xbox live indie game reviews

When I started playing Fitba, I thought maybe someone made a mistake and accidentally developed a Wii game for the 360. Everything is very arcadey/cartoonish, especially the characters, who abide by the game's motto: “nae arms, nae legs, nae worries.” In fact, if you happened to see a screenshot of this game, you'd be more than likely to assume that it was the soccer segment of Wii Sports Vol. 2. Obviously, this game isn't contending with Winning Eleven and FIFA for the next-gen dominance of soccer titles, but is more on the level with it's American football cousin, Tecmo Bowl on the NES.

This title is a low-budget, no frills affair that focuses on a fast-paced foosball type of action. The best mechanic is undoubtedly the ability to move freely with one analog stick while direct your shots and passes with the other one. Many simplistic soccer games oppressively tether your passing direction to your movement, so this is a very welcome addition to the action. Unfortunately, you will end up relying on this feature almost exclusively, as the dribbling mechanics (especially turning) are hypersensitive and will cause you to endlessly overrun the ball as you try to advance or regain possession. While many coaches encourage a one or two-touch fluid passing style complete with the constant redirections of a controlled pinball rally, it's a bit of a stretch for me to wholly discount the intricacies of fine footwork on the ball. Similarly, I must question the header/slide tackle dual-mapping of the right trigger that occasionally causes you to perform an unintended action, especially as the B/X/Y/LT/RB buttons remain unused. However, just like Tecmo Bowl isn't Madden '10, this isn't an intricate, top-tier release, so the rudimentary controls of this game can be somewhat forgiven in this environment.

Despite it's minimalistic character design, there actually is a surprising amount of detail in the customization department. You can create an entire league from scratch. I, for instance, made the 'WANK3RZ' division and its two charter clubs, 'Salt Likkaz' and 'Testicleez F.C.' I then loaded them with some surefire Footballer of the Year candidates like the imposing sweeper, #69 Rod Farva, complete with a medium, husky build and a bleached-blond mohawk. If you really feel the urge to create an entire franchise, you can also design three distinct uniforms (for field players AND goalies), edit your full lineup and even construct your home stadium. If you crave even more control, you can also manage your bench and tweak your formation from the in-game pause menu.

And if that's still not enough, once your side is match-ready, you can choose from three different game types: Friendly (Quick Match), Cup (Traditional knockout tournament) or League (complete with customizable schedules and team selections). If you're looking to take your crew up against a few friends, or play together against the A.I., you can do so via Local or XBL connections.

While there are certainly a few things that could be improved, like a variable clock speed that would make a game last more than 6 minutes, I do think Fitba delivers exactly what it promises- entertaining, bare-bones gameplay. It's not Winning Eleven, FIFA, Mario Strikers or even Sega Soccer Slam, but it's enjoyable enough to play with a couple of your drunken hooligan friends. I'm not about to exalt it onto a podium with my favorite childhood memories of Tecmo Super Bowl, as I think that game was more mechanically sound, but for five bucks, it provides more than enough amusement for your average soccer/football/futbol fan. If you've already got any of the previously listed soccer titles craving your attention, I'd certainly play those first. But if you're just looking for a casual fling and some dirty slide tackles with a soccer title, this one's for you. Whatever you do, just promise you won't go play FreaKick. That's all I really ask.