UEFA Champions League 1999-2000 - PC

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UEFA Champions League 1999-2000 (PC)
Also for: PlayStation
Viewed: 3D Genre:
Sport: Football - Soccer
Media: CD Arcade origin:No
Developer: Gusto Games
Publishers: Eidos (GB)
Released: 31 Mar 2000 (GB)

Summary

For those of us who support less fortunate and glamorous teams than featured in the Champions League, the annual meetings of the footie federation’s superpowers can leave us cold. However, with the appearance of UEFA Champions League Season 1999/2000, we soccer paupers have the opportunity to have our cockles warmed, and live the dream of steering any one of the featured footballing giants towards the ultimate glory-the European Cup. Truly, whether you’re a fan of Dinamo Kiev or Doncaster Rovers, you can put your skills to the test here.

Ease yourself into the learning curve, and, given time, the rewards reaped will be plentiful. Once you’re familiar with the thankfully not over-complicated controls, up the ante a little, and crank the difficulty up a level. This is where things get really interesting, when you find out if you can truly mix it up with the elite of European club football.

Get your act together quickly, though, because these players are no slouches. Midfielders and wide players, should you come up against that particular formation, will tie your motion-captured legs in knots. One moment, the right winger will be opening a packet of sandwiches, the next thing you know, you’ll be tapping like a wild man to try to catch him up. The AI of opposing teams in single player mode is wicked in both the archaic and ‘street’ sense of the word. In advanced levels of difficulty, the computer teams will close your players down and force you onto the back foot, just like in the competition proper.

Real teams and players, and past winners of the European Cup add to what the developers have already provided with this title, i.e. an ultra-realistic arcade-style stunner of a football game. The graphics and gameplay are super-smooth, the commentary, courtesy of Clive Tyldesley and Kevin Keegan is immaculately synchronised (something of a rarity in a sports title), and the stadia are impeccably represented. It’s a feast of football, certainly worthy of it’s licence.