REVIEW - Pure Futbol
- Written by Chuck McGee |
| |
OK,,.let me give credit where credit is due,.,,Ubisoft makes some great games...even legendary to be exact...regretfully, I have to say Pure Futbol is not one of those titles. Did I have high expectations when I saw this was announced? Did I think Ubisoft was going to steal some of the well earned market share from the heavy hitters in this space like EA and Konami (despite their claims to aim to do so)? Heck, did I even think there room for another “authentic” title? I will be honest - no.
Now that we know where my head was with this title, let’s get into the nitty gritty - especially for those of you that are on the fence about buying another soccer game amidst the hoopla of the World Cup. This game will attempt scratch that itch many of you have been missing on the Xbox 360 left from Sega Soccer Slam on the Gamecube, or Mario Strikers on the Wii, or even FIFA Street. This falls short even of those titles as this one gets lost between real and arcade - while making no attempt to be real. |
| |
|
|
| |
Pure Futbol pits you in a game of 5-on-5 soccer where there are essentially no rules (or ball physics for that matter)...no penalties, no offsides, and no referees...(make a note, a follow up to this game might have better success if endorsed by Koman Coulibaly). Despite the mention of authentic in the title, Pure Futbol is about as authentic as the Canadian Football League is to the NFL...three downs, 110-yard field, and the ability to score one point via a “rouge”...really?
The game doesn’t carry the full FIFA license, but does include several hundred real players and likenesses portrayed in an arcade-type cartoon style of gameplay.
As soon as I hopped into my first game, I was slapped across the face by the laggy controls. I had to check the battery on my controller as I wasn’t expecting something that didn’t respond well - especially since the game’s presentation set an expectation for me that this was going to be like the arcade titles mentioned above where controls were twitch friendly and highly responsive. The controls in the game aren’t just unresponsive on the controller but translate into the game as the lag is extended to the actions on the field which feel a second or two behind your original shot or pass intentions. |
| |
|
|
| |
Similar to Mario Strikers, there is a meter system included with the shooting that powers up your shots. If timed right, you will successfully pull off a Pure Shot which results in a super-type of shot which is essentially unstoppable. It’s a shame that the presentation of such a shot doesn’t have the same majesty as that of Mario Strikers.
In terms of control variety, you are allowed the basics of shooting, passing, lobbing and slide tackes, but little else.You can change your strategy on the fly both offensively and defensively, but I seemed to recognize little effect from those changes. It was my continued exploration into this game as an authentic representation of soccer.
There are a few single player options, the most exciting of which is the campaign mode where you get to design a player and team and attempt to complete a number of challenges similar to The Bigs baseball franchise. Your efforts earn you “pure points’ which can be spent on your player attribute upgrades and other gameplay elements. |
| |
|
|
| |
I didn’t get a lot of time with the multiplayer mode but did see the ability to share my pain with friends in ranked and friendly matches.
The look and feel of this game felt uninspired to me. The angle of the play on the pitch seemed to portray a very short and thin field of play where your players didn’t have a lot of breathing room or creativity. This may have been intentional to exaggerate the arcade feel, but that seems counterintuitive to the expectations set by the title of the game.
I think this game missed the mark, primarily because of my falsely set expectations both from Ubisoft’s preview game information prior to the release as well as the game’s title and cover art. I expected this to be a game that would at least attempt to provide a solid freshman effort against two varsity-lettered all americans with EA’s FIFA franchise and Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer.
Better luck on the next one, Ubisoft. I do love your other titles dearly...it’s all business in here :) |
| |
|
SUGGESTIONS |
|
Change the title, the cover art, and set a different expectation with the next game. Go all-out arcade style as I firmly believe it’s still an open field for a solid next-gen soccer title on the Xbox 360. Maybe join forces with Sega and work on Soccer Slam 2. |
| |
|
 |
Release Date
6/1/2010
Publisher
Ubisoft
|
|
|
|
|
OVERALL |
44 |
|
GAMEPLAY |
34 |
|
SOUND |
40 |
|
GRAPHICS |
53 |
|
REPLAY VALUE |
20 |
|
| |
|
Click Here to View Game Details |
|
|
|
Related News Postings |
|
|
|
|
|
Last 5 Reviews |
|
|
|
