Table Football Review

Here we have another augmented reality game – a phrase that sounds good, but will most likely leave you with disappointing feeling inside – that has been bundled in with the PlayStation Vita, and this time around it’s a football one.

“Yippee”, I hear you all shouting, “I love football”. A game of kicking a ball around a pitch and trying to get it  into the net, while avoiding the opposition who are determined to ruin your chances of scoring that all important goal. This is a game that many of us enjoy either watching or playing and is one of the world’s most loved pastime.

So here we have it; Sony’s attempt at bringing the game to us in an imaginative and different way. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to play a game of football on your coffee table, or even play it in bed; if that is really what you want? Have they done a good job? Let’s find out shall we.

Do you remember playing Subbuteo when you were young? That game almost every young boy had from a time before we had video games. This was almost the only way you could play football in your home, without inviting loads of your mates round for some five-a-side football in the back garden and getting in trouble for kicking your mum’s roses over. Well that way my problem, as someone designed our flower bed to be smack in the middle of a perfectly formed mini football pitch.

Well this game is sort of like that, also this is the only game that requires you to use all six of the AR cards supplied with the Vita. As you line them up and change the sides of the pitch, by moving the cards further apart, you will find a pretty cool looking virtual pitch and stadium.  It’s certainly the best looking AR game of the lot. However, it is also the one game that flickers a lot and sometimes you see the AR Cards appear on screen which is very off-putting. You really need a well lit room for this one to work properly.

You have a few modes on offer here, you have a regular friendly match, 2 player via ad hoc and another PS Vita or two people playing on one Vita. There is also a tournament that resembles the World Cup, as all the teams that appear are internationals squads. Table Football is played by dragging your finger on the screen and passing or shooting at the goal. The game is turn-based and you have four moves until your opponent has their go.  It all sounds good, but this is by far the worst of the AR games packed in with the Vita. It’s awkward to control and very hard to score and the five minute games seem to last far too long.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Playstation Vita code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.