Italia 90 - Atari ST (Codemasters Version)

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Published on July 2, 2016 7:36:06 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywldn2w7lHQ

Game:

Italy 1990 (1990)

Duration: 24:33

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5

Italia 90 (or Italy 90) was made in 1990 to coincide with the World Cup which was held in Italy at the time. Oddly there are two games called Italy 90 on the system, one made by US Gold and this one which was made by Codemasters. I’m not sure why two totally different games under the same banner was allowed and strangely this one seems to have very little to do with the football competition as there’s no real player names or even a world cup mode – you only get a little tournament.

The game is a football/soccer game which funnily enough sees you try to beat your opposition over 90 minutes. Unusually the game can be played in a 4 player mode, however if you played this game then you probably wouldn’t want to invite friends around. As an added bonus to the main 11 a side mode there is a soccer skills section. In you play a bunch of mini games such as push ups, running and taking penalties to name but a few. These are merely side distractions and really won’t hold your interest long. Strangely these sections have more graphical details than the main football match mode.

This game solves the ST's inability to scroll the screen by simply not bothering. The camera does not move left and right, meaning that it flips from one camera to the next. It gives the impression that there are three smaller games of football going on, but only enough of a budget for one ball and each and every time a player kicks it out their game stops and another one begins. It feels weird especially when you play something like Sensible Soccer, Team or European Champions already on the ST. Even the up and down scrolling is jerky and the characters aren’t drawn or animated particularly well. I mean just look at the goal posts, it’s just a rectangle – couldn’t they be bothered to draw a net?

So yes Italia 90 by Codemasters is not a good game, I would not recommend it. I only have it in a 4 pack of game I’m not sure it was sold separately, but do be honest the other three games in the pack aren’t much better.

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