Vive le Football APK

Pros

• Creative management mode lets you explore the clubhouse
• Strong fundamentals for dribbling and passing.
• Varied and balanced set of game modes

Cons

• Lack of licensing gives players and teams a generic quality
• Shooting doesn't feel as satisfying as it should

You can learn what it feels like to manage your very own football team in the simulation game Vive Le Football. At a time when neither FIFA nor PES manages to definitively prove themselves as the top football game, this newcomer manages to get a lot of things right while working with some limited resources. That's not to make them look like the plucky underdog. Netease is one of the biggest game developers in the world, and the graphics look like something you should expect by someone with their type of financial backing. There's a real sense of kinetics to the players, and it's a rhythm that makes controlling the ball actually feel smooth. The smartly simplified control scheme admittedly has a part to play in that as well. Passing feels smooth and responsive, while dribbling and defense are relatively natural. The only major disappointment is from shooting, which feels a little lightweight in terms of execution and generally limited in terms of choice.

The graphics here are exceptional, but the stiffness of the animations are a good reminder that it takes time and not just money to make the action out on the field look and feel like the real thing. Vive Le Football also suffers from the lack of licensing that Electronic Arts has with FIFA. That's not to say that this football game isn't making some fresh changes to the formula. In lieu of the deep nests of menus that are popular in the genre, the management mode is handled in a 3D rendition of the team clubhouse, where you can interact with objects and speak with your players and coaches. It's mostly a cosmetic change, but it's one that helps you really feel like you're walking in the shoes of a football team manager.

Vive Le Football is intended to be a persistent game, and that sort of commitment from players necessitates a lot of content to dig through. Fortunately, Netease seems ready to deliver. The career mode is the fully featured campaign you would expect to find in a sports game and tasks you with both day-to-day management of your team and handling your players out on the pitch. For true soccer fanatics, it's the most immersive way to play. Less time-intensive but just as worthy of celebration from fans is the story mode which allows you to recreate some of the biggest narratives in the history of the game and potentially change how they play out. Simple multiplayer lobbies allow you to just get in a game against another player and test your skill if that's what you'd prefer. Finally, street mode takes a similar approach to FIFA's Volta mode and offers a more arcade-style experience that strips teams down to two or three players each.

Pros

• Creative management mode lets you explore the clubhouse
• Strong fundamentals for dribbling and passing.
• Varied and balanced set of game modes

Cons

• Lack of licensing gives players and teams a generic quality
• Shooting doesn't feel as satisfying as it should