Summary
- Kenny Dalglish Soccer Manager allows players to start in the fourth tier of English football and aim for promotion to the top.
- David Beckham Soccer features over 200 real-life teams and a training mode with lessons from a virtual David Beckham.
- RedCard 20-03 and Sega Soccer Slam are best known for their flagrant disregard for the rules in fast-paced, potentially violent matches.
Soccer, known as football in most parts of the world, has been the subject of countless video games over the years. From bizarre cash grabs like Peter Shilton’s Handball Maradona, right through to juggernaut series like Pro Evolution Soccer, FIFA/EA Sports FC and Football Manager, the beautiful game has been well represented in the gaming world.
In such a crowded market, some great games are bound to slip through the cracks, falling into obscurity behind their well-known counterparts. Naturally, some of these titles still have a dedicated following, but in the wider gaming world, they have been largely forgotten and deserve a moment in the spotlight.

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10
Kenny Dalglish Soccer Manager
Climbing The Pyramid With King Kenny
- Platforms: Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari 8-Bit, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum
- Released: 1989
- Developer: Zeppelin Games
- Genre: Sports, management simulator
Long before the likes of Football Manager and LMA Manager had the monopoly on management simulators, the legendary Scotland, Celtic, and Liverpool forward lent his name to Kenny Dalglish Soccer Manager. Controlling Dalglish, notable for guiding both Liverpool and Blackburn through successful periods, players start in the fourth tier of English football and work their way up to the top.
For its time, the graphics are very vibrant and pleasant, even featuring simulations of the actual matches, if players wish to view them. Gameplay is fairly intuitive too, with recruitment, tactics, and financial management being key factors to success, or leading to contract termination if done badly.
9
David Beckham Soccer
Bend It Like Beckham
- Platforms: Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox
- Released: 2001-11-23
- Developer: Rage Software
- Genre: Sports
An example of a game overshadowed by its contemporaries, David Beckham Soccer never really took off compared to the mighty FIFA and PES games. Featuring over 200 real-life teams, and many game modes, the game was particularly praised for its training mode, where a virtual David Beckham gives lessons to help players hone their technique.
Sadly, Beckham is the only officially licensed player, as many other players have similar but fake names to their real counterparts. Featuring 3D graphics, full commentary, and a decent season mode, it’s worth checking out, as long as players avoid the absolutely dreadful Game Boy Advance port.
8
RedCard 20-03
Full Contact Sport
- Platforms: GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox
- Released: 2002-04-16
- Developer: Point of View
- Genre: Sports
Perhaps most comparable with NFL Blitz and NHL Hitz, RedCard 20-03 is best known for its flagrant disregard for the rules. While some may choose to play with referee strictness turned on, making the game very difficult while defending, the majority play with strictness off, causing all kinds of mayhem.

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The action is more like WWE, with moves like dropkicks no longer off-limits. To make things even more crazy, the World Conquest mode features 50 international teams, plus some fantasy teams made up entirely of creatures like penguins and dolphins. On top of all this insanity, the fans go absolutely wild when a goal is scored, throwing confetti and streamers while the players dramatically celebrate.
7
Soccer Kid
Platforming With Kid Kleets
- Platform: Amiga, 3DO, CD32, Jaguar, Game Boy Advance, Mobile, MS-DOS, PC, PlayStation, SNES
- Released: 1993-12-28
- Developer: Krisalis Software
- Genre: Platformer
Alternatively known as The Adventures of Kid Kleets, Soccer Kid forgoes a traditional approach to simulating the world’s most popular sport, opting instead for soccer-themed platforming. Over 20 levels are set in footballing hotbeds like England and Italy, featuring boss battles against quite stereotypical characters from each land.
The story may be a bit cheesy, featuring an alien that tried to steal the World Cup and broke it, leaving the titular Soccer Kid to collect the fragments of the famous trophy, as well as some trading cards in this enjoyable platformer. Combat may be tricky for some, but kicking or heading a ball at foes is highly entertaining.
6
Soccer Brawl
Fast-Paced Futuristic Grappling
- Platforms: Arcade, Neo Geo AES, Neo Geo CD
- Released: 1992-02-14
- Developer: SNK
- Genre: Sports
Set in the distant future, Soccer Brawl is a five-a-side arcade classic. Controlling teams consisting of androids and bionic humans, there are no rules in these fast-paced matches, and players can perform super moves to either aid in offense or defense.
There are eight of the usual countries to choose from, such as Brazil and Germany, each with their own super moves and jersey colors. Soccer Brawl is regarded by many who played it as one of the best Neo Geo games, and despite being ported to some modern hardware, it has largely been unheralded.
22 Versions Of Essentially The Same Game
- Platform: PC, PlayStation 2, Xbox
- Released: 2003-10-10
- Developer: Codemasters
- Genre: Sport
Something of an anomaly in gaming in general is Club Football, consisting of 22 different releases between 2003 and 2004. One release focuses on the England national team, and the other 21 are specific to some of the biggest clubs in seven different European countries, such as Bayern Munich and Newcastle United.

