''International Soccer'', also known as ''International Football''
is a sports
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
written by Andrew Spencer
for the
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64, also known as the C64, is an 8-bit home computer introduced in January 1982 by Commodore International (first shown at the Consumer Electronics Show, January 7–10, 1982, in Las Vegas). It has been listed in the Guinness ...
and published by
Commodore International
Commodore International (other names include Commodore International Limited) was an American home computer and electronics manufacturer founded by Jack Tramiel. Commodore International (CI), along with its subsidiary Commodore Business Mach ...
in 1983. Originally only available on cartridge,
CRL re-released the game on cassette and disc in 1988.
Gameplay
''International Soccer'' can be played by two players or one player against an
AI opponent. Each team can select one of a number of colored shirts, and the AI opponent is graded into 9 different difficulty levels. The game itself is a relatively simple game of
soccer
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
- there is no
offside rule and no possibility to
foul opponents.
Each game is divided into two 200-second halves. There are no overtimes or shootouts. There are also six colors a person can choose from for play: red, yellow, blue, grey, white, and orange. The winning team is presented a gold trophy after the game by a dark-haired woman.
The game includes a gray-scale mode that is more suited for black-and-white television sets.
Reception
''International Soccer'' was well received, gaining a Certificate of Merit in the category of "1984 Best Computer Sports Game" at the 5th annual
Arkie Awards
An electronic game is a game
A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as pro ...
.
''InfoWorld'' described ''International Soccer'' as Commodore's best competitor to the very successful
Atarisoft
Atarisoft was a brand name used by Atari, Inc. in 1983 and 1984 to market video games the company published for home systems made by competitors. Each platform had a specific color attributed by Atarisoft for its game packages. For example, video ...
games. The magazine wrote that the "" was "surprisingly good, considering it's published by Commodore" (because "the normal standard for Commodore software is mediocrity"), praising gameplay and especially animation.
''
Ahoy!
''Ahoy!'' was a computer magazine published between January 1984 and January 1989 in the US, focusing on all Commodore color computers, but especially the Commodore 64 and Amiga.
History
The first issue of ''Ahoy!'' was published in January 198 ...
'' wrote that ''International Soccer'' "is a pure action game, but, oh, what action!", praising the graphics and game-play.
In the UK, the game reached the number one position in the Commodore 64 charts early in 1984
and returned to the top of the charts again later in the same year.
Legacy
''International Soccer'' was the inspiration for ''
Match Day'' on the
ZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit computing, 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer.
Referred to during development as t ...
.
Andrew Spencer followed up ''International Soccer'' with ''International Basketball'' which was based on the same code.
It reached number 2 in the UK Commodore 64 charts in April 1985
but was not released in the US.
Spencer would later work with
Epyx
Epyx, Inc. was a video game developer and publisher active in the late 1970s and 1980s. The company was founded as Automated Simulations by Jim Connelley and Jon Freeman, originally using Epyx as a brand name for action-oriented games before rena ...
, adapting his
sprite coding technique for use on their 1987 game ''
Street Sports Basketball''.
References
External links
*{{lemon64 game, id=2987, name=International Soccer
International Soccerat homepages.tesco.net/~parsonsp
Gameplay video
1983 video games
Commodore 64 games
Commodore 64-only games
Association football video games
Video games developed in the United States