As soccer fans get ready for the World Cup, the soccer games keep rolling out on Facebook. The latest is Epic Goal from Fox Soccer and Watercooler Inc.
As soccer fans get ready for the World Cup, the soccer games keep rolling out on Facebook. The latest is Epic Goal from Fox Soccer and Watercooler Inc.
Unlike the recently launched EA Sports FIFA Supserstars, where matches were completely automated and their outcomes decided by the statistics of each team, in Epic Goal you do actually have some control over the players themselves during matches.
Players on both teams are computer-controlled to the extent that they move and run automatically. However, it’s up to you to tell them when to pass, shoot, or tackle by clicking on the appropriate player when a little ring appears around them. For example, if a player of yours has the ball and several of your players are within passing range, then “Pass” rings will appear around them. When they approach the other team’s net, you’ll see “Shoot.” Winning matches earns money and fans.
In between matches you’ll return to your home field where you can train individual players to improve their stats in speed, shooting, dribbling, and so on. It costs a few coins to train a player, and the sessions take a certain amount of real-time to complete. Initially it’s only a few seconds, but the time stretches out as players become more highly skilled, which can be problematic because if you’re not around to click on players after they finish the training, they won’t remember what they’ve learned and you’ll have wasted your coins.
You can shop for things like stadium upgrades, training boosts, energy refills, and temporary stat boosts that last anywhere from a day to a month.
Epic Goal debuted in English, with a Spanish language version to follow on June 9. Reflecting the truly international appeal of soccer, Watercooler said it’s also planning to translate the game into German, French, Italian and other languages, which will be available later this year.
