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Foosball 2012 (PS3) Review

 
Foosball 2012 (PS3) Review
Foosball 2012 (PS3) Review
Foosball 2012 (PS3) Review

 
At A Glance...
 

Formats: PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita
 
Genre: ,
 
Year:
 
Publisher:
 
Developer:
 
Final Score
8.0
8/ 10


User Rating
no ratings yet

 

We liked?


  • Plays surprisingly well
  • PS3 and Vita copies include with purchase
  • Cross-play between PS3 and Vita
  • Lots of unlockables

Not so much?


  • Online community for game is either dead or servers are borked


Final Fiendish Findings?

Foosball 2012 takes the game from your local frat house and puts in onto your television. It plays surprisingly well as a single-player experience, but the online mode is either broken or has a small active community. There are tons of unlockables and trophies to keep you interested. Also, purchasing Foosball gives you copies that can be played on both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.

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Posted October 13, 2012 by

 
Full Fiendish Findings...
 
 

The popular “frat house” game comes to your PlayStation 3 console (and Vita), and it’s actually pretty good!

Foosball 2012 (PS3) Review

There are several things in life that you should avoid doing alone: like going to a restaurant (table for 1, please), bowling (you’re always going to be the winner… and the loser), going to the movie theater (forever alone), playing chess (it’s just not challenging), and the ever-popular drinking (that’s for washed-up, grizzled movie cops who will later save the city).  Playing foosball alone, is also another strange solo-activity.  Thanks to Foosball 2012 for the PlayStation 3 and Vita, that’s all about to change.

Foosball 2012 is available for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita, and can be purchased on the PlayStation Network in the PlayStation Store.  A single purchase will give you two copies of the game.  One to play on PS3, and the other on the Vita.

Foosball 2012 has several different options.  The most popular will likely be the World Tour, which is the game’s single-player campaign-style mode.  Challenge computer-controlled opponents from 20 different cities around the world, including Sydney, Paris, London, New York, and Rio de Janeiro.

Each victory in the World Tour, including additional bonus locations, will unlock special items, like new themed balls, tables, and foosmen (which is an awesome name, by the way).  You’ll also unlock more difficulty modes and different rules to apply to your single-player (local competitive) Quick Play games.

If you find the computer A.I. to be less of a challenge, you can take the game online and play against other PlayStation Network opponents.  You can host a public or private match, or jump online and search for a game.

I was unable to test the online multiplayer mode for this review.  I’m not sure if there was a server issue, or if it was just my dumb luck that nobody was hosting an online match.  If and when I get a chance to try again, I’ll update this review with my impressions.

Foosball 2012 (PS3) Review

It’s also my understanding that Foosball 2012 offers cross-play compatibility between the PlayStation 3 console an the PlayStation Vita.  While I don’t have a Vita to test this feature out, it is my assumption that your opponents could be other PlayStation 3 players, as well as mobile opponents playing on the Vita.

As you progress through the game, you’ll acquire star rankings which will unlock trick shots.  Playing well against (computer-controlled) opponents in the World Tour mode will unlock the bonus cities, mentioned earlier.

Foosball 2012 is also compatible with the PlayStation Move controller, but that mode was untested as well.  I will say this: I found the mode as unappealing as I would if it was Kinect-enabled, too.

Foosball 2012 (PS3) Review

So, how does Foosball 2012 play?  I was a little skeptical myself, but once I played through the tutorials, the gameplay actually works pretty well, and is rather fun.

Before jumping in, it’s mandatory that you play through the 7 different tutorials.  They cover the basics of the game, like controlling the ball, defending, making a shot, and pulling off a series of different trick shots.

Controlling the foosmen is done by pulling down and pushing up on the PlayStation 3 controller’s left analog stick.  The ball sort of “sticks” to your foosmen like a loose magnet.  While this may feel a bit unrealistic for foosball enthusiasts, it actually makes the game a little less frustrating, and I liked it.  This makes vertically passing the ball between players in the same column, much easier.  In fact, in the game’s first tutorial, you’ll be required to navigate the ball between foosmen and stop it on a very small marker.

The right analog stick controls the angle and force of your shots.  You can also perform several different trick shots, which become accessible to you when a meter on the top highlights the four different PlayStation buttons.  These include popular shots like the snake shot, pull shot, tic-tac shot, and pin shot.  With just a press of the button, once your meter reaches that shot’s specific button, you can give your shot a little style and hopefully score a goal.

Foosball 2012 (PS3) Review

Foosball 2012 is available for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita for $7.99.  If you own both systems, and can’t decide which system to get it for, you will automatically unlock copies of the game that are playable on both systems.  I’m assuming that in order to take true advantage of all of the features of cross-play, like cloud-saves, you’d have to also be a PlayStation Plus subscriber.  (Note: This is an assumption, and not fact.)

Seeing as most downloadable games are pushing the $15 price point, Foosball 2012 is not only competitively priced, but being able to play it on your PS3 and Vita without additional costs, is way cool!   I’m hoping that more developers offer this!

Foosball 2012 is an affordable-priced game and works surprisingly well.  I wish I would have tried the game online, but every attempt to join a game brought back no results, but the single-player World Tour was enjoyable, and was fun to unlock new themes and modes/rules.


Troy Benedict

 


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