And a big pat on the back to the programmers for adding in an anamorphic
widescreen version for those with big TVs and are into similarly-featured DVDs.
This is the only way you'll see any of Euro 2000 in widescreen format since
the foreign cameramen couldn't be bothered to shoot the matches with a 16:9
lens.
There's not much different between this and other footy games in the sound
department. A football being kicked is the same in mono as it would be in
Dolby Digital Surround EX 6.1, but there's also a running commentary from
pundits Trevor Brooking, Peter Brackley and James Richardson.
As you might have guessed, I'm not the greatest football fan in the world
but the commentary flows pretty well and realistically. However, there's
occasionally different intonation in the voice which spoils it a little when
they mention certain team names, the change in vocals making it sound, at
worst, like the stuttered voice of BT's directory enquiries service. Also,
while the player names are given, SWWS 2000 is Seaman-free
because the goalkeeper is ALWAYS known as... "The Goalkeeper".
When it comes to playability, it's faultless and recaptures the spirit found
when I played Sensible Soccer and Kick Off and it does exactly
what you want it to do when you boot the ball! If I'm finding little to say
in this paragraph it's because there's nothing bad to comment about it - it's
great fun and you should get stuck in now.
Overall
SWWS 2000 is not the game that's going to break new ground, but then
when it plays as well as this - particularly in two-player mode during an
alcohol-fuelled session - why change anything?
GRAPHICS SOUND EFFECTS AND MUSIC PLAYABILITY ORIGINALITY ENJOYMENT
As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B
37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.
PC games reviewed by the editor are on:
Since Jan 2011: Intel Quad Core Dell XPS 8100, i7 CPU 860 @ 2.80Ghz, 8Gb RAM, nVidia GeForce GTS 240, Windows 7
Since Nov 2005: Intel Pentium D 830 3.0Ghz, 1Gb RAM, 128Mb nVidia GeForce 6700XL, Windows XP
Since Aug 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.66Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb GeForce4 MX440 graphics, Windows XP
Since May 2003: Intel Pentium 4 2.6Ghz, 512Mb RAM, 128Mb ATI Radeon 9600TX graphics, Windows XP
Since Jun 2002: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, 64Mb ATI Radeon 8500LE
Since May 2000: Intel Pentium III 600Mhz, 384Mb RAM, Windows 98 SE, Voodoo 3 3000 AGP
Sega WorldWide Soccer 2000: Euro Edition
is another football game, but how will it entice me given that I hate watching
the sport on TV? The answer is that it's the best football game I've played
since Sensible Soccer and Kick Off on the Atari ST a good few
years back.
