FIFA Football was the first football game to receive official licensing from FIFA, the world governing body of football.  Now, 18 years on, EA’s FIFA now includes more exclusively-licensed leagues including the English Premier League & Football League, Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s La Liga, the German Bundesliga, French Ligue 1, Dutch Eredivisie, Mexico’s Primera División, USA’s MLS, South Korea’s K-League and Australia’s Hyundai A-League.

The official licensing deals means gamers can play as real teams in real leagues, unlike the other great football computer game, Pro Evolution Soccer where team names are thinly disguised – Manchester Reds (Manchester United), North London (Arsenal) and West Midlands Village (Aston Villa).  To some this may not be a big issue.  But for me, it adds to the authenticity.

FIFA 12 (FIFA Soccer 12 in North America) is the nineteenth edition of the game and David Rutter, the line producer for FIFA 12 has promised “a revolutionary year for FIFA … especially in the gameplay department.”

FIFA 12 is due for release on 27th September 2011 in North America followed by a European release on 30th September on PS3, Xbox 360 & PC.

An exclusive version will be available from Game & Gamestation shops.  The “Ultimate Edition” includes four monthly Ultimate Team gold packs, with each pack containing 12 items including players, contracts, stadiums, managers, staff, fitness, healing, footballs, kits and badges. Each pack contains one rare item, such as enhanced player attributes, longer contracts and the most coveted players.

Following the sacking of Andy Gray by Sky for his sexist comments earlier this year, the voice of former Arsenal & England striker and Sky football pundit Alan Smith is included alongside commentary from Martin Tyler. The voices of Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend are also used for tournament modes.

FIFA 12 will include new and improved features such as the “Player Impact Engine”, “Tactical Defending” and “Precision Dribbling”.  The following video shows how the new player impact engine improves the collision variety, accuracy and momentum preservation.

‘Tactical Defending’ offers advanced functionality by employing the ability to defend tactically which allows a team to place equal importance on positioning, intercepting passes and tackling.

‘Precision dribbling’ allows a player to dribble whilst shielding the ball whilst in possession. This allows the player in possession greater freedom while holding players off, whereas before this functionality left the player rooted to the spot.

Furthermore, close control has been included, allowing a player to take smaller, more frequent touches, keeping closer control when in possession of the ball.

All this added functionality will offer better, faster, more realistic gameplay.  I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of EA FIFA 12.

The game will be priced at $20. Customers can pre-purchase the game with a 25% discount from www.NewStarSoccer.com which will also give them access to the beta version.

New Star Soccer 5 is the latest instalment in the award winning indie football series. Live the life of a young football star as you try to achieve success on the pitch and gain the respect and adoration of your team-mates, fans and friends.

You can play in a whole host of leagues from around the world and compete in national tournaments such as the World Cup and the European Championships. Gaining the skills to help your team lift the ultimate trophy will take time but you will have a blast getting there.
Score goals, make the right transfer moves, make headlines in the newspapers, visit the casino, buy a mansion and more. Just make sure you keep your feet on the ground!

For more information visit www.NewStarSoccer.com.

Championship Manager Legends: 1970’s Football Game App

Beautiful Game Studios have released a new football game app – Championship Manager Legends: 1970’s for a special introductory price of £1.79.

Now is your chance to manage all the great players of the 1970’s with Championship Manager Legends: 1970’s, a new take on the football management genre for those that remember the decade with fondness, as well as those who simply love classic football.

Filled with nostalgia and history, you take on managing a team back when football was all about Spangles and sheepskin jackets.  A sporting decade that produced some memorable names, which for the first time in Championship Manager history you can control and bring to life.

“The 1970’s was an era of fantastic footballers including Johan Cruyff, Kenny Dalglish and Luis Arconada. Now for the first time in Championship Manager you can manage these legendary players and their classic teams,” said Roy Meredith, General Manager at Beautiful Game Studios. “We’ve also packed the game with authentic news stories from the decade so you feel fully immersed as you play through from 1970/71 – 1979/80.”

Championship Manager Legends 1970’s lets you take over clubs from across Europe throughout some of the biggest decades in football, jam-packed with all the great features seen in Championship Manager 2011 as well as a revamped art style to reflect the best (and worst) of the decade plus authentic news stories that really help capture the era.

For more information about Championship Manager Legend’s 1970’s visit www.championshipmanager.co.uk.

101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix for the Wii

101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix is the follow up to videogames developer Nordcurrent’s 101-in-1 Megamix game for the Nintendo Wii, which has sold more than half million units worldwide.

