Game Review Data
 


Game Title

Go Go Beckham - Adventure on Soccer Island
Publisher
Rage
Features
1 Player. Password Save.
Format
Platform
Reviewer
Andrew Blanchard


RATING

Good!


Ratings Scale:

Excellent!

Good!

Playable!

Ho-Hum!

Yuck!


Archived Game Reviews:

From A - Z

 

 
Introduction

Go Go Beckham marks Rage's second release exploiting their David Beckham license and is a radical departure from the first title, which was a straight football SIM. The game centres on England and Manchester United footballer, David Beckham's efforts to protect Soccer Island from the evil Doctor Woe by using his soccer skills to solve various puzzles and defeat The League of Monsters. Platformers have long been a staple and well-supported genre for both the GBA and GBC but has Becks got the makings of a memorable platform hero? Who knows, but I for one certainly want to find out...

Screen Shots

GamePlay

There are so many different gaming aspects to Go Go Beckham it's difficult to know where to begin. Let's start by saying that the football is THE most important piece of kit in the game. It won't always be by your feet at the beginning of each level though so you'll sometimes have to root it out because without it you're defenseless. it's not only a weapon but also a means of collecting bonus items; ignoring these will place you in a very difficult position later in the game. It's also a means of protection, kicking it at a monster knocks it out, whereas one of the many monsters knocking into you is a foul and too many of these means restarting the level.

As a weapon your football is not only highly maneuverable but also very powerful becoming more so as the game progresses. This happens automatically as you need to master a handful of trick shots in order to defeat some of the more determined monsters. You'll also notice that the different monsters will react to your presence very differently and while some will simply ignore you, others will actively pursue you until you knock them out. Hitting them with the ball again will also usually release a crystal or gem of some description, which are always worth collecting as they go towards your final score.

Collecting items is a must as they're all over Soccer Island and some of them are very valuable. The coins, for example, are plentiful and collecting 100 of them gives you 'Golden Boots' which not only make you a more skilled footballer but also allow you to collect bonus items whilst the ball is in your possession rather than having to kick it at them. You'll also need the ball to open locks, flip switches and, most important of all, to complete the various levels. Finally to make the title truly portable Denki have included the same battery backup system that accompanied their last title and levels are saved automatically on completion.

Controls

In what could be a reasonably tricky area for this title, developers Denki have decided to employ an aspect from their previous title and set up a full tutorial section. This is known as 'The Trials' and everyone must play this before they're able to explore the rest of the island. It's a great idea and I've always felt that these kinds of walk-through are far more informative than the instruction booklets. This section by no means explains everything but whenever a new concept is introduced later in the game the 'help' section automatically pops up and all is revealed.

Graphics

For anyone who sampled last years Denki Blocks, Go Go Beckham will seem strangely familiar. This is largely due to the fact that it's by the same development house and features a similar visual style. For those who don't have a clue what I'm talking about, Go Go Beckham features some wonderful cartoon inspired graphics with big bold characters and pleasing animation. It's nice to see this unique look adapted to another title and, to be honest, it seems to suit a platformer even more than the original puzzler.

Sound & Music

Unusually here the music is a lot better than the sound effects as everything is accompanied by a wonderful soccer inspired calypso soundtrack even 'in game'. The sound effects are limited to the odd bleep or whistle, which do their job but never really get above the bare minimum. The music more than makes up for all this though and you'll be donning your grass skirt and coconuts before you know it.

Final Comments

This really is a back to basics platformer although gaming historians will no doubt draw comparisons with Soccer Kid which will also be released soon on the GBA courtesy of Telegames. It is all highly enjoyable though and the mixture of the football based story line and unique visuals make for a very satisfying gaming experience. There are some weak areas however, not only would a multi-player option of some type have been a good idea but some areas do tend to become a little repetitive. If all this leaves you unsure Rage offer the ultimate 'try before you buy' with an online demo so why not swing over to the 'Go Go Beckham' site and have a go for yourself.

@ EAGB Advance 2002. All rights reserved.