I’ve finally gotten my copy of GGF and had a chance to review it (1 night).
Before I start I think it’s important to note that there’s no point comparing the game to the best of the best football games (Pro Evolution Soccer 5 or FIFA 2006) after all GGF is produced by a tiny company* for a very limited audience and did not get a fraction of resources dedicated to it of PES5 or FIFA. Speaking of FIFA, I currently have FIFA 2003, this is probably EA Sports’ 8th (at least) attempt at a soccer game yet it still has some serious gameplay issues … just to put things in perspective.
*IR Gurus have 55 employees and 3 games currently on release. EA have 6,100 employees worldwide, in 2005 they have 31 games which sold more than 1 million copies and had revenues of over $1bn in 2005.
Cut the crap, just gimme the verdict
First Look
First thing to notice is that both the booklet (short but who uses it anyway) and game menu is available in both Irish & English. When you start the game you get to select which language you want. The menu screens themselves are basic but alright.
The default camera angle makes the game look dreadful so before starting a game change the camera angle to End Pan (High) and zoom to “close”.
Graphics/Models
The stadiums are pretty good as are the players. The kits look really good IMO. But overall the graphics are ‘fuzzy’, they’re just not that crisp.
The spectators are actually static 2D “cardboard cut-outs”, from a distance that’s fine but up closer or when the camera goes over head it looks really shite.
Commentary
Commentary is done by Michael O’Murrahurty and to be honest it’s average at best. It sounds (it is) like short phrases strung together and can be a bit repetitive. His line about the players going in at half time for a banana and a cup of tea is funny … the first time, after that it’s head wrecking. It’s best to turn the commentary down just a bit.
Gameplay
One of the most disappointing things about the game play is that it is quite slow. After a while you get used to it but for a game like Gaelic football it should be moving twice the speed. The tackling is another big problem. It’s quite awkward to tackle and the aggressive bump (more effective) will often get you penalised. When opposing players are tackling you it’s very difficult to kick the ball and often a hand pass is the only solution. Tackling off the ball is very common … which I suppose is realistic enough. The tackling combined with the slow speed of the game makes it difficult to produce any nice fast flowing movements which for me is the #1 disappointment from the game.
Having said that the game is somewhat addictive, the players are generally responsive enough that you can still get some good passes going and it’s not that difficult to get a few scores on the board.
The goalkeepers are awful! Rather than aggressively attacking the ball like they should they generally flounder about like they’ve just dropped a testicle so scoring a goal is not all that difficult. Scoring a goal from long distance is not too hard either as the keepers seem to have problems raising their hands above shoulder height. If you get a penalty just hit it low, chances are the keeper will just walk over it anyway.
The referee is a prick! Nothing new there. So far I’ve managed to get sent off for fouling a guy while I was actually in possession and trying to pass the ball. Go figure.
Injuries are a pain in the ass, the players get injured very easily sometimes while simply trying to tackle (i.e. lambaste) opposing players.
Players are not named in the game, they are only assigned numbers (P1, P2 etc). You can edit these however it seems that you have to have a competition ongoing to do this, you can’t do this from the main menu and apply it to all future competitions (that I’ve discovered so far anyway). This doesn’t bother me so much except for two cases; 1) in the team management screen if you’re changing subs or organising players you need to check the player stats, if they were named you’d know who was good or not; 2) the lack of names means less commentary and it takes from the atmosphere of the game.
‘Level progression’ is one thing worth mentioning. Each team is rated according to their skill level but it’s possible to raise this level by winning games. I managed to raise my level 10 points by winning the All-Ireland but at the start of the next season it returned to the default value which is annoying.
Atmosphere
As mentioned the lack of player names means less commentary and it detracts from the atmosphere. The crowd is too quiet, there needs to be a lot more buzz in the stadiums and there are actually very few flags flying even in Croker. One of the most noticeable things from a real game in Croker is the atmosphere, they have totally failed to capture that in the game.
One of the features I like is the profile feature, you can create a profile (your name, mar shampla) and record all your basic game stats everytime you play.
Another handy feature is in team set-up, when your browsing through your players before a game it also shows you the opposing player (from the next game) in that position.
The Verdict
Overall it gets 6/10.
If you’re a GAA fan then this is a must have, being a football fan you can easily ignore some of the let-downs with the game. Playing with friends (preferably inebriated) is essential.
If you’re a Pro Evolution man (or cailín) , don’t have much of an interest in Gaelic Football and want a game with cutting edge gameplay & graphics then this game is not for you! (in this case it would only get about 3/10)
I’m not much into games on TV or computer, but I’m glad you could get hold of your copy at last!!!
Enjoy!
