Evidently, creating an arcade-like sports game can be a challenging task. For every successful diversion such as NBA Jam or Wii Sports, there are a handful of complementary middling titles like Family Fun Football or Bill Lambeer's Combat Basketball. Boiling down an adored recreation down to a few, simple enjoyable mechanics can stymie even an experienced developer.
The core gameplay of the recently released Academy of Champions: Soccer is surprisingly polished, approaching the level of finesse shown in 2007's Mario Strikers Charged. Academy wisely trims footie to a five-on-five match, allowing players to concentrate on nimble dribbling, and passing to a reduced number of teammates. Gamers use the stick on the Nunchuck to direct a player on the pitch, with a tap of the "C" button switching control to the teammate closest to the ball.
WorthPlaying writes: "Without a doubt, soccer is the most popular sport in the world for people of all ages. The World Cup is one of the few sporting events where people stop working just to watch each game in the tournament. In America, though, the sport is definitely more popular with children than it is with adults, as evidenced by the many youth soccer teams and organizations around the country. Couple that information with the fact that those same young people are more likely to play video games on the Wii than any other console, and it begins to make sense why more youth-oriented soccer games are available on that system than any other console. After seeing both Nintendo and EA put out very accessible soccer games on the system, Ubisoft has decided to throw its hat in the ring with a soccer title of its own. While Academy of Champions: Soccer certainly does things much differently than the other soccer titles on the Wii, it is still a very fun and challenging game."
Soccer, the most popular sport around the globe, is today played by more children in America than baseball. The World Cup, which will be watched in a few short months by more than a billion people around the globe, will halt the season of Major League Soccer, which draws nearly as many fans as the NBA. The stars are aligned and the timing could not be more perfect for an exciting, well-designed, family-oriented soccer game for Nintendo's Wii.
DIG writes: "Ubisoft doesn't really prepare you for how weird Academy of Champions Soccer is going to be. The opening cut scene apes Hogwarts with Pele looking fatherly as Dumbledore. Well he's missing the fantastic get-up, but he wants to help you become the greatest Soccer player. I think they may have stumbled onto something here. Mia Hamm shows up as well, giving Pele his Minerva. All right, I'll drop the Potter references."
