Okay, I'm going to start with the reasons why you might not like New Star Soccer to get 'em out of the way, so I can then say why this game is, in its own way, exceptionally cool.
1. I'm a Murrican! Fuckin soccer. Do I look gay to you? How bout them Gints?
2. Geez, the graphics look like I'm playing on a NES. If a sports game doesn't look better than the game on TV, is it really a sports game?
Okay. Are we over that? Then onward.
Generally speaking, sports games fall into two categories: there are games where you play a single match, controlling one or more players on the field; and there are sports management games, where you control the franchise, and try to manage the team over the course of a season to reach the World Series/Superbowl/World Cup/What have you. New Star Soccer finds a different way: You're a single player, and you do control your actions in-match (in a sprite-based game that does indeed look like something you'd find on your NES), but it's also something like a life sim. Or, if you prefer, a sports management game in which you don't control a team, but instead shape the career of your individual player.
Or you can think of it as an RPG, with RPG-like stats--only instead of "charisma" and "wisdom," your stats are things like "dribbling" and "passing," and your goal isn't killing orcs, but, um, goals. And of course, landing a tasty, high-paying contract with a Premier League team.
In other words, what you think about when playing is very different from other sports games: the concern isn't "how do I win this game" or "how do I maximize my franchise's revenue," but instead "how do I make the most of my career?"
There are a number of nice little touches, too--like the fact that you can choose to play as a member of virtually any nationality, playing in leagues in virtually any nation, and the names of those leagues (and the names of the teams within them) are real-world.
So... if you've got no interest in what the rest of the world calls "football," well, move along, then. But if you're interested in seeing how the individual vision of a lone wolf developer can drastically reshape what is in other hands the single least creative and innovative sector in gaming--the sports game--then, well... you know: Play this thing.
Don't like soccer? You must be "a Murrican."
1. I'm a Murrican! Fuckin soccer. Do I look gay to you? How bout them Gints?
Good, right, that's the way to do it.
I am really, really, tired of people who insist that if you don't like soccer you must be a provincial hick. It is possible to not like soccer without being a backwards dolt. Personally, I like American Football, I find it more complex and entertaining. I find soccer boring, and that's okay, I don't have to like soccer, it's not a law.
You like soccer, hey that's great. But if you want other people to listen to you (and maybe even come to like soccer) it might be better if you didn't start by insulting them.
Having said that, let me also say that I've been reading your site for a few weeks, and find it very interesting. You've brought several small games to my attention and I've started visiting every day.
Just lay off the "Murrican" will ya?
It'll all be okay
Awfully sensitive aren't we?
Maybe you missed it, but that's what you call a "caricature," it exaggerates to turn something into a joke.
It's like an insult, except most people realize it's not insulting.
Touchy, touchy!
I'm a "Murrican", too, and you know what? I didn't take umbrage at what is, in reality, a pretty accurate categorization of our culture (ie, if it ain't on primetime, it's crap). The main reason why I like this blog is the interesting and off-the-wall games it finds, and the non-mainstream attitude hits home with me.
Okay, got that off my chest. Hey, PTT guys, keep up the good work!
jF
Yank
Well, I won't comment on whether or not it's reasonable to be offended, but I will point out that I'm American myself, and I wrote the thing.
Good, fun game
It's got balance and design issues and I've never actually stoped to care. And I've put a goodly number of hours into it. In fact, it's got me on the verge of purchasing my first gamepad for a PC since the dumpy joystick I owned on my Apple IIc.