Tag: Football »

I’ve never been a big sports guy, especially not football (a.k.a soccer), but I do enjoy me some video games. So while I could care less about sitting in a bar watching The Game, I certainly wouldn’t mind playing a game. Especially if it’s fun. Journey to Real Madrid can certainly be fun, but it can also be a bit frustrating. Whether or not it’s worth it will depend on the individual.

Journey to Real Madrid isn’t like most of those other soccer/football games on the App Store. There are no teams, no management, no virtual sticks, and no real worries about acquiring sponsorships. Instead, players select one of three legends (Cristiano Ronaldo, Mesut Ozil, or Zinedine Zidane) and work their way from children’s street ball up to the big leagues and beyond. The gameplay itself is simple enough to learn: tap and hold on the ball to charge up shot strength, then swipe to kick. The length and direction of the swipe will control the angle and path of the ball, while hitting preset targets and making consecutive goals will net more and more points.

It can be supremely satisfying to hook the ball around a defender and watch it hit an 8000-point target dead center with a 3X multiplier. I’ve even managed to build up a decent rhythm of victories after a bit of continuous play. There are also three other modes to jump into when in need of a break from the Journey: Sudden Death, Time Attack, and a collection of mini-games all meant to help players refine their techniques as well as earn some cash that can be used to upgrade the superstars with special abilities and the like.

The controls can be a tad irksome at times, what with the accidental curves and unintentional lobs, but a much bigger issue is the chugging. And I mean this game chungs. Pop-up ads between gameplay and the main menu lag when they appear as well as disappear. Victory and defeat screens stutter like crazy. Sometimes even goals and misses cause the game to skip around. It’s still playable, and it might just be an issue for older devices such as my 3GS, but that doesn’t make it any less obnoxious.

I can’t speak to how soccer/football fans will receive this game, because I’m not one, but even non-enthusiasts will have fun. Most of the time. I may not know who Zidane is, but I do know when I’m having fun, and I had a fair bit of it with Journey to Real Madrid.

I’m not what anyone would consider a soccer fan, but that doesn’t keep me from appreciating all of the cool stuff players can expect to find in EA’s upcoming FIFA 13. This is, of course, in addition to the expected bullet-points such as improved graphics and such.

FIFA 13 is indeed a great looking game. Player animations are incredibly smooth and their likenesses are captured eerily well considering this is an iOS game. Although they do have that creepy blank look that so many real world based character models tend to have. A bunch of smaller details will no doubt cause salivary glands to work overtime as well, including balls sporting the proper logos and all the tiny graphics typically found on a player’s jersey. And all of these fine details can be enjoyed up close and personal thanks to the game’s instant replay feature.

It doesn’t stop with tie visuals though. For the first time ever EA Sports Football Club will make its way into an iOS title. Even better, preexisting accounts will be carried over, so nobody will have to start from scratch on their iOS device. Of course my personal favorite addition is the way special skill shots and moves can be controlled via a second virtual stick on the right-hand side of the screen. Simply tap and drag in a given pattern or direction and the controlled player will start with the fancy footwork.

No information is available yet on pricing, but football (football, football) enthusiasts can expect to find FIFA 13 in the App Store sometime this fall.

There's a little sporting event happening this weekend: I believe it's called the Super Bowl. Yes, the New England Patriots and New York Giants will square off in the middle American metropolis of Indianapolis this Sunday, and most of America will tune in. But for those with iPhones, iPods, and iPads, these devices need not go unused during the big game! Here are 5 ways to use that device to get analysis and information that the TV broadcasters just won't provide.

SportCaster: Providing a second screen experience during the game is this app from the developer of TweetCaster. The app aggregates tweets from various sources, and organizes them by topic, so following team-specific tweets is easy with this app.

NFL Mobile: What better way to follow the Super Bowl on an iPhone than, to, well, watch it on there? While streaming the Super Bowl will only be available for Verizon customers, this universal app should be perfect for when nature calls, if work won't stop for the biggest football game of the year, or if a significant other who doesn't know what this "super ball" is really needs something from the store, right now.

Sportacular: Can't watch the game, but need updates on the score and play-by-play updates? Sportacular is a great choice, allowing users to just check up on the game's status, or to chat with fellow users about what's going on in the game. By this, I mean "talk smack with random people on the internet," which is also fun. The app also handily provides the line on the game and the over/under, helpful reminders for those who could be affected financially based on the outcome of the game. 148Apps does not promote gambling, and reminds our readers to do it legally and responsibly, but still – that info's there.

Quickish: Not exactly an app, but a fantastic web site for perusing the latest news and opinions in sports - open it in Safari on that iPad for an ideal second screen experience. Curated by internet sportswriting veteran Dan Shanoff, the site is a must-follow during big live events like the Super Bowl, as it provides rapid-fire updates and reactions across social media from both fellow writers and athletes, along with relevant news stories written about the game. Before, during, and after, this is a fantstic way to track what is being said about the Super Bowl from sometimes-unexpected voices.

SB Nation: This network of sports blogs comes with its own app, and the sites are known for thoughtful opinions on sports that go beyond the hysteria of the typical sports media, with an often wry sense of humor – and sometimes a single article will contain copious amounts of both. Why have an app, though? Well, it not only makes it easy to follow specific blogs, such as their team-specific blogs and general football one, but to follow updates on specific stories from one place. Few other sites will provide 'simulations' of the Super Bowl where they put the punters in at QB. Keep this one installed for baseball season, too, as their writers and blogs are top-notch on the subject.

It is that magical time of the year where the leaves are changing colors, children have returned to school, and football season has kicked into full swing.  The magical reappearance of the pigskin also brings about massive amounts of time spent in front of the television screen, most likely being paired with yelling and an adult beverage or two.

But what if you could interact with the game happening on screen, instead of just having to just observe like a bump on a log?  No, this isn't talking about coaching the team on the field as much as being able to read a coach's mind.  The new app PrePlay encourages you to do just that, and rewards those that are masters of the precognition.

Competing against friends, the game will completely change the way football is consumed any given Sunday.  There is even a way to smack talk, which will certainly kick the intensity up into another gear.  Give this a look before the season fades away!

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Despite being raised in the United States, I am an individual that has a healthy appreciation for the sport that the rest of the world calls "football."  As much as I much as I enjoy watching a bunch of grown men grope themselves on the gridiron every Saturday and Sunday, nothing can match the thrill of watching a well played match on the pitch.  For this very reason virtually every type of of soccer game that has been released on the iOS has found permanent residence on my iOS devices, and it looks like I will need to make room for one more.

Just yesterday Gamegou, the developer of last year's Soccer Stealers, announced that they would be bringing their extensive footie experience to the iPad with Soccer Stealers Reloaded.  This is very promising news, especially given that the last entry in this franchise landed a solid review score over at our sister site, The Portable Gamer.

Easily the biggest improvement to the games doesn't actually appear on screen, because it is the price tag, because now it is completely free.  Even more remarkable is that despite the price drop, there are still more features included in the game.  Here are some of the new things that are in store:

• Customize your character and Dress to Impress: What’s your style: Afro? Buzz? Shaved? Pony-tailed?


• Redeem medals for goodies: Collect medals and trade them in at our very own Gamegou shop


• Real-time match selections allowing you to enter matches currently being played in 3 major leagues: England, Germany, Italy

When you heap this on top of an already solid game, the question really becomes, why haven't you downloaded it yet?  Anyone who enjoys the fun of a day on the pitch will certainly find plenty to enjoy.  Be sure to let us know what you think about it in the comments after you have taken it for a kick or two.

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