Online gaming has slowly become a part of everyday life with a vast array of genres available to fill your time.
Tablets and mobile devices are integral fixtures in all homes and pockets while on the move and, while their primary use may still be for browsing, their use for gaming alone is on the rise.
No genre has seen a bigger increase than role-playing games, which are perfect for tablet use and have been adapted in several forms.
Television shows such as the Walking Dead have developed their own franchise for tablets to enhance the popularity of the programme by allowing fans to play with a new character.
Other shows such as Game of Thrones and South Park have also had success in this market, while warfare RPGs have also been able to thrive on mobile devices.
However, one area that has failed to deliver consistent success in the RPG genre has been sport games and particularly football.
The popularity of the FIFA franchise on traditional consoles PlayStation and Xbox, and the Football Manager series on PC and MAC, have taken control of the market, with the main demographic preferring those games over their mobile counterparts.
Few games have been able to capture the imagination of users due to poor graphics and minimal challenges along with a lack of detailed knowledge about leagues from across the world.
One game which has had success on mobile technology is New Star Soccer, which has carved out a solid reputation due to its unique style.
Your journey starts as a non-league player and through playing matches as well as going through the player is able to rise up all the way to the Premier League and international matches, with the ability to captain your club side to domestic triumphs or your national team to success on a global level.
For example you could become the next Gareth Bale for Wales by meandering through the lowers leagues before becoming a major star on the international scene, improving their odds of World Cup glory from long shots to one of the main challengers for the crown.
The gameplay to take on this task is simple but effective as players complete a series of football-related challenges in a match setting to improve their star rating. Skills can also be improved by taking on training tests to enhance the player’s talent in match mode.
The game also has intrigued due to the balance of relationships with managers and teammates, which can have a direct affect on your performances while playing matches.
The success of NSS has led to improvements with additional features to the gameplay to make it more intriguing, such as heading and the use of swerve on the ball that brings further authenticity.
It also has transfer features which stop it from becoming stale, with new challenges awaiting at different teams. Too many sport RPGs can become mundane after a short time, but NSS has mastered keeping the game fresh with each new edition.
Accuracy and unpredictability appeal to all sports fans and those traits appear to have made the game a success, and could be a blueprint to follow for other developers in the future to challenge the market.
I haven’t tried Football Manager but I’ve tried Eastside Hockey Manager, which is a similar managing simulation but for hockey. What’s good is there are a lot of playable leagues and international competitions to dive into.
It’s like a sandbox but with football teams!