Yeah, finally! It only took 11 days
You’ve given it a better review than I had expected to be honest. I’m still considering purchasing it for the father figure but I’m afraid he’ll burst a hernia or something trying to play it!
Fi, if your “father figure” is used to playing something like PES5 or TIF then he’ll probably think this is shite, but if he likes Gaelic he should get some fun out of it. The gameplay is disappointing & a tad frustrating but because it’s Gaelic it’s still a bit addicive. I spent most of last night playing it.
Oh dear that didn’t come across very well the father figure referred is my actual father just to clarify and when it comes to fun with a computer he’s opts for beating his with a stick in frustration! I think the only game he’s ever played was Wolf which was the precursor of games like Doom etc! Thence my hesitation in buying it for him, I don’t know if he would get any actual enjoyment out of it!!
Thanks for the clarification:)
You might get it cheap somewhere. If he likes Gaelic then he might enjoy it, it’s not so difficult to play.
Great review, i really enjoyed reading it!!! from what ive head the game has been a complete letdown. as a keen gaelic player i would rather invest my money in a new football. Better than getting frustrated and square eyed.
Thanks Jennifer.
Very thorough review. I want to buy one for my son this Christmas, I’ve been looking on ebay…whats the going rate for this game do you know? After your review I will be intending to purchase it for as little as possible but unfortunately it is a must in the Christmas stocking! Cheers
Chris,
I got it for UK£30, it’s the same on Amazon, but I think you will pick it up cheap enough in Dublin (assuming you’re in Ireland).
I think your review is close to being spot on. The game has its flaws but after getting used to it Im really enjoying it and Id recommend it to any game playing GAA fans, hours of fun!
Most reviewers were way too hard on the game IMO, once you change the camera view and get used to the controls its really pretty good.
Thanks Domhnall, I hope to update the review soon now that i’ve played it a bit more. I want to mention the difference between the skill levels, junior->senior. What level are you playing at?
Ive won the All-Ireland with Tyrone at Intermediate and am now in the AI semi’s with Leitrim at the same level so Ill be stepping up to Senior after this. From what Ive seen so far the opposition seem to be faster and also stronger in the tackle at senior level.
Hopefully if IR Gurus put out updates of the game in coming years they will listen to the feedback and make a few changes, the potential is there for a really excellent game.
No plans for a Hurling (or Shinty!) game I suppose?
You’re obviously better than me at it. I started on Junior level (with Longford) which is too easy, in two seasons the worst result was a draw against Kerry, i won everything else easily. But i’ve had trouble in intermediate level, I haven’t mastered the tackling (or avoiding tackles) yet. More practice needed.
I struggled a bit too when I first started on intermediate, it takes a wee bit of time to get used to the harder tackling in particular.
I lost the AI Final last night with Kerry beating Leitrim 0-9 to 0-8. I was cruising at 0-6 to 0-1 until the girlfriend started complaining about missing the TV and from there I seemed to lose my concentration and the Kingdom took over, lucky that kind of thing never happens in the real Croker.
lol
I don’t play until herself goes to bed cos I know she’d wreck my head otherwise.
I definetely think your review is better than the game, too slow and too hard to kick the ball whilst someone is tackling you. Dissapointing, however, I agree that it is the first effort and maybe the ’06 version (if there will be one) will attempt to improve on these areas. Incidentally you got it spot on when you said drunken GAA fans would enjoy. This is when we have enjoyed it the most (banana and cup of tea et all)…
That must be the kindest review for Gaelic Games Football I’ve heard or read from someone who has actually taken the time to sit down and play the game! 6 marks out of 10 implies that the game is competent in at least some aspects of gameplay, I’m sorry to say that GGF is devoid of almost anything that resembles a fun gaming experience; namely fluid play, good graphics, tight controls, a learning curve that rewards skillful play and a feeling that the player is actually involved in the action. The graphics are terrible, the commentary is laughable, the game has no atmosphere or personality. Controls are like what would be expected from an underwater gaelic game. The player animations for tackles are terrible, players don’t even look like they connect with the ball! Sound effects are limited to ape-like grunts, menu music is depressingly generic, like it was taken from “Bland Menu Music Volume 4″. In a nutshell the game is terrible, not even 50% complete in my opinion. A cynical release for the xmas market. Making the point that IR Gurus are only a small outfit would be justified if the game was released as shareware or a downloadable demo or for less than €20 but €60 for this piece of cack? Buying this game only encourages this desecration of our beloved national sport, pray in the future that some devolopment studio with human programmers instead of monkeys with keyboards make an attempt at a proper GAA game! Leave it on the shelf and buy Pro Evo instead, an example of how a sports sim should be done.