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Featuring authentic kits, stadiums, and players, these games were praised for their graphics at the time, but the gameplay was unfavorably compared to rival games during that period. Still, these releases serve as a great piece of memorabilia for fans of these specific teams, especially those that are given less coverage, like Birmingham City and Hamburg.
4
Adidas Power Soccer
Arcade Action, Heavy On Adidas Advertising
- Platform: PC, PlayStation
- Released: 1996
- Developer: Psygnosis
- Genre: Sports
The first of four releases in this series in the late 1990s, Adidas Power Soccer is another more arcade-style simulation, featuring special moves and some other less realistic gameplay aspects. Using motion-captured animation of real soccer players made the game quite realistic looking and revolutionary for the time, and it features teams from across several of Europe’s major leagues.
The most notable and memorable aspect of this game is the trademark Predator Shot, a more powerful strike named after the German manufacturer’s most popular boot brand, and it all but guaranteed a goal. Other interesting features include smoke and fire trails during tackles or shots, knocking over the goalkeeper and even juggling the ball, keepie-uppie style.
3
Actua Soccer
Three-Dimensional Pioneer
- Platform: MS-DOS, Sega Saturn, PlayStation
- Released: 1995
- Developer: Gremlin Interactive
- Genre: Sports
Known in North America as VR Soccer, Actua Soccer is noteworthy for being a pioneer of full 3D graphics in soccer games. The game features 32 international teams, each consisting of 22 players, and they are able to compete in various tournaments.
Actua Soccer features multiple camera angles, another significant step forward in the genre, bringing games to a similar standard to television broadcasts. Gameplay is reasonable for the time, and a re-skinned version featuring the 20 clubs in the English Premiership was released shortly after this one.
2
Sega Soccer Slam
3-on-3 Brawls With Some Soccer
- Platform: GameCube, Mobile, PlayStation 2, Xbox
- Released: 2002-03-19
- Developer: Black Box Games
- Genre: Sports
Taking a few liberties with the rules of the game, Sega Soccer Slam pits teams of three against one another with no holds barred. Choosing from several stereotypical characters who resemble the likes of punks and professional wrestlers, nothing is off-limits while teams attempt to score more goals than their opponents.

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Graphics are highly stylized and gameplay is surprisingly intuitive. The inclusion of five different game modes and two minigames means that there is plenty to keep players interested, from a fairly deep quest mode with several unlockable items, to various challenges, and a practice arena where players can train their skills in both fighting and footwork.
An Overlooked Gem
- Platform: PlayStation 2
- Released: 2002-10-4
- Developer: London Studio
- Genre: Sports
Also known as World Soccer Tour 2003, the PlayStation 2 exclusive This is Football 2003 had a plethora of excellent features, but was barely noticed by many due to other burgeoning series on the market. The actual gameplay itself is certainly enjoyable, and the most memorable gameplay feature is the ability to sometimes fool the referee by diving.
Including over 700 playable teams was incredible for the time, and the career mode includes arguably the best transfer system in soccer games that were released during the early 2000s. Classic teams from bygone eras can participate in custom tournaments too, and this is one of the only games to feature international competitions in regions other than Europe, even still to this day.

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