| Introduction
Firstly, I must clear something up for our American
cousins; this is in fact Soccer, or European Football,
as opposed to American Football. The packaging doesn't
really make this clear, and just to confuse matters
a little more, the in-game title screen reads soccer.
Disney Sports Football is one of many GBA titles
hoping to cover a variety of sports in handheld form
utilizing the very best known characters created by
Uncle Walt. However, they have achieved varying degrees
of success, with critics less than impressed either
by the treatment of the particular sport or by the general
Disney theme. It's also a reasonably risky area to enter,
with a variety of publishers such as EA already producing
some stunning sports sims.
With this in mind Disney are no doubt aiming for
a younger audience who like their favorite characters
as much as the sport in question, but it still has to
be entertaining... doesn't' it?
GamePlay
The first thing that impresses about Disney Sports
Football is the sheer number of gaming modes on offer;
there really is something to keep everyone happy. They
include a variety of Exhibitions and two different Tournament
Modes where you can earn magic items to give your player
that extra edge in future matches. These items, which
include magic boots and even the ability to teleport,
can greatly improve your chances in some of the more
difficult matches, and can also be traded with friends
via your link cable.
The matches themselves are basically a five-a-side
affair, albeit played on a full size pitch. Unfortunately,
there are some problems with the AI, which isn't particularly
sophisticated, so the majority of your game comprises
avoiding other players and shooting at the goal. There's
no real need to pass the ball or work out any type of
strategy because you're only confronted by one other
player, and you can simply run around him.
As well as sharing assets with other GBA owners,
you also have the opportunity to enhance the GameCube
version should you be lucky enough to own one, a GBA
to GC cable and of course, the GC version of the game.
If you don't possess this lengthy list of required equipment
there's still the multiplayer mode, which only requires
a single copy of the game. It supports up to four players
and lets you sample a handful of the available gaming
types, and I can't stress how much more fun this is
compared to playing the limited CPU opponent.
One option not available here is the Spectator Mode,
but since all this does is allow you to watch a computer-controlled
match, it's difficult to see just why it was included
in the first place. Finally, there's an automatic battery
backup that saves your progress as you travel up (or
down) the league, which is a welcome departure from
the numerous titles I'm playing at the moment with that
'handy' 14-digit pass code.
Controls
A well-designed control system in a sports sim really
can make a difference between an entertaining pastime
and a frustrating five minutes, which is generally how
long you'll last before throwing your GBA at the wall.
Fortunately, Konami are well aware of this, so Disney
Football not only allows you to play a practice game
but also offers a number of mini-games where you can
hone your skills in various aspects of football. This
includes almost everything from dribbling and passing
the ball, to the all-important shooting at goal. It's
by no means perfect and there are some minor glitches
that should have been ironed out at the testing stage,
but the various tutorials ease you into play in such
a way that you'll hardly notice any problems at all.
Graphics
Visually the presentation is absolutely stunning,
with graphics that rival a televised football coverage.
The design covers everything from the impressive FMV
intro to the various options and menu systems, which
maintain an incredibly high standard throughout the
various matches and competitions.
Not so impressive, however, are the actual in-game
visuals, which appear to jump around using a variety
of perspectives and can occasionally become a little
confusing. The players are tiny when you're actually
playing the match in full pitch mode, but score a goal
and the camera zooms in on the action only to reveal
a significant lack of detail making the characters look
flat and unfinished. The animation, while passable,
is by no means outstanding and coming from Disney, you'd
expect a lot better.
Sound & Music
The sound seems to swing between excellent and decidedly
mediocre, which really affects the overall quality of
the game. There's some wonderful music that accompanies
the intro and various menu systems but the actual in-game
music is reminiscent of a poor GBC soundtrack. The various
effects don't appear to have been implemented with much
thought either; while the spot audio of the various
characters kicking the ball around is fine, the crowd
noises are distinctly under-whelming, and are completely
overshadowed by the atmosphere created by the recent
'FIFA Football' and last year's 'Total Soccer'.
Final Comments
The biggest problem with this title is that the developers
have set out to produce a game that appeals to both
football and Disney fans. Unfortunately, they have managed
to satisfy neither. On the football side, the rules
and gameplay aspects have been relaxed to such an extent
(magical powers and having only five players on each
team for example) that it's hardly recognizable as 'the
beautiful game' on any level. Disney fans on the other
hand will be disappointed by the lack of humor and the
occasionally scrappy visuals. Other than that, it's
a reasonably enjoyable game but as there are better
examples of both genres already out there, this one
should be a definite 'try before you buy'.
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