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"[GAME] New Star Soccer (iOS)"

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Wed 19/09/12 at 10:35
Regular
"And in last place.."
Posts: 2,054
Didn’t quite make your dream of becoming a footballer a reality? Make amends with New Star Soccer on your iDevice and you’ll have all the money you could dream of, hot woman throwing themselves at you and a garage full of fast cars. Possibly.

New Star Soccer puts you in the shoes of a young, fresh faced 16 year old hoping to swap those shoes for a pair of football boots. After showing your potential with some training ground routines, the talent scouts will spot your potential and you’ll be hitting the big stage in no time. Or in actual fact, you’ll find yourself in the lowest league of your chosen country.

So the dream is off to a slow start but never mind, we all have to start somewhere. A bit of hard work and some good performances and the big guns will come calling. Time to do my talking on the park.

The matches in New Star Soccer take the form of Football Manager commentary updates. With a lack of official licenses, the team names are abbreviations and there are no player names. As the match progress you are given a various descriptions of what is happening. Suddenly a name appears, it is your name. At this point the action moves from the commentary box to the pitch. You are presented with the location of the pitch relevant to your position. You’ll see team mates, opponents and most importantly, a football. You’ll be tasked with passing to a team mate, or if in sight of goal, taking a shot. It’s up to you. Big decisions are resting on young shoulders. Go for glory or play it safe lay it off to a team mate.

To perform your chosen action on the pitch you press on the ball and draw your finger backwards. This draws an arrow indicating the direction the ball will travel. When you lift your finger off the screen the view changes to the ball which allows you to press the ball to kick. Press towards the bottom of the ball to add some elevation, press to either side to add some spin, press towards the top to keep the ball low and kick with less pace. At times you will be receiving a pass so the ball is moving which adds a challenge to executing your desired action. You have a role to play when your team is not in possession. From time to time you will have the chance to intercept a pass and launch a counter attack. You effectively play ‘piggy in the middle’ with the passer ahead of you and 3 of his team mates behind you. It comes down to a bit of team work as the 3 opponents all run in different directions and you have to be in the right place at the right time to intercept.

During the match you can set your work rate. Take is easy, stick to regular or charge all over the pitch like a headless chicken. The work rate determines how often your player will be involved but it comes at a price. During the match your energy levels drain, the harder you work the quicker it drains. When you are out of energy you’ll get substituted. It adds a little tactical thinking to the game. If you are cruising the match you can take it easy and conserve energy. Upping your work rate towards the end of a game can be the difference between a draw and a valuable 3 points.

At the end of a match you’ll get graded on your performance and given a pay accordingly. Starting off a $1 per match ($ being the new global currency) you soon realise the road to riches is a long one. Some stats are presented which show the number of chances you had (i.e. number of times in possession), the number of passes successfully executed, the number of goals you scored and the number of assists. Your grade out of 10 is determined by these factors. Your overall performance then has an effect on various opinions of you. The boss, team and fans will grow to love or loathe you.

There is plenty to keep an up and coming football star amused between matches. You’ll need to work on your skills from the training sessions. You can go on a shopping spree with your hard earned wages, although even buying an energy drink requires a bit of saving in the early days. If you want to work on your image there are all manner of gadgets and style items to purchase. If you need some transportation then there are plenty of options. The sports car is well out of reach, you can forget about the private jet or the yacht but you can save for a bicycle. And what footballer wants to live with their parents? You need to get your own digs and there is plenty of choice. You dream of the castle but reality kicks in and you head back home and ask mum what is for lunch. Of course you can forget all about gadgets and fancy cars and just blow all your money in the casino instead.

There is a variety of training sessions to help you fine tune your skills. With 5 categories it will take a full career to be master of all so it is best to focus on one or two. Different skills involve different training actions. You will find yourself kicking between 2 posts, the distance away from you increases as the skill rises and wind comes into play too. You may find yourself practicing interceptions, fine tuning your free kicks or practicing your shooting. Training sessions drain your energy which is something you need to keep a close eye on. If your energy is too low then you’ll not start the match and the manager won’t be amused. If you don’t have enough fitness to get through the game then you’ll be hauled off. Energy drinks are available to buy and can be used pre-match or at half time to give a much needed energy boost. But energy drinks cost money and at $1a match starting wage you won’t be drinking them too often.

There are all manner of emotions to juggle to. The life of a footballer is actually quite complex. You’ll need to keep on good terms with the boss, the team and the fans. It becomes quite obvious early on that the team and the fans are a fickle bunch. Score a hat-trick in a game and the boss is delighted but your team mates less so as you didn’t pass to them. Of course, pass to them all the time in the next game and you lose because their shooting is dreadful but the team are delighted with you but the boss less so as you passed up good chances to score yourself. The fans on the other hand are just down-right complicated at times. Score the winner against your local rival and there is every chance they will hate you and you’ll be left wondering why.

From time to time you will be given the opportunity to boost a relationship, be it a round of golf with the team, a meeting with the boss or spending time with some fans. Of course it isn’t that simple with all these emotionally fragile people. Your team show no understanding when you decline a round of golf to attend a meeting with the boss. The fans are even less understanding and seem to hold grudges for a long time.

