Simply put, last year’s PlayStation 2 version of World Tour Soccer was a mess.  Resembling the action seen on a foosball table more than the actual sport itself, the game boasted long load times, terribly inconsistent teammate AI, ugly graphics, an inane season mode, and just about any other problem that could possibly plague a soccer game.  It was definitely not one of Sony’s better efforts in the genre, as it tarnished the otherwise good reputation of the entire World Tour Soccer series. 

 

Now, for the much-anticipated launch of the PSP, Sony’s London Studios have shrunk a rendition of World Tour Soccer onto the handheld format.  Long-time fans will be happy to know that the results are surprisingly solid.  Forgoing the heavy simulation elements embedded in most modern soccer titles, World Tour Soccer for the PSP takes an action-oriented approach that will appeal to all but the most stiff soccer purists.

 

World Tour Soccer will not win anyone over with its sparse selection of game modes, but versatility is not this game’s strong suit.  These days, it’s difficult to imagine a soccer title that lacks some sort of season mode, but World Tour Soccer unfortunately fits this bill.  The game’s Cup Tournaments are the next closest thing included, as each six-match series tracks a few statistics for both teams and individual players.  Tournament mode also awards tokens for winning each of the seven cups, which can be used to purchase the plethora of locked teams.  Exceptional performance, such as nailing your first hat-trick or scoring five goals in a single game, will unlock a few amusing secrets, as well as further expand the roster of teams available.  With around 240 international, club, and classic teams, all consisting of the real players (thanks to the FIFPro license) stashed inside the game’s tiny UMD, you’ll be doing a lot of unlocking during the first dozen or so hours spent with this title.

 

Although most of World Tour Soccer’s hidden extras must be won by playing

through each Cup Tournament, it’s the Challenge mode that’ll keep you coming back long after you’ve completed the game.  Based on a set of seven increasingly difficult matches, Challenge mode cleverly awards (or subtracts) skill points in real-time according to the quality of one’s play.  Precise shooting, tackling, and passing nets extra points, while sloppiness and poor defense actually subtracts points.  After practically any move, positive or negative points will display over that player’s head, effectively labeling that action as good or bad, while a running total keeps track of how well you’re doing overall.  With a high score, you’ll earn a medal, as well as unlock one of the eight available stadiums.  Should you fail miserably (and you will many, many times), there’s absolutely no loading if you choose to restart that particular match.  The points system really punishes your mistakes, forcing, albeit artificially, a more conservative approach, especially on the defensive side of the ball.  Judicious use of the tackling buttons when attempting to dispossess opposing ball handlers will only send your point total down the drain, defeating any chance of earning a medal.  Later challenges occur at the highest two difficulty settings, making you wait for a slim window of opportunity to open before leaping into the opponent’s passing lane.

 

Aside from the fairly standard Cup Tournaments and the creative Challenge mode, World

Tour Soccer’s well-presented, easy to read main menu offers Quick Match mode, which immediately throws you onto the field with two randomly selected teams on a randomly selected stadium.  Exhibition mode puts both these choices under user control, with additional options for adjusting the level of CPU difficulty, turning penalties on and off, and setting the duration of the game.  In a move that surely contributes to World Tour

Soccer’s breakneck pacing, the maximum length of a match is capped at a paltry ten minutes.

 

Not only does this strict time limit eliminate slower, more methodical passing strategies from the game, it promotes a hyperactive brand of run ‘n gun soccer that will surely find an audience with some, yet alienate many simulation die-hards in the process.  Not helping matters is the uber- powerful sprint button that, when combined with the fact that players never fatigue, ultimately seals World Tour Soccer’s fate as a fast-paced, though somewhat shallow, rendition of the world’s most popular sport

 

Player control is best handled with the PSP’s responsive analog stick, since the separated directional pad makes quick diagonal movements a chore.  If you’ve played other soccer titles, you’ll have no trouble adapting to the slightly delayed response time between button presses and player actions, nor will the game surprise you with innovative options for off-the-ball movement.  To World Tour Soccer’s credit, a couple of “give n’ goâ€? type plays can be easily triggered on offense, which briefly shifts control to the player who initiated the pass so you can run him between opposing defenders and receive the ball.  The triangle button passes in stride to running teammates, who exhibit good AI overall.  They will make a move if they see an opening, creating exciting chances to challenge the opposing goalkeeper.  Solid teammate AI, when combined with the aforementioned sprint button and the slightly overpowered one-on-one moves, ensures ample opportunity to score during every match.  Inexplicably, the game also retains the series’ intentional dive move, in which your player throws himself to the ground in hopes of earning sympathy from the referee, and its just as useless as it was in last year’s PlayStation 2 version.