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Urban Freestyle Soccer goes in two-footed

Acclaim rips up the rules and takes soccer back to the streets. Next goal wins?

From the beaches of Rio to the backstreets of Liverpool, the beauty of football is that all you need to get a game going are a few like-minded lads and a vaguely spherical object. It's that spirit which Acclaim is hoping to capture with its latest sports game, Urban Freestyle Soccer, due for release on PS2 this autumn.

The matches are four-on-four affairs (rather than five-a-side, as we expected) using concrete courts and empty warehouses for pitches. Oil drums and garage doors (but sadly, not jumpers) replace the goalposts. The teams are a right motley crew, comprising 16 different street gangs - ranging from hip-hop B-boys to extreme sports types. Naturally, there's no offside rule, and from the sounds of it, you'll be able to put in the kind of challenges that would make Lee Bowyer blush. There's also mention of a combo system and mini-games, meaning Acclaim is clearly hoping to target the kind of mainstream gamers who find Pro Evo just a bit too fiddly. So expect pick-up-and-play controls combined with flashy tricks and spectacular shots.

It sounds a lot like EA's NBA Street series and, to be honest, it would take a giant killing of monumental proportions for any footy game to usurp Pro Evo 2 in our affections. "There has never been a football game which takes the best from park soccer and combines it with the raw energy and skill which is seen on the streets around the world," says Brand Manager, Ned Browning. "Urban Freestyle Soccer will deliver the ultimate arcade experience ever - with innovation which will revitalise the football genre." A bold claim, certainly, and one which the gameplay will have to work overtime to back up. We'll let you how things are shaping up once playable code tips up.

*Urban Freestyle Soccer is being developed by Silicon Dreams.

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Urban Freestyle Soccer announced

Acclaim Entertainment announced today that it will release Urban Freestyle Soccer across all platforms later this year, along with the PC. The game is in development at Silicon Dreams and is a 4-on-4 soccer street game. There will be 16 gang-based teams that perform taunting moves like flicks, volleys, juggles, and scissor kicks. There are five different gameplay modes that include turf wars, home turf, and street challenge cups.



"Urban Freestyle Soccer will offer a great alternative to the traditional football game and will appeal to a much wider audience," said Ned Browning, brand manager at Acclaim International. "There has never been a football game which takes the best from park soccer and combines it with the raw energy and skill which is seen every day on the streets around the world. Urban Freestyle Soccer will deliver the ultimate arcade football experience ever--with innovation which will revitalize the football genre."

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FOUR ON FOUR EXTREME FOOTBALL TO LAUNCH AUTUMN 2003

Aggressive tackling, mesmerising flicks and scorching goals are guaranteed as Acclaim Entertainment Ltd announces the launch of Urban Freestyle Soccer. Developed by Silicon Dreams, this action-packed four-on-four football feast encompasses everything that's great about the beautiful game by taking it back to the streets and combining silky skills with hard-edged extreme rules to deliver end-to-end, arcade-style action. Urban Freestyle Soccer will be released in Autumn 2003 on PlayStation®2, XboxTM, Nintendo GameCubeTM and PC.

Urban Freestyle Soccer returns to grass roots and allows rival gangs to gain respect and supremacy in urban environments. Garage doors and oil drums replace goalposts and rules are well and truly left on the sidelines as the pitch is transformed into a battleground for the duration of the match. No offsides and unique soccer styles ensure flowing gameplay and fierce, frantic competitive matches.

"Urban Freestyle Soccer will offer a great alternative to the traditional football game and will appeal to a much wider audience," said Ned Browning, Brand Manager, Acclaim International. "There has never been a football game which takes the best from park soccer and combines it with the raw energy and skill which is seen every day on the streets around the world. Urban Freestyle Soccer will deliver the ultimate arcade football experience ever – with innovation which will revitalise the football genre."

Urban Freestyle Soccer features an intuitive control system which will enable players to perform the ultimate 'showboat' tricks, flicks and volleys the likes of which are only ever witnessed by the world's elite players. By mastering the combo system, back-heels, juggling and scissor kicks can be added to the players' repertoire offering precision control and deadly accuracy in front of goal. Newcomers will instantly feel at home with a perfected control system which responds immediately and accurately to the players' commands.

Urban Freestyle Soccer features five gameplay modes including Turf Wars, Home Turf and Street Challenge Cups allow gamers to choose from 16 gang based teams. Urban Freestyle Soccer offers many exciting features, including a combo system which earns skill points for team upgrades, mini games and hidden rewards to increase longevity. The game provides an intuitive control system, allowing players to develop their skills as they progress through the game.

Urban Freestyle will be available autumn 2003 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo Gamecube and PC.

Well not sure how many people will notice this, there has been a full press release, and from looking at the dates of the last replies it can't have been mentioned!

<Full Press Release May 13th 2003>

Hi lights:

• First-ever 4-on-4, arcade-style street soccer gameplay;
  
• 10 gang-style teams, each with their own home playing fields and theme music;
  
• Five hard-hitting game modes: Home Turf, Versus Mode, Freestyle, Street Challenge, Training plus Mini-Games;
  
• Over 50 players, each with individual catch phrases, tricks, combos and special moves;
  
• Supercharged "Netbuster" power-up tricks for record-breaking high scores;
  
• Dynamic, two-layered combo system which earns team points;
  
• Visually stunning urban environments with objects and boundaries that provide unique home field advantages.