Top Online Soccer Games And MMORPG – MMOGameCentral
The world of the free to play online soccer game is a small one, few titles have made any big impact over the years and those that have been released, have been cast into the ever expanding undead world of the video-games industry shortly after. However, a small number of RPG based soccer games have been released and are still alive and kicking, in this Top Online Soccer Games And MMORPG pick by MMO Game Central, we cover the top online soccer games released so far.
Football Superstars
The only client-based soccer game in our Top Online Soccer Games list. Football Superstars was originally released by Cybersports but was later handed over to the publishers, Monumental Games. Football Superstars is arguably the best online soccer game available at the moment. Players create their own soccer star and then level up by playing 5-a-side, 7-a-side and 11-a-side matches, earning experience points and currency for each type. The most attractive aspect to Football Superstars is the ability to create your own unique player build, focusing on specific position or choosing to be adept all over the pitch. Football Superstars does have quite a severe issue in terms of balance as the micro-transaction system offers items far superior to those available to the free players, creating quite a large divide among the community. The main attraction to Football Superstars is the skill-based game play. Although stats play a heavy part, every action on the pitch, from shooting to tackling, requires timing and aiming, similar to the tactics and controls used in popular FPS titles. There’s also regular tournaments and cup competitions taking place, which is why Football Superstars gets MMOGameCentral’s vote as the best online soccer game.
For more information, check out our Football Superstars Review
Power Soccer
Power Soccer is the longest running free online soccer game on our list. Available as a free to play browser MMO title, players control their entire team over the individual approach of Football Superstars and Striker Superstars. Players control a full team of 11 superstars, all of which level individually and can be trained to improve in many areas. Each player can also be customized by adding unique, stat-boosting items or altering their appearance. The team itself can also be customized if you pay for membership, allowing you to choose a stadium, kit and team badge. Similar to the other titles on this free online soccer game list, Power Soccer heavily relies on micro-transactions and the divide between pay to play and free players is huge.
Striker Superstars
Striker Superstars is a browser-based clone of Football Superstars, recently released by monumental games. Striker Superstars shares practically every mechanic and feature included in Football Superstars, but they’re used in a more casual approach offering players a similar experience, without the large download. Striker Superstars features short 5-a-side matches that last 10 minutes, making it a great game to play during your lunch break or whilst doing house duties.
Global Soccer
I was hesitant to even include this game in our top online soccer games list as despite the fact it’s available to play, a variety of bugs and technical issues make it unplayable. I played the closed beta for about 30 seconds and was unable to even control the direction my character would run in, thanks to dodgy controls and awkwardly behaving AI assistance. However, the game does boast some really interesting features that could be a game changer if the game was ever in a playable state. Head on over to the official website for a full rundown on the features available in Global Soccer.
Kicks Online
Kicks Online took more of an arcade approach to online soccer games than the other titles in this list, featuring street soccer instead of the sport in the traditional sense. Many compared it to Freestyle Street Basketball for soccer fans, as it shared many features and mechanics, despite being based on a different sport. Kicks Online is no longer available but I felt it deserved a spot in this list for its innovative approach to the genre. Offering some of the most extensive character customization options seen in the soccer world, Kicks Online offered players hundreds of items for players to use that improved and changed their soccer player. The main problems with Kicks Online was the ease of playing solo, it wasn’t very difficult for a player to dribble past the entire opposition team and beat the terribly programmed AI goalkeeper. This resulted in stale matches where the victors were the team with the most skilled individual, rather than that of teamwork and communication.
So what is it that makes these games, regardless of quality, fall short in terms of player population? Personally, I think it’s down to the target audience. Sports fans are generally more active than people that like the games alone, resulting in them wanting to go out and actually play soccer rather than doing it behind a screen. Football Superstars, Power Soccer and Kicks Online all enjoyed quite an active player-base but none really surpassed a few thousand players and all have resorted to over-powered item malls to make ends meet. I don’t think a free online soccer MMO will ever really dominate the online sporting genre, I would expect a console title such as Fifa to incorporate more MMO like features and take the reigns. What are your thoughts? Do you think the online soccer game genre is ripe for the taking or it is dead to the world? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
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