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| By Brad Cook The crowd’s chants grow deafening as your team takes possession of the ball late in the second half of the World Cup final. With the scored tied 1-1, the first team to put the ball in the goal will likely be the next world champion. |
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 The goal: To focus your thoughts on putting the ball in the back of that net. |
The goalie moves out of position, hoping to break up the play, but you deflect the pass into the back of the net. The crowd goes wild. As the last minutes tick down, your team celebrates one of the greatest championships in the world as you hold aloft the coveted World Cup.
Select your favorite teams and send your
starting line-ups out on the field.
starting line-ups out on the field.
Easy to Learn, Hard to Master
Sound like fun? Then you need a copy of Kick Off 2002, the new Mac OS X
soccer game from European publisher Virtual Programming (British company
Coderus handled the Mac conversion work).
Our friends at Freeverse are distributing title to the United States so that Mac gamers in this country can set up their own World Cup tournaments and hit the field for some high-impact action.
Unlike other sports games that have complicated control schemes, you play Kick Off 2002 with the directional and Control keys on your keyboard (or with a joystick and a single button). How long you hold down the Control key (or joystick button) determines how hard you kick or pass the ball while the directional keys (or joystick) control where it goes.
All the details you expect in a soccer stadium are here, including fans who chant and cheer loudly after each goal.
However, despite the simple controls, the gameplay can be complex. You must decide which formation your team will use on the field (you can play an offensive-minded game and place more attackers up front or become conservative and keep more defenders back) as well as which players to start and which players to keep in reserve for late in the game, when substitutions become critical.
“Kick Off 2002 is a game of 100% soccer highlights,” says Paul Lesurf, a director at Virtual Programming. “It’s a game that delivers fast and furious end-to-end fun, and it’s based on a proven series of games that have sold millions of copies over the years.”
After each match ends, you can view replays of all the goals scored and
save the digital videos if you want to relive the excitement later. While viewing the replays, you can rotate your on-field “camera” and speed up or slow down the action.
Just as in real life, your players can get hurt.
Plenty of Options
Once you get the hang of the game, you can increase the difficulty level by changing the weather (the ball doesn’t move as well on wet grass) or your players’ ball-handling skills. All the countries are based on their real-life counterparts, so you can also have some fun by taking a soccer-poor country and pitting it against one of the powerhouses. You can also design your own teams and players or visit the Kick Off Gathering fan web site and download squads created by other players.
“We’re really excited about Kick Off 2002,” says Freeverse vice-president Colin Lynch Smith. “My brother Ian and I have been creating our own teams and engaging in lots of grudge matches at the office. I currently lead the series.”
Pit soccer powerhouses against little-known
soccer countries.
soccer countries.
“No he doesn’t,” disputes president Ian Lynch Smith. “But anyway, we’re such big soccer fans that we had to bring this game to America and get the country ready to win the real World Cup in 2006.”
A Game For All Fans
Whether your interest in soccer includes staying up all night to watch the matches played in the last World Cup tournament or simply kicking a ball around a field with friends and family, you’ll enjoy the simple gameplay and complex strategies in Kick Off 2002. So dribble your way over to the online Apple Store, an Apple retail store, or a certified Apple reseller near you and pick up a copy.
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We want you to put your best foot forward out on the field, so visit page two for some tips and tricks that will help you win the match.
 
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