As a child I spent many hours playing a game called Subbuteo, a soccer game where you flicked little plastic soccer players around a fabric pitch to score goals, other people played foosball where the aim of the game was the same although this time your man spun on wooden rods.
Soctics League is a hybrid of these two games and while the aim remains the same, to score more goals than your opponent, you control your players by pointing them in the direction you wish them to go in before launching them all at once to push the ball into your opponents net.
To begin with the process felt a little alien, you can play the game with either 3 or 4 ‘players’ and they are placed on either side of the pitch. Before the game starts you have the opportunity to place your ‘players’ anywhere on your half of the pitch, after that however control moves to directing power and direction by placing arrows out of each of them.
While you’ll be predicting the direction of the ball most of the times you do also get a limited number of binoculars that will give you a visible line of where the ball is going to go, this doesn’t take into account you opponents moves though so it’s path is not guarenteed.
While your doing this your opponent, either iPhone AI, a friend or an online player are doing the same and once you’ve all set your moves all the players will move at the same time and the ball will hopefully move towards you opponents goal.
While there is a basic training mode you can really perfect your skills playing against the iPhone AI player before taking the online challenge which is where the real fun begins as you pit your wits against a real player. The online game moves along quickly as you are limited to how long you ponder your next move, and ponder you must as you have to consider both attacking your opponents goal and defending your own.
You can play friendly games online but also play league games. The league games will enter you into the Soctics League which is won by the player with the most points each week.
Each game is a best of three so you may fine things over pretty quickly, however it can turn into a mind bending game of chess if you find a defensive opponent. This is where it gets fun though and the game shows its strength as a real brain teasing challenge.
Soctics League is not going to win any awards for its sound and graphics, it’s pretty basic where both those items are concerned but that’s also not a problem as the game is more about the mental challenge than its great looks.
It’s also a little rough around the edges still, the app crashes at times for no apparent reason and sometimes menu’s don’t work either but Soctics League does have the underlying gameplay that could keep this on your iPhone for some time to come. The developers seem to be active too so who knows what updates they have up their sleeves.
Soctics League is available in the App Store now for $1.99 and if you are looking for something a little different this could be the game for you.
[rating: 3/5]What we like
What to know
Magnetic Sports Soccer [rating: 5/5]
The proliferation of sports games in the App Store means most sports have great content and almost every angle has been covered. When a unique take on a game comes along it’s a refreshing break from the many clones found in the iPhone environment. I am happy to report that Magnetic Sports Soccer from BulkyPix and Revo Solutions is just such a unique take. At its core it is a foosball / table soccer game variant but its distinctive take makes it stand out from the rest.
Magnetic Sports Soccer presents a soccer field with players in a familiar foosball-like arrangement. However, instead of being controlled in groups, individual players are free to move and play the ball. The ball is passed and shot by pulling back on the player in possession and pointing him either at the net when attempting to score or at the another player on your team to pass. The further you pull back on the player, the harder the ball will be released when you let go of them. An arrow points out from the player to indicate direction and speed. The wrinkle in game play is that, as the name implies, there is a magnetic attraction between the ball and players. Pass the ball between teammates without enough force and the ball will be drawn to an opposing player. Pass with too much force and miss a teammate and possession may likewise pass to the other team. The level of precision and strategy demanded by the game is surprising, welcome, and a great addition.
Varied game play is a welcome strong point of Magnetic Sports Soccer. Some games in the App Store offer, at best, perhaps one or two ways to experience the game. This is fine for a while but can quickly cause the game to be worn out. You will not quickly bore of Magnetic Sports Soccer. This game offers no less than two variations of single player and 4 variations of multi player interaction. The multi player variants are especially compelling. Playing against a person is infinitely better than playing against a computer and this game offers the ability to play with two people on one device, through the local Wi-Fi network, through a Bluetooth connection, or an online component that allows you to play over the Internet! You’ll never run out of ways to play this game.
The other extras this game provides are excellent as well. Online high scores and achievements are provided by the wildly popular OpenFeint system and you can connect to your Facebook account to interact with friends. The graphics are excellent and the sounds really add to ambiance of the game.
The only suggestion for improvement I would be tempted to add would be additional levels or arena options. This game already provides varying levels of difficulting and several different arenas. Adding more arenas and allowing the player to vary the size of the teams involved would be a nice addition to an already great game.
You may be tempted to bypass Magnetic Sports Soccer if you pass it by in the App Store. Don’t. This is a fun, compelling, and replayable take on a foosball / table soccer theme. You’ll enjoy ever minute of the game and not regret the purchase.
The Good
The Not So Good
Reviewed by: Erin Peterson
Magnetic Sports Soccer Multiplayer
Price: $2.99 (iTunes Store) as of 13 Jan
Version reviewed: 1.0
Size: 9.6 MB
Seller: BULKYPIX