As well as training, there are also mini games for boosting the relationships. These mini games involve memory and observation. A set of cards is shown face up before being turned over and shuffled. You then have 2 shots to pick a matching pair of cards. Success leads to a relationship boost but failure leads to a relationship loss. And regardless of the outcome, you’ll find a good chunk of your energy is lost, who would have thought that posing for a photo with fans was so exhausting. All these relationships have an effect on your happiness too. Your happiness will rise and drop along with the opinion others have of you.

Once you become trendy enough you’ll find a (clearly shallow) girl becomes interested in you. You then have her emotions to keep in mind. Neglect her and she becomes unhappy which in turn makes you unhappy. And once you are starting to make a name for yourself you will start to gather some sponsorship deals which really help boost those finances. But that is another relationship you need to keep on top of. Both the girlfriend and sponsorship relationships can be boosted but again, comes with an effect on your energy. Keeping everyone happy is exhausting.

Keeping on top of your skills and the relationships adds a fair bit of strategy to the game. You need to work on all of them but you will only be able to perform a couple of actions before you are too tired to do any more. You need to replenish that energy so you can play the in next match but in the early days you won’t have the finances to just buy all the energy drinks you need. Performing well on the pitch helps with relationships but a bad run of form can really put the pressure on. The more expensive energy drinks come with skill and relationship boosts. I’m not sure how but we just have to accept this. You can also rent football boots to give a boost to your stats which then leaves you free to work on relationships instead. But of course, the better the boot, the higher the price tag and it takes a few season before you really start bringing in the money.

Despite the lack of licenses, a full league campaign and the associated cup competitions are played out. At the top teams you’ll find European competitions and international call ups. It even has the silly split for the last 6 games of the SPL. The transfer window is present and you’ll be able to review offers at the end of the season or in January. At times you’ll find your club have accepted a transfer fee for you but you can decline if you don’t fancy the move. Transferring between leagues in other countries is available and you can certainly travel the world during your career.

If I was to nitpick then I’d say the in-game action could be better. If your team mates can see the goal then they will shoot regardless of how far away they are and regardless of how many defenders are blocking the path to goal. But this is just another factor to consider, your colleague will shoot so are you or another team mate in a better position to score?

New Star Soccer is a thoroughly addictive football game which has a surprising depth to it. It is an ideal game for a quick match or a lengthy session.

9
Mon 25/02/13 at 11:56
Regular
"@optometrytweet"
Posts: 4,686
I have to say, I did buy this back in September after reading your review. I cannot agree more - it is highly addictive and have spread the word to my friends (and somehow some are more hooked on it than I am!). Great game!
Wed 19/09/12 at 10:35
Regular
"And in last place.."
Posts: 2,054
Didn’t quite make your dream of becoming a footballer a reality? Make amends with New Star Soccer on your iDevice and you’ll have all the money you could dream of, hot woman throwing themselves at you and a garage full of fast cars. Possibly.

New Star Soccer puts you in the shoes of a young, fresh faced 16 year old hoping to swap those shoes for a pair of football boots. After showing your potential with some training ground routines, the talent scouts will spot your potential and you’ll be hitting the big stage in no time. Or in actual fact, you’ll find yourself in the lowest league of your chosen country.

So the dream is off to a slow start but never mind, we all have to start somewhere. A bit of hard work and some good performances and the big guns will come calling. Time to do my talking on the park.

The matches in New Star Soccer take the form of Football Manager commentary updates. With a lack of official licenses, the team names are abbreviations and there are no player names. As the match progress you are given a various descriptions of what is happening. Suddenly a name appears, it is your name. At this point the action moves from the commentary box to the pitch. You are presented with the location of the pitch relevant to your position. You’ll see team mates, opponents and most importantly, a football. You’ll be tasked with passing to a team mate, or if in sight of goal, taking a shot. It’s up to you. Big decisions are resting on young shoulders. Go for glory or play it safe lay it off to a team mate.

To perform your chosen action on the pitch you press on the ball and draw your finger backwards. This draws an arrow indicating the direction the ball will travel. When you lift your finger off the screen the view changes to the ball which allows you to press the ball to kick. Press towards the bottom of the ball to add some elevation, press to either side to add some spin, press towards the top to keep the ball low and kick with less pace. At times you will be receiving a pass so the ball is moving which adds a challenge to executing your desired action. You have a role to play when your team is not in possession. From time to time you will have the chance to intercept a pass and launch a counter attack. You effectively play ‘piggy in the middle’ with the passer ahead of you and 3 of his team mates behind you. It comes down to a bit of team work as the 3 opponents all run in different directions and you have to be in the right place at the right time to intercept.

During the match you can set your work rate. Take is easy, stick to regular or charge all over the pitch like a headless chicken. The work rate determines how often your player will be involved but it comes at a price. During the match your energy levels drain, the harder you work the quicker it drains. When you are out of energy you’ll get substituted. It adds a little tactical thinking to the game. If you are cruising the match you can take it easy and conserve energy. Upping your work rate towards the end of a game can be the difference between a draw and a valuable 3 points.

