3 format of the original), new player sprites and animations, enhanced stadiums, re-sampled soundtrack, pitch marks when you tackle and ripple effects when a goal is scored. This list of updates just enhance the dated looking title, ideal for new players who are shy in touching such a game if it came with its dated graphics as standard.
Another worthy addition to this game, which has caused the many delays in its development, is the online modes. Both ranked and friendly matches are available to budding goal scoring superstar heroes, with very little to no lag during matches. This shows the time and effort Codemasters have put into making such a great online experience.
All the club and national teams are still present here, all with their original misspelt player names. Like the original, the player names as well as stats can be edited to match their real-life counterparts should you wish to invest the time to do so. Full Season modes are still present, giving Sensi’ fans, old and new, the thrilling challenge of managing your own team throughout a whole season, whether you want to be a player-manager or just a manager.
Under the surface of a simple presentation and graphics you will find a rich and addictive gameplay experience, with a deep and quite challenging single player campaign. Add the ability of online leaderboards, local and network play over LIVE, achievements that will keep you practicing regularly to earn them, and you have a stunning package that is well worth its 800 MS Points.
