Champions of Europe - Sega Master System

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Published on March 27, 2016 2:01:04 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0tPbDv6vWk

Game:

Champions of Europe (1992)

Duration: 24:59

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7

Champions of Europe was another one of those cheap Master System titles that my friends had and I unwittingly borrowed off them. My thoughts at the time were how do I score? I distinctly remember trying on numerous occasions and failing most of the time. So here we are 20 years later and unfortunately it wasn’t just my inexperience which was to blame here.

Champions of Europe was released in 1992 to coincide with the Euro 1992 football tournament. It was made by TecMagik and is exclusive to the Sega Master System. The game has the standard bunch of options for the time such as a 2 player mode, the ability to set the wind, weather, referee and match duration and you can play over a single match or a tournament. There aren’t any player names, tactics or subs and frankly all the teams play virtually the same, so it is really just about what colour you wish your team to play in.

The game uses a overhead view which was very popular with games such as Sensible soccer and Kick Off and the visuals are functional if unimpressive. Strangely the best graphics in the game come in the first 20 seconds of booting up the system with the rabbit playing football, which is pretty cool, the rest of the game is just so drab looking in comparison. My biggest problem with the visuals is the pitch itself, the playing area is far too big, it can be problematic just finding a teammate to pass to. It feels like the pitch is double the size it should be and the players are too spaced out. There are also very few sound effects, there’s not even a cheer when you score a goal.
But it’s the controls that really let the title down. You have one button for passing, which I wouldn’t recommend ever using and one for shooting. Unfortunately unlike other football games, the football doesn’t stick to the player’s foot, it bounces ahead. It makes changing direction while running with the ball impossible. It is also problematic when you’re trying to defend which running backwards it is so easy to end up kicking backwards towards the goal unless you have the 1 button held down and directed the pass, however you will never find a teammate, you just have to lump it and hope. Similarly the bad controls make shooting at the goal difficult to get the shot on target let alone score a goal.
Whilst I am better at Champions of Europe than I was as a kid, I still regard it as a bad game. With lazy visuals and sound coupled with some awful controls, this is surely not one you should have in your collection. Try either Sensible Soccer or FIFA Soccer before trying this one.

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