Future Publishing


Face Off

Publisher: Krisalis
Machine: Amiga 500

 
Published in Ace #055: April 1992

Face Off

There aren't that many Ice Hockey games available on the Amiga. In fact, there aren't any. So Face Off is something of a welcome addition to the canon of sports games. Worth getting? Well, yes and no. Like Manchester United Europe, it's a very polished game, with some super slick menu and option screens.

There's a league to participate in, where the player can do anything from train the players to rename the manager. And like MUE, the player can turn off the arcade game and concentrate on the managerial side of things if they're that way inclined, or alternatively just play the arcade game alone.

The arcade side of things is okay, although some may wish the action had just a touch more zip. Certainly compared to EA Hockey, it's distinctly sluggish. Control is simple and easy to pick up - shoot, pass or thump via the joystick - and the sport is fun, especially when things get a little physical and the fists start flying.

As standard on most sports games these days there's a replay function so that that blistering goal can be replayed again and again.

Overall, Face Off is a rounded package, though unlikely to exactly grab the public's imagination. Fans of the sport will enjoy it, but just how many of them are there in the UK?