X2 Football 2009, released earlier this month by X2 Games, has created a raging debate over who is the true King of the iDevice Soccer Games. Previously, Gameloft’s Real Soccer 2009 was the de facto top dog, but X2’s intuitive controls alone may have been enough to usurp the throne.
X2 Football 2009 allows you to play as any of more than 50 international teams under three game modes: Tournament, Penalty Shootout, and Training. Training mode is a great way to get a feel for the controls, which we’ll discuss later. Practice passing, corner kicks, free kicks, penalty kicks, shots on goal, and dribbling skills without pesky opponents getting in the way. For some quick, adrenaline-filled fun, try Penalty Shootout, where you alternate taking penalty kicks until a winner is crowned. As much fun as those may be, Tournament mode is the heart and soul of the game. You can compete in cups and leagues for the 5 major continents. Options abound in X2 Football, allowing you to customize all aspects of the game, from the simple options (4 difficulty levels, real-time half length, etc.) to the more complex (team management, formations, substitutions, etc.). Gameplay is well-paced and has an authentic feel, as the players’ movements are based on full motion-captured player animations. X2 Football looks as slick as it plays.
The graphics are terrific, offering more simulation style than arcade. Players and action are easily distinguishable from any of the 4 camera angles: far, scenic, near, and goal-to-goal. Authentic crowd sounds, commentary, and soccer sound effects add greatly to the value of the game. As we said earlier, the controls are the game’s greatest asset, utilizing a floating analog stick that appears wherever your touch the left side of the screen. This allows you to position your thumb away from the action at all times. S.M.A.R.T. buttons (Slick Movement And Robust Tactics) adorn the bottom right corner, controlling all of the offensive and defensive actions, including passing, defending, slide tackling, and kicking goals. Tapping or holding buttons causes a power gauge to appear and fill above the active player’s head, allowing you to customize the speed and loft of your pass/shot. The buttons work well and enable the game to flow without making you think of which button you need to press to complete specific movements. Control issues have been cited as one of the biggest complaints in rival Real Soccer. After scoring a goal or committing a penalty, an auto-replay, complete with slo-mo, gives you another look at the action. Very slick!
Of course, no soccer game is without its flaws and X2 has several. The ones that irked us the most involved shots on goal often sailing high if you hold the kick button any longer than a tap. Also, retrieving a ball along the edge of the field almost always results in pushing the ball out and turning over control to the opponents. We could go on, but X2 claims to be working on these issues and more for an update with a tentative release date of July. This should make an already terrific game outstanding. X2’s price point is a bit high, currently selling at $6.99. Real Soccer 2009, on the other hand, has just cut its price to 99 cents from $4.99, a wise move for Gameloft as X2 Football begins to gain some traction. Despite this, we remain satisfied with X2 Football, as it heads in a 4-Dimple goal to take the cup.
X2 Football gets our AppSmile 4-Dimple rating:
Video by x2games