101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix is a collection of 101 mini sports games that can be played with up to four players.  The games are simple and pretty basic and similar to Wii Sports.  Alone these games aren’t going to be too exciting but playing against family or friends will be amusing and very much underlines exactly what the Nintendo Wii is best at.

The sports mini-games include tennis, rock climbing, horse racing, boxing, car and motorbike racing, basketball practice, archery, speed racing, rowing, football shooting practice and skiing.

You start with 12 mini games to choose from.  The more you play the more games you unlock.  The games are very and aimed at all the family, though surprisingly 101 in 1 Sports comes with a 12 certificate.

These type of party mini-games are fun and not to be taken too seriously and are great way to get members of the family playing who aren’t normally gamers.  In a way they remind me of a computer game version of the compendium board games you can buy from toy shops.

It’s worth noting that many of the games require a nunchuck and unlike Wii Sports, you cannot create and play as your Mii character.

Big Match Striker

A great new football game called Big Match Striker has just been launched and it is free to download as a PC game.

The exciting new title is highly competitive and will challenge all levels of football fans’ knowledge and strategic skills as they battle in one-on-one leagues to meet the game’s main objectives – to win titles and silverware, and attract more fans to their club.

Players succeed by answering a selection of both constantly-updated and historic football questions from English football’s top four tiers, keeping the game concurrent with the real-life action.  Players can win possession and tackle the opposition by responding quicker to questions, requiring a decent level of football knowledge and quick thinking.

The reward of winning matches is gaining fans and in-game currency. This can be strategically used to buy players, upgrade stadiums and even install burger vans to attract more fans and progress to the league’s higher echelons.

Watch the Big Match Striker trailer here:

Visit the Big Match Striker website for more information and to download the game.

Domino's On me 'ead game

At last a performance from England’s footballers that has not only lifted them into the knock-out stages in South Africa, but also lifted the expectations of the England fans , changing the mood of the country in just 90 minutes-and suddenly, once again we feel that we can take on the World.

On Sunday the first step to the finals begins and who better to come up against than our old foes Germany. It’s not just about football anymore its about England v Germany!

Whatever the outcome Domino’s Pizza are giving fans the chance to win their own cup, The Domino’s Cup in a simple online football game that is free for all to take part in.

Fans are invited to take part in the On me ‘ead competition with the chance of winning one of twenty five Pizza Parties, each worth £100.

It couldn’t be simpler to play the game online, where you must control Dom as he heads a football from one side of the screen to the other, without the ball touching the ground. There are some surprises thrown in and players need to collect vouchers and pizzas and avoid red and yellow cards.

Domino’s are also asking England football fans to take part in another competition, to find lookalikes for the current England squad.

To enter the Footballer Lookalike Competition, fans can upload a picture of themselves or their friends via the events tab of the Facebook fan page of Domino’s Pizza UK. Every week, Domino’s will hand out free pizza vouchers to the best Lampard lookalike, Defoe double or other imitation of one of Fabio Capello’s chosen 23. Meanwhile, Facebook users can vote for their favourite picture too by clicking ‘like’ under each picture. After four weeks, the public’s favourite will win a free pizza party (worth £100) for the final.

Good luck to anyone taking part in the fun and games and also to England in the upcoming knock out stages in South Africa 2010.

During this week Microsoft offers the game Football Genius – The Ultimate Quiz for 400 Microsoft points instead of 800.

Football Genius is an amusing mix of sporty quiz questions and challenging knock-out rounds. RTL Sports presents an entertaining multi-player family game about the most popular sport in the world. More than 3,500 different questions will test your expertise in everything related to the round leather. From general trivia to true insider knowledge, all kinds of topics from the wonderful world of soccer are covered in this quiz.

Football Genius – The Ultimate Quiz brings soccer fans together. Players can strive to become dribble king online, but there is also an offline mode that offers fun for the entire family. Supported by Xbox 360® Big Button Pad, your living room will be transformed into an arena with a true stadium ambiance. In several game variations, up to four soccer experts get to emulate their idols on the turf and score one goal after another. Timed play in kick-off mode or daring foul play… in much more than 90 minutes, soccer fans will experience nine different game modes with truly sensational features.

Sensational World Soccer is a 2D football game reminiscent of the 8-bit classics created by Oxford-based computer games company, New Star Games.

The game allows you to compete against the world’s best teams in the realistic international tournament and lead your country to glory.  One-touch passing, long range shots, bending free-kicks… it’s just like the real thing!

