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You can do all the tackling, shoving, punching, sliding, scissor kicking, cheap-shot-madness that you want.
November 16, 2003 | 10:00 PM PSTby: Ken Cauley
When you hear Midway, you'll probably think life of the party. You'll probably think of fun, do-whatever-you-want, over-the-top arcade sports games. That's what Midway is about. From NBA Jam, where extreme variations of dunks was emphasized, to football mayhem in NFL Blitz, Midway has been able to dish out some pretty entertaining games. RedCard is one more of that, but this time it's all about soccer.
Basically what you have here is "No Rules At All!" Just take off the sometimes-strict referees and that's basically what's left - no rules. You can do all the tackling, shoving, punching, sliding, scissor kicking, cheap-shot-madness that you want. And if you have enough boosts, you can plant some fiery hotfoot bombs in the face of your opponents. This should be pretty hilarious for a while and heck … it might even be good for relieving stress - knocking some players down to the ground and smashing them up like that.
The learning curve should be about 10 minutes. Sometimes you'll push the wrong button when you want to pass or shoot or whatever, but if you give yourself some time, you'll get used to the controls. One of the first things you'll probably mess up on is the shooting, and the game uses the Z Button for that. Most players would perhaps press A or B for that. Pressing the turbo button when you have enough boosts will perform special moves such as the already mentioned outrageous tackles and flaming kicks to the face. Use special moves with offense and you can do some animated, extremist shots, intense passes or fanatical evades. The insanity from Midway's other creations is all in here.
The game features 50 international teams with national players and real stadiums like the Saitama. As you move along, you can unlock more teams and stadiums, plus increase the attributes of your team to strengthen your people. If you want, you can change the names of a country's players. Although it's a small feature, it's a very convenient one as well. A pretty interesting include is that the game speaks five languages. Pleasant.
The gameplay modes included are The Finals Mode, World Conquest Mode, Friendly Mode and the Tournament Mode. In Finals Mode, you battle through 32 qualified teams and try for the cup championship. In World Conquest Mode, you play against 50 squads and 7 unlockable fantasy teams. The other modes are pretty self-explanatory.
Graphically, this game is pretty good. The camera is fixed, but there are plenty different ones you can choose, so that's good. You can get many different views of the players and the field. The stadiums and soccer lawns are realistic and vivacious. They're pretty solid and well-made. The player models aren't bad; they're decent but sometimes bland.
The dramatic goal celebrations are pretty cool, filled with a charged up crowd, player dances and "swims," confetti and flashbulbs. Pretty amusing. Of course, I can't go without mentioning the animations. Blistering bicycle kicks … Slow motion Matrix flip-around shots … Diving saves … Great stuff right there.
The action is smooth and also stays at a constant 60 fps. From the start of the game to the end, the game moves at a good Blitz and Hitz pace.
Since this was a fast-paced, hard-hitting arcade game, you figured that there would be commentary with the same flair. You would probably be looking for some witty and humorous comments, but it isn't really here. The play calls are actually pretty good and professional. Also, you have to love the accents, but all this doesn't fit in a game with a lunacy style. Even though it wasn't what was expected, you still have to be satisfied with the commentary. Other than this, everything else is done nicely, like crowd chanting, cheering, whistle blowing by refs, swishing of the net and other things.
RedCard is enjoyable and has some pretty wild action. Also, it has great multiplayer, but the long lasting feeling just isn't there. You do have unlockable teams and stadiums, but once you get through the core of the game, sometimes it will be like it isn't worth getting everything. Some of the unlockables like the SWAT Team and the Coliseum Stadium are pretty cool, but the game needs more than just things you can unlock. A few more special features would make you keep playing a little longer and importantly, would have made things more interesting. If you were able to edit more than just your players' names and number, it would have been better in the "Create-A-Player" way. Overall though, the game should keep you playing for a good time and is a good choice of a game to play at a party.
Basically what you have here is "No Rules At All!" Just take off the sometimes-strict referees and that's basically what's left - no rules. You can do all the tackling, shoving, punching, sliding, scissor kicking, cheap-shot-madness that you want. And if you have enough boosts, you can plant some fiery hotfoot bombs in the face of your opponents. This should be pretty hilarious for a while and heck … it might even be good for relieving stress - knocking some players down to the ground and smashing them up like that.
The learning curve should be about 10 minutes. Sometimes you'll push the wrong button when you want to pass or shoot or whatever, but if you give yourself some time, you'll get used to the controls. One of the first things you'll probably mess up on is the shooting, and the game uses the Z Button for that. Most players would perhaps press A or B for that. Pressing the turbo button when you have enough boosts will perform special moves such as the already mentioned outrageous tackles and flaming kicks to the face. Use special moves with offense and you can do some animated, extremist shots, intense passes or fanatical evades. The insanity from Midway's other creations is all in here.
The game features 50 international teams with national players and real stadiums like the Saitama. As you move along, you can unlock more teams and stadiums, plus increase the attributes of your team to strengthen your people. If you want, you can change the names of a country's players. Although it's a small feature, it's a very convenient one as well. A pretty interesting include is that the game speaks five languages. Pleasant.
The gameplay modes included are The Finals Mode, World Conquest Mode, Friendly Mode and the Tournament Mode. In Finals Mode, you battle through 32 qualified teams and try for the cup championship. In World Conquest Mode, you play against 50 squads and 7 unlockable fantasy teams. The other modes are pretty self-explanatory.
Graphically, this game is pretty good. The camera is fixed, but there are plenty different ones you can choose, so that's good. You can get many different views of the players and the field. The stadiums and soccer lawns are realistic and vivacious. They're pretty solid and well-made. The player models aren't bad; they're decent but sometimes bland.
The dramatic goal celebrations are pretty cool, filled with a charged up crowd, player dances and "swims," confetti and flashbulbs. Pretty amusing. Of course, I can't go without mentioning the animations. Blistering bicycle kicks … Slow motion Matrix flip-around shots … Diving saves … Great stuff right there.
The action is smooth and also stays at a constant 60 fps. From the start of the game to the end, the game moves at a good Blitz and Hitz pace.
Since this was a fast-paced, hard-hitting arcade game, you figured that there would be commentary with the same flair. You would probably be looking for some witty and humorous comments, but it isn't really here. The play calls are actually pretty good and professional. Also, you have to love the accents, but all this doesn't fit in a game with a lunacy style. Even though it wasn't what was expected, you still have to be satisfied with the commentary. Other than this, everything else is done nicely, like crowd chanting, cheering, whistle blowing by refs, swishing of the net and other things.
RedCard is enjoyable and has some pretty wild action. Also, it has great multiplayer, but the long lasting feeling just isn't there. You do have unlockable teams and stadiums, but once you get through the core of the game, sometimes it will be like it isn't worth getting everything. Some of the unlockables like the SWAT Team and the Coliseum Stadium are pretty cool, but the game needs more than just things you can unlock. A few more special features would make you keep playing a little longer and importantly, would have made things more interesting. If you were able to edit more than just your players' names and number, it would have been better in the "Create-A-Player" way. Overall though, the game should keep you playing for a good time and is a good choice of a game to play at a party.
November 20, 2009
