iPad Impression: Real Soccer 2010

While playing games on other platforms, I often find myself saying, “Why can’t a game like this come to the iPad? The controls would transfer over nicely and the gameplay aids itself to touch controls.” Real Soccer 2010 for the iPad wasn’t one of those games. Surprisingly enough, it’s one of the most polished and well put together iPad games in the App Store.

So why didn’t I think soccer, or football for all you Euro readers, would make a good iPad game? Simple, there are just too many controls: run, sprint, change player, pass, through pass, shoot and chip shot and that is the bare minimum for just offense. If it could be done, I wasn’t confident it would be enjoyable without a steep learning curve.

I’m glad to see that Gameloft has proved me wrong and delivered a highly functional and easy to learn soccer game to the iPad App Store. All the necessary moves are easily executed by manipulating an A and B button is several different ways. Simply tapping B will pass the ball, holding B will deliver a through pass, double tapping B will quickly pass the ball back and forth between 2 players (a one-two as soccer fans call it), and pressing B and sliding your finger upwards will execute a beautiful cross to a player in center field.

For the sake of having you read a full analysis on every control in the game just take my word that you will be able to execute everything from a slide tackle to a Marseille Roulette using simple hand gestures on a dual button virtual controller.

Graphics aside, Real Soccer 2010 is a shrunken down console version of EA’s popular FIFA franchise. Shrunken down may be a bit of an overstatement because every game mode featured in your favorite console soccer title is here: Exhibition, Season Club Master, League, Enter the Legend and Cup are all included. Even the new game mode “Be A Pro” the official FIFA games introduced a few installments ago, is included as “Enter the Legend.”

WiFi and Bluetooth multiplayer is also crammed in there giving the game hundreds of hours of replayability.

Gameloft Live! awards, the ability to record, save and upload amazing goals to Facebook and Twitter, and a live RSS feed scrolling through scores of real-life soccer games from around the world are all part of the polish applied to Real Soccer 2010.

Real Soccer 2010 is $6.99 in the iPad App Store and is highly recommended!

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