Ok so maybe that was not the only issue or problem but it was an issue, thankfully for the Xbox and Europe there are new boys in town in the shape of Rage and they are bringing England Hero David Beckham to life in David Beckham Soccer.

Thankfully I was fortunate enough to try out this masterful footie game at ECTS (and got a spanking from the lead designer 4 – 1) and can report that the Xbox is in not in need of yet another ISS or FIFA title, as there is a new boy on the playing field and they are coming armed with a true stunner.

The gameplay is simple to pick up and play and immediately start to hack at the ankles of your opponent or crack the right foot volley into the top corner of the net etc yet there was enough scope to develop your skills and perfect the pass and move. Very similar to FIFA in the sense that the controls are simple yet effective (I personally feel I always needed more hands and fingers playing ISS than god issued me with 2 hands and 10 fingers that is) this is not the case with David Beckham Soccer.

The environment in which you compete is stunningly recreated in 3D from the outer stadium walls to the centre circle, also featured are a fully 3D crowd and nice touch’s such as stewards wondering around the pitch side chatting, controlling the crowd etc.

Generally speaking Rage have placed a lot of emphasis on making the whole look and feel to the game genuine, and from the day at ECTS I spent playing the Pre-Alpha version of the game I must say they are heading in the right direction. “Spot on!” Another feature I pointed out was the players actually look as if they are running on grass rather than a solid base, Rage have used a nice touch of layers to create this effect and it really adds to whole experience and is a welcome little touch.

The game is set to offer 3 main game modes & features, which include:

GAME MODES

Friendly Series Want to play Manchester v England? Or Barcelona v Brazil? No problem! Up to 4 friends can take part in each custom match and detailed statistics at the end of each game will clearly show who is the better player over the series! Season Mode Season mode is a long-term challenge played over 5 full seasons, combining domestic league, cup and European Cup campaigns. You can choose to play in the English, Spanish, German, Italian or French leagues, with the aim simply to win as many trophies as possible!

You will need to pay extra attention to the fitness of your squad as too many games will tire your players out, affecting their skills and making them prone to injuries. As with any league, the better your team does in a season, the higher you qualify for the following season. To make things a little more demanding, you are set challenges at the start of each season, which get increasingly difficult as you progress.

For example, in one season you may need to win the league championship! If you fail to meet the challenge, your game will be over.

World Super Cup Have you got what it takes to beat the likes of France and Brazil? 32 top international teams compete in the biggest football tournament in the world!

Key Features:

· Perfect your skills with David Beckham in Training mode

· Hidden teams hand-picked by David Beckham!

· Realistic in-game commentary, supplied by Ron Atkinson and Radio 5’s Jonathon Pearce

· Fluid, motion-captured player animation

· Intuitive control system for beginners

· Advanced skills for advanced users!

· New set-plays system for free-kicks and corners

· Over 200 top club and international teams using up-to-date squad and player data including real player names

· Comprehensive mix of game modes for short-term and long-term challenge

Play in awesome super-stadiums with realistic crowd atmosphere All in all this is truly looking to be a great footie game and I am certainly adding to my Xbox games list come the summer of 2002.