AFL Live Premiership Edition

Australia’s unique game is more like a religion than a sport to countless fans around the country. There’s something about Aussie Rules that inspires incredibly zealous passion amongst its devoted fans. Every weekend hundreds of thousands of supporters brave the Winter chill and let out their frustrations in the outer, clutching a meat pie in one hand and a “Footy Record” in the other.

The fan devotion makes it understandable why Acclaim has taken a punt and released another AFL game just six months after its last release. Making games is an expensive business and the market for an AFL simulation is obviously limited, so Acclaim has got to milk it for all its worth. But even the most dedicated follower of our national sport will find it difficult to justify spending their hard-earned on what is essentially the same game served up again.

Premiership Edition’s main appeal is that you can line up with this season’s full squads and enjoy the 2004 fixture. As each real-life round is completed and your team heads towards premiership glory, you can endeavour to replicate their feats on your favourite console or PC. New Brownlow and Norm Smith medals add further interest, and there are some pleasing touches like the old-style guernseys for the Heritage round, new Wizard Cup rules, and naturally the hole in the MCG has been moved. The inclusion of a playable All-Australian team is also welcome - perhaps next time we might also get a round-ball International Rules mode.

Actual gameplay changes are very thin on the ground. Apart from some bug fixing and polishing, PS2 multi-tap support and the addition of multiplayer missions, most players will have a difficult time noticing any difference between last year’s edition at all. If you are new to the simulation, this is the best version yet, but it is almost impossible to recommend to existing AFL Live owners.

The game offers a reasonably realistic brand of footy, but suffers from a lack of depth when compared to many other big-budget sports simulations from other codes like Madden, FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer. It’s just too easy to repeat the same tactics over and over again: punch the ball out of the centre, boot it to your full forward and kick a goal. More tactical options are desperately needed to inject more long-term appeal. The best addition in last year’s game was the extra kicks, and they continue to work well. You can perform stab passes, chips, grubbers, snaps and booming torpedoes. In the first game the ball always followed the same trajectory, but now more realistic physics are used and you have greater control. Wind also plays a part. The more precise kicks make it easier to take advantage of the reasonably smart team-mate intelligence and hit their chest when they find space. Team-mates are constantly trying to offer leads, and faster players have an advantage in getting free. Near the big sticks, snaps and torpedoes are satisfying and will have you cheering as you kick a spectacular goal. It is a bit of a lottery whether your snaps sail through the middle, though…

AFL Live also delivers in the air, with a good selection of high-flying “speckies” to perform. Even if it is your mate or the computer opponent taking a big grab, it is always worth a giggle.

Visually the game is rough around the edges. For every piece of lifelike animation there is another that looks wooden or simply absurd. And the camera can prove disorientating for beginners. We would also appreciate more work in the sound department: it remains far too sterile. Go to any home and away game at the ‘G and you’ll know that AFL Live does a poor job of replicating the excitement level. Your commentators are Denis Commeti and Gerard Healy, with Christi Malthouse as boundary rider. The trio often repeat themselves and get it laughably wrong, but the banter at least adds to the atmosphere.

If you haven’t played an AFL simulation and enjoy the sport, GamePro has no hesitation in recommending Premiership Edition. You’ll have a ball. But the scant extras over last year’s version means most die-hards who have already played the game to death would be better off keeping their wallets shut.

Score = 6.5/10