At the end of a match you’ll get graded on your performance and given a pay accordingly. Starting off a $1 per match ($ being the new global currency) you soon realise the road to riches is a long one. Some stats are presented which show the number of chances you had (i.e. number of times in possession), the number of passes successfully executed, the number of goals you scored and the number of assists. Your grade out of 10 is determined by these factors. Your overall performance then has an effect on various opinions of you. The boss, team and fans will grow to love or loathe you.

There is plenty to keep an up and coming football star amused between matches. You’ll need to work on your skills from the training sessions. You can go on a shopping spree with your hard earned wages, although even buying an energy drink requires a bit of saving in the early days. If you want to work on your image there are all manner of gadgets and style items to purchase. If you need some transportation then there are plenty of options. The sports car is well out of reach, you can forget about the private jet or the yacht but you can save for a bicycle. And what footballer wants to live with their parents? You need to get your own digs and there is plenty of choice. You dream of the castle but reality kicks in and you head back home and ask mum what is for lunch. Of course you can forget all about gadgets and fancy cars and just blow all your money in the casino instead.

There is a variety of training sessions to help you fine tune your skills. With 5 categories it will take a full career to be master of all so it is best to focus on one or two. Different skills involve different training actions. You will find yourself kicking between 2 posts, the distance away from you increases as the skill rises and wind comes into play too. You may find yourself practicing interceptions, fine tuning your free kicks or practicing your shooting. Training sessions drain your energy which is something you need to keep a close eye on. If your energy is too low then you’ll not start the match and the manager won’t be amused. If you don’t have enough fitness to get through the game then you’ll be hauled off. Energy drinks are available to buy and can be used pre-match or at half time to give a much needed energy boost. But energy drinks cost money and at $1a match starting wage you won’t be drinking them too often.

There are all manner of emotions to juggle to. The life of a footballer is actually quite complex. You’ll need to keep on good terms with the boss, the team and the fans. It becomes quite obvious early on that the team and the fans are a fickle bunch. Score a hat-trick in a game and the boss is delighted but your team mates less so as you didn’t pass to them. Of course, pass to them all the time in the next game and you lose because their shooting is dreadful but the team are delighted with you but the boss less so as you passed up good chances to score yourself. The fans on the other hand are just down-right complicated at times. Score the winner against your local rival and there is every chance they will hate you and you’ll be left wondering why.

From time to time you will be given the opportunity to boost a relationship, be it a round of golf with the team, a meeting with the boss or spending time with some fans. Of course it isn’t that simple with all these emotionally fragile people. Your team show no understanding when you decline a round of golf to attend a meeting with the boss. The fans are even less understanding and seem to hold grudges for a long time.

As well as training, there are also mini games for boosting the relationships. These mini games involve memory and observation. A set of cards is shown face up before being turned over and shuffled. You then have 2 shots to pick a matching pair of cards. Success leads to a relationship boost but failure leads to a relationship loss. And regardless of the outcome, you’ll find a good chunk of your energy is lost, who would have thought that posing for a photo with fans was so exhausting. All these relationships have an effect on your happiness too. Your happiness will rise and drop along with the opinion others have of you.

Once you become trendy enough you’ll find a (clearly shallow) girl becomes interested in you. You then have her emotions to keep in mind. Neglect her and she becomes unhappy which in turn makes you unhappy. And once you are starting to make a name for yourself you will start to gather some sponsorship deals which really help boost those finances. But that is another relationship you need to keep on top of. Both the girlfriend and sponsorship relationships can be boosted but again, comes with an effect on your energy. Keeping everyone happy is exhausting.

Keeping on top of your skills and the relationships adds a fair bit of strategy to the game. You need to work on all of them but you will only be able to perform a couple of actions before you are too tired to do any more. You need to replenish that energy so you can play the in next match but in the early days you won’t have the finances to just buy all the energy drinks you need. Performing well on the pitch helps with relationships but a bad run of form can really put the pressure on. The more expensive energy drinks come with skill and relationship boosts. I’m not sure how but we just have to accept this. You can also rent football boots to give a boost to your stats which then leaves you free to work on relationships instead. But of course, the better the boot, the higher the price tag and it takes a few season before you really start bringing in the money.

Despite the lack of licenses, a full league campaign and the associated cup competitions are played out. At the top teams you’ll find European competitions and international call ups. It even has the silly split for the last 6 games of the SPL. The transfer window is present and you’ll be able to review offers at the end of the season or in January. At times you’ll find your club have accepted a transfer fee for you but you can decline if you don’t fancy the move. Transferring between leagues in other countries is available and you can certainly travel the world during your career.

If I was to nitpick then I’d say the in-game action could be better. If your team mates can see the goal then they will shoot regardless of how far away they are and regardless of how many defenders are blocking the path to goal. But this is just another factor to consider, your colleague will shoot so are you or another team mate in a better position to score?

New Star Soccer is a thoroughly addictive football game which has a surprising depth to it. It is an ideal game for a quick match or a lengthy session.

9

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