The main problem with evaluating SWOS is how to look at it in time. The first Sensible came at a point footy games were abandoning their 8-bit roots. Sluggish, no rules, often with just 7 or even 5 players on each side, and very much like Madden, Sensible Soccer was the earliest implementation of a team sport that looked good and played fluid. By 1996, however, it's a completely different beast, just barely detached on the calendar from two games that would be set to dominate the market until now: FIFA 98 RTWC and ISS 64, but looking in parts stuck in the early 90s. Cards are mostly random affairs (it took me 4 penalties that would be straight reds before seeing a yellow card on an inoffensive foul). Optionwise, the game pales in comparison even to early games. Editing is limited to the "joke" teams, and even giving your team a better alternate kit is impossible. One of my main points when evaluating a football game is how fun it is to shoot at goal... and unfortunately, SWOS feels a let down to previous games in the series. While the one button to rule them all was more of a necessity of the amiga roots of the game, the PC had the all-mighty Gravis Gamepad, and having a button for a low-to-mid ball and other for a mid-to high ball would have made the game a lot more accessible - and there lies the biggest problem with the game. The series are known for their simplicity, but that simplicity makes something like clearing the ball an exercise of holding the button and then pushing the direction key opposite to the direction of the player. Ultimately, this is a game where the idea of it is a lot more interesting that the final product, and in many ways it foresaw the future. Career mode paved the way to PES' Master League, and multiple divisions to Actua Soccer 3 and FIFA. And obviously, the scope of the database is still only seen in the realms of managing games. However, earlier games in the series flowed better, and contemporary games had more options.
Good thing: It's AoEII with Star Wars! Bad thing: It' just AoEII with Star Wars. What does it mean? That while it is still based on one of the finest base-building RTSs ever, it is limited by a Venn Diagram where the overlap isn't quite perfect. Perhaps, the biggest drawback is how all factions all look similar despite bonuses - for instance, one would expect the Empire to require a massive web of support (something like Cossacks' required unit maintenance) in exchange for a much faster output of units and research, or even having the ewoks (look, nothing is as fun as hunting ewoks on Battlefront. NOTHING) only being able to construct in tree areas while having every tech very simple but also extremely cheap and units hard to kill (not by increasing hitpoints, but giving every attack that isn't area damage a chance of missing) and lacking a strong attack, and being capable of crossing through woods - while larger units such as the AT-AT wouldn't even be capable of getting close to threes or buildings, making gameplay different between each civilization instead of repeating the same strategy over and over. The abundance of Jedi/Sith does not make much sense with the original trilogy civs, and could have been solved with simple things such as replacing the Jedi with other unique units (such as the Imperial Guard) and putting in a hero system where the player can summon a massively overpowered main character from the films depending on certain conditions. Focusing on what it does well - and there's plenty of it - SW:GB is a testament to both the quality of the GENIE engine, and of the Star Wars universe. Unfortunately, that the apple does not fall far from the tree also means it feels short on many areas, and a bit of "AoEII in space!"
In 1992 there was a film based very loosely on a Stephen King novel. That movie was Lawnmower Man, and because it was the 90s, there was a tie-in videogame, released on the following year. While the game was a poor run-and-gun itself even more loosely based on the film (I'm not even sure if King would be that mad at this point), it had a twist - pseudo-3D levels, where the player has to transverse a somewhat strange, very abstract world at high speed without hitting too many walls. Sounds familiar? Race The Sun picks up bits of the concept, and turns it into a at times brilliant, at others rough around the edges arcade racer. The concept is simple and already well explained by others - the arcade clock is the sinking sun, the player has to chase it as fast as possible. Maybe the biggest problem are the levelling up challenges - Sometimes I got