Spring is almost here, and that means time to start soccer practice! So in honor of that, this week we’re going to look at a couple of unusual soccer-themed video games. First up is Super League Football Pinball for various Pinball FX2 and Zen Pinball formats (reviewed on 360 here). When you download Pinball FX 2 or Zen Pinball 2, you’re really downloading a free hub from which you can purchase and download various pinball tables separately. Super League Football is the newest table, and you can choose which team table you want and purchase the others later if you wish. I’m not familiar with European Football teams, so I can’t tell you much about them, but the tables are pretty much the same except each features that team’s colors and players. I went with the Zen Studios table since I had no affinity. Go team!

Your goal is to make it through the ranks of a soccer tournament against each team. You’ll play offense and defense and make successful passes and shots by sending the ball up certain ramps. To make a goal, you’ll need to send the ball to a separate smaller playfield at the top where you must fling the ball into the net. It’s harder than it sounds, though. If you miss and the ball goes down the hole, the other team scores a goal. Unfortunately, the table rules were a little confusing to me, but that may be because I don’t really get into soccer that much. Luckily, multi-ball mode is easy to get here, which is one of the most fun things in pinball anyway. You can win trophies that you can view in a case on the side of the field. They did a good job with making the table look like a soccer field, with players and bleachers surrounding it. And of course, the pinball is a soccer ball. If you enjoy playing soccer and keeping up with international football teams, you may want to give this table a try.

Kid Factor:

The tables in Pinball FX2 are rated E for Everyone with an ESRB descriptor of Comic Mischief. It’s pinball, so no violence here. Reading skill is helpful for the rules and goals, but not necessary just to play. If you and your kids enjoy soccer, this is a good game to get as pinball tables are great for the whole family.

Tags: Game Reviews