Trial and full versions are available for PC and Mac.

For more information visit www.newstargames.com.

As well as experiencing the Superbike championship, players can also participate in the Supersport series, testing the improvements of the Portimao circuit.

You can try out your riding skills in different weather conditions as well as riding against 15 other riders in the new Online Multiplayer Mode and you can also play both in Arcade or Simulation mode.

As well as the regular Regular SBK®X edition, there is to be a Limited Special Edition which features a list of 17 riders from the history of Superbikes plus a DVD documentary showing highlights of an exclusive interview with the 2009 Superbike World Champion Ben Spies.

Both versions of the game will be available for purchase from the 4th June.

You may have the original Sony Playstation stashed away safely in your room somewhere, but gaming on the go is the newer way to play, and if you haven’t yet caught on to the Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable), where have you been?!

The stylish portable games console lets you access games, music, videos and photos at any time of day. The PSP also features a TV-out socket for displaying content on a television.  As far as Sony PSP games and accessories go, there’s a mountain to choose from.  If you like a good grapple, you can’t beat Sony PSP’s Tekken: Dark Resurrection.

If you’re not familiar with the Tekken series, it’s about time you looked them up. The arcade style games let you select from an impressive list of diverse characters each with their own fighting style, before you pick your opponent and try to knock their block off.  What better way to pass the time on an otherwise dull train journey, or the miserable morning bus ride to work?

Delivering everything that makes the Tekken series so popular, Sony PSP’s Tekken: Dark Resurrection is an impressive graphical game.   One for the lads, it’s a staple PSP game that ticks all the right boxes.

Fans of spiky-headed favourite Sonic the Hedgehog will no doubt love Sony PSP’s Sonic Rivals.  With high speed thrills, this simple yet staple PSP game combines the old school feel of the Sonic classics with modern graphics and updated features.  Bright, colourful levels with plenty of jumps and loops ensure a rollercoaster ride from start to finish. Providing an interesting twist to the original Sonic game, Sonic Rivals sees Sonic save his friends from classic rival Eggman in a series of one-on-one races.

You’ll be hooked almost as soon as you switch on your PSP.

A game made exclusively for the Sony Playstation portable, Assassin’s Creed: Bloodlines, part of the popular Assassin’s Creed franchise, is a real hit with the boys.  The action-adventure game allows players to free-roam an island at will, all while keeping out of sight of deadly enemies on the way.

Fantasy fans can get a load of Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, based on the film of the same name. Set in the world of Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII, the game sees Cloud tackle the mystery of the ‘geostigma’, which has become infected by being exposed to the planet’s life stream energy. Cloud and the remaining Final Fantasy VII characters are to lash back at the planet, while saving themselves from destruction. Gripping and addictive, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children is already storming the gaming charts.

Little Big Planet is the latest Sony PlayStation craze to take the gaming market by storm. Widely regarded as one of the top 10 Sony PSP games, Little Big Planet gives you the chance to step into a world of endless possibilities, where your imagination is key.  You can enhance whatever you see, using your own creativity, while the graphics behind Little Big Planet provide the rest.  Set out with Sackboy and explore a wealth of environments, while overcoming frustrating obstacles in order to build your own creations. The power is firmly in your hands!

Everyone loves a good virtual car chase, so why not check out Grand Theft Auto? Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars is a favourite in the Grand Theft Auto series, where players navigate their way through the streets as they uncover the truth behind a tale of crime and corruption. Gran Turismo, the real driving simulator, also recently made its debut on the Sony PSP. Featuring over 800 car models and 35 tracks, there’s mission and arcade modes to choose from as well as a multiplayer racing mode.

Footy fans will love Sony PSP’s FIFA 10, with its improved graphics and enhancements. Featuring refinements based on responsiveness and intelligence, plus a new ‘Manager Mode’ including a whopping 50 major improvements, the game includes the 360° dribbling system, which provides finer dribbling control, as well as more accurate passing and authentic shooting.

But the Sony PSP is not just about games: there’s also plenty of films to be downloaded too, as well as a wealth of gaming accessories. Ensure you get a decent durable case and screen protector, first off. PSP accessories packs come in a variety of combinations, with carry cases and screen protectors often included. Save on batteries and get yourself a Sony PSP adaptor, ensuring you can play without the worry that your game will cut out half way through.

For games, movies and accessories, you’ll certainly be spoilt for choice with your PSP. Happy gaming!