We had to applaud Hare's attitude, because let's face it: as engaging as PES is, football games have evolved at a snail's pace for the best part of five or six years now. We sorely missed the pinball-esque gameplay of good ol' 2D Sensi, the lightning passing, the broad overhead view and the outrageous curling shots. And sure enough, all of those qualities return in Sensible Soccer 2006. However, having now spent a good thirty or so hours in the company of this modern interpretation of Sensi, we'd also suggest that Hare's team at Kuju hasn't taken on board all of the lessons taught by the likes of Pro Evolution Soccer.
The result is a title that falls a few points short of the standards set by the market-leading Pro Evo 5. Yes, it does succeed in feeling awfully like the original Sensible Soccer, but now, that doesn't seem to be enough. In truth, Sensible Soccer 2006 misses out on being a must-buy title (despite the budget price tag) simply because it sticks too rigidly to a formula that was great ten years ago, but now feels a little dated. And before the retro snobs attack, bear with us here as we offer some examples.
Example one: in the original Sensi, you couldn't select which player you had control over, with the computer deciding which of your players fell under your control, depending on the position of the ball. Conversely, FIFA and PES have allowed us to select players for years. We never really appreciated how useful this was, until we came to Sensible 2006, and found ourselves gnawing with frustration every time we were assigned the defender we didn't want. This doesn't happen a lot, but when it does, it can cost you goals. Things would feel both fairer and more flexible if we could choose which of our little men we wanted to control.
The facial animations are a high point, and there's plenty of them.
Another, more serious example: whereas PES will barely ever make you feel cheated by the game, Sensi manages to rob you on a worryingly consistent basis. This is largely thanks to goalkeepers who can seemingly teleport across their goals in the blink of an eye one moment, and stand stock still the next as a ball passes them by six inches. It all feels so inconsistent where the goalies are concerned - bafflingly, you can score right in the middle of the goal, then the next second have a pixel-perfect shot that was heading for the top corner saved by a 'keeper who flashes across the goal in a single frame of animation. It's that kind of inconsistency that completely ruins any feeling of reward in games. And yes, sorry to harp on about this, but it's the kind of inconsistency you don't see much of in PES.
It suffers from a lack of variety as well. The old Sensible Soccer games would infamously let players score almost all the time from the same point on the pitch (the corner of the 18-yard box for those in need of a tip), and whilst the problem isn't as common in Sensible 2006, there's far fewer ways to score goals than in other football titles, such as that game beginning with 'P'. But wait up: isn't comparing Sensible Soccer with Pro Evo a case of apples and oranges? Isn't it all a tad unfair? Well, yes and no. It's true to say that Kuju has designed a game that was never really meant to compete or be compared with Konami's excellent, endlessly subtle simulation of the game, but even in a world without PES, this new Sensi commits numerous other sins.
It's been a while since we've played a game with so many bugs, for instance - the game froze on us no fewer than six or seven times during the thirty hours we spent on it, and we've already mentioned the teleporting goalies. The loading is sl-o-o-o-o-w, and there's some glaring omissions from the overall package: no online mode (despite the fact that the fast, frenetic gameplay would be perfect for online play), a camera that can't be altered at all, and no widescreen mode. Quite frankly, Kuju: d'oh!! Meanwhile, dribbling past players is borderline impossible, even though we seem to recall being able to do some fairly decent dribbling in the old Sensi games.
The overhead view returns, though the lack of a widescreen mode hurts the game.
With all of the above complaints in mind, it seems difficult to avoid the conclusion that this is a title rushed out in time for the World Cup (it launched on 9th June, the opening day of the tournament), not to mention a piece of software that doesn't do what was once a formidable series much justice. But it's not all bad. For one, the gameplay here does occasionally threaten to match that of the original, with the same rapid passing moves down the pitch perfectly possible after just a few matches. Aftertouch on shots is present and correct here also (as it was in the original games), and the new energy bars that hover above the head of each player and gradually deplete the more you sprint with them are an excellent, worthwhile addition to the Sensible Soccer equation.
Then there's the controls, with the game requiring players to use only three buttons, lending it an immediacy that no other modern footy title boasts. Even the cel-shaded visuals and animations are a genuine joy at times, and the decision to give players giant heads works a treat, allowing Kuju to create some amusing facial expressions. The first time we saw a parody of Maradona's famous open-mouthed-whilst-running-towards-a-camera goal celebration, we laughed out loud. There's a sense of fun and humour here that games such as the oh-so-serious PES can't hope to match, and we can even forgive Sensi 2006 the lack of any official licences, especially considering the comprehensive range of customisable competitions and an 'Edit' function that is amongst the most extensive we've seen.
Alas, a good sense of humour and occasionally captivating gameplay aren't quite enough. Ultimately, the bugs and annoyances undermine what at one point looked like being a fitting update to a nostalgic favourite - instead, like the Australian team (and no doubt shortly England), it's fair to say this deserves a spot on the plane home. For Konami meanwhile, it's another season unbeaten.
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