Club Football: Arsenal

The principles, whichever team-branded version you opt for, are inherently the same. You take the club you've picked through a domestic season, with the clear intention of filling up some of the empty spaces in the trophy cabinet. In doing this, you can use the game's player generator to put yourself into the midst of this team, and then it's down to action.

And the action is good. Backed by strong in-game graphics, Club Football offers an enjoyable rendition of the beautiful game, which endears itself to a healthy, long term challenge. There are a couple of quibbles that temper things a little. The fluidity of the gameplay, for instance, is sometimes hampered by an over-insistence on a good animation instead of a quick pass for example, and there are other mild issues that slightly break up the flow of things.

Yet considering the healthy state of the competition, with both FIFA 2004 and Pro Evolution Soccer 3 putting in strong performances, it's to the credit of Club Football that it does enough to make it well worth considering. As it stands, it's not the best title of its ilk on the market, but it's a good, promising debut. --Simon Brew

I really wanted to like it but had to concede that its just very poor in gameplay compared to both fifa and pro Evo.
The front end is very good and the faces of the players are excellant.
But its in the actual gameplay and playability that it counts and Club Football falls well short:- its too slow, the players move around like robots, even the near camera angle seems too far away and when i scored a goal it looked rubbish and felt rubbish.
Why buy this when you have the other 2 to choose from?- no idea
Its like buying a jam doughnut only to discover there is no jam inside -AVOID


Good Old Arsenal - But what about the game?   October 13, 2003
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I eagerly awaited the release of Club Football: Arsenal, as a keen fan and hoped for something a little special. The menu was well presented and easy to use and I was soon able to produce a reasonable likeness of myself to slot into the squad - an emphasised selling point of the game. The graphics were sharp and accurate and the atmosphere of the big game well represented. To this end, I am not sure whether it is my ability to play or the game's lack of playability, but I was disappointed that the game play itself falls sadly short of its other components. Ah, you say, but it is only natural that an Arsenal fan should moan - and why should you be able to enact a full- scale riot as of recent events? My complaint, however, concerns the difficulty in scoring goals, compared, say to FIFA or PRO-EVOLUTION.

The controls, for which there are several configuration options, seemed to me to be a little complicated. A shot at goal invariably either goes straight to the 'keeper, over the bar, or dribbles apologetically wide of the mark. Whilst some would argue the accurate reflection of real life, it is frustrating to engineer a decent move from end to end, only to find that the best chance of scoring is a deflection, rebound or penalty awarded. Set pieces leave something to be desired as well and left me feeling that, in terms of control, Codemasters may well gain better insight by a quick look at some of the better games around, or coming out. For instance, the penalty shoot-out seems conversely a little easy, with a lack of real tension as befits the occasion.

Another quirk of the game would appear to be that the sliding tackle is almost always rewarded with a red card. Again, those who do not follow the club (and even some who do!) may smirk wryly, but my feeling is that there is a more realistic distribution of cards on, say FIFA.

The commentary is another area leaving something to be desired. I am not suggesting that Barry Davies is not up to the job, but the repertoire is decidedly limited and there appear to be moments in the game where a lack of comment belies the action unfolding.

To be fair, there is mileage in a game bespoke to a particular club. The trophy room feature, with video clips of former glories is a nice innovation and I have already mentioned the crowd chants - it is unlikely that a non-specific game would have so many. However, Codemasters might like to note that Arsenal are not Champions, much as it pains me to say. The Highbury crowd in this case do not appear to be aware of this.

There is no doubt that the game shows promise, in terms of possible improvements in future releases. However, lauding this as the finished product seems to me to be a little short of the mark - much like the strikers ability to shoot. The game was rushed out prior to the release of FIFA and PRO-EVOLUTION, so it is not possible at this time to compare the games like-for-like. However, in my view, there is still some ground to be covered (perhaps more than the average mid-fielder will run in a game) before the Club Football series challenges its more recognised competitors seriously.

I would be prepared to give a future edition of the game a try out, but I may be more inclined to rent before buying next time round. Not so much 1 - 0 to the Arsenal, as a scrappy draw, with higher expectations for the replay.


A VERY GOOD MUST BY GAME   October 23, 2003
greatest arsenal fan (london england)
6 out of 17 found this review helpful

THIS is a game which has been very much hyped up.I when i came to order the game i saw reviews giving this game 2 or 3 but to me this game is amazing if u support arsenal then u will 2 . at first the idea of always playing as the same team made me think but im pleased i got it.the gameplay itself is really good and the graphics are made to perfection the stadiums couldn't be much more realistic if ur gonna get this game(u should)get it on the internet it is ten quid cheper and is at much better value.I so glad i got and can never wait to play it.ggggggeeeeeeeeeeetttttttttttt tttttttthhhhhhhhhhhiiiiiiiiissssssssss ggggggggaaaammmeeeeeeee


club football-arsenal   December 29, 2003
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

as a big fan of the ea sports,fifa series,i was delighted that someone came up with the idea of having a football game based on your favourite team where you can actually mould the graphics of a player to look like yourself.not only that but you can put your own name in and it is used by the commentator which is great if you score the winning goal against spurs!
sounds perfect doesnt it.well in 4 hours of playing ive scored 5 goals,won none,drawn 2 and lost the rest.scoring is not easy tackling is also hard because if you miss time it, chances are that you will be sent off.this gets ridiculous at times and spoils the game totally.i normally lose 2/3 players a game,(and mr wenger thinks hes got problems!)
to sum it all up,this game could be brilliant but they need to sort out the scoring ability,the stupid referees and also they need a training facility so yo can improve your game play and learn how to stick the ball in the back of the net.


Club Football:Arsenal version   October 11, 2003
3 out of 7 found this review helpful

The Arsenal version of club football is a must for all true Arsenal fans. It offers immense detail of all the players, the stadium and the club itself. The team is exactly as it is now in real life, but you can sign players from the other teams in the club football series and make an Arsenal dream team!you also get to create a player, so you could be playing for Arsenal yourself.The graphics are amazing! The players look almost exactly like the real thing, and the stadium is like a picture of Highbury itself. The gameplay is good, but not quite as good as Pro Evolution Soccer 2 (I'm eagerly awaiting 3!) but the gameplay is still good. Club football Arsenal version offers a good football sim and a very good insight into the Arsenal universe.
In conclusion if you are not an Arsenal fan(you dog!why are you even reading this review?) perhaps you could try another club football game, if you don't like you football(you are a small papthetic minority)stay away! don't touch this game or you're hands will burn! But is you are an Arsenal fan (like me) GO OUT AND BUY THIS RIGHT NOW! or better yet, order it like I did!