Urban Freestyle

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Urban Freestyle Soccer predominately features the same sort of over the top gameplay as Acclaims other release NBA Jam. You can just about throw any “rules” of Soccer you may know out of the window, this title concentrates on action and does it’s best to alleviate some of the less interesting moments in the sport and replaces them with even more action.

Urban Freestyle Soccer comes with a whole manual of commands at your disposal. Each player has his own individual “special move” which is activated by pressing either two or three buttons simultaneously. These range from back flips and exaggerated headers, to the “Netbuster” goals, which are activated when you have ranked up enough “skill points” which in turn are awarded by performing more skill moves or just plainly scoring a goal the old-fashioned way. And with a high action (low realism) game such as this scoring is something you will see during the game. nill nill draw are just not an option in fact do not be suprised if the scores rivel rugby.

The problem with all this is that the game has been designed from the outset to be a fast-paced game using a small pitch, having to remember what keys activate what becomes a daunting and ultimately frustrating experience and negates any fun you could be having with the game. By the time you have fathomed out what key you need to press you’ll find the ball has been taken away from you and the AI is half way down the pitch. Obviously, the computer-controlled opposition do not have the same limitations and it all becomes an annoying display as you frantically try to remember which buttons activates the special moves you need at the time. To add insult to injury even tacking an opponent requires the player to hold down three buttons together. While it is true to say that you can always use the standard tackle button, you will always be at a disadvantage because it is certainly not what the AI will be using against you. The training mode does help alleviate some of this frustration but you will probably need to repeat the lessons more than once, and then some. If you play the game against another human player, things do pick up and then probably only if you ignore all the special moves that become almost mandatory playing against the computer. Other problems occasionally pop-up like the ease of which own goals can be scored due to the massive turn arc used then trying to steer your player near your own goal area, and I will promise you that you will want to shoot your goalkeeper – at times it seems that the computer is just destined to score.

Graphically there really isn't much wrong with Urban Freestyle Soccer, the multitude of different area’s that you find yourself playing in are certainly eye pleasing and some of the backgrounds really do add to the experience. Some of these backgrounds also contain items (like boxes and chairs) that you pick up and throw at the opposition. (That is if you can remember the two and three button combinations). Ultimately though there really is nothing wrong with the graphics and they certainly look the part. Adidas also predominately feature throughout the game thanks to the in-game sponsorship so you can expect clothing and the equipment to be spot on. Moreover, thanks to some brilliant in game music tracks from the likes of Sub-Urban, Queens of the Stone Age, Feeder, Method Man, Saliva, Oxide and Neutrino, Buju Banton, T.L.C, and Kid Frost you can be guaranteed at least a pleasant audible experience.

As in NBA Jam, unlockables are the name of the game and the better you do within the Turf Wars section the more extras you get to play with. These include new teams and area’s to play in. Progress during Turf Wars also rewards you with points to allocate amongst your team and at times even more special moves to use during the game (there are around 100 moves to master). That in itself guarantees that you will have something new to see for some time to come.

Unfortunately all in all Developers Gustos Games seem to have concentrated more on the “over the top” portion of this rather than settle for more “gameplay”, and at times this becomes all too apparent. While Urban Freestyle Soccer is not a particularly bad game by any stretch of the imagination, it is hardly one that we can recommend with any honesty either. There are certainly better Soccer (Football) games out there and unless you are strictly after the urban nature of the game with arcade controls and exaggerated gameplay we would certainly recommend alternatives like the tried and tested FIFA series. When all said and done, rules were not always meant to be broken, sometimes they are there for a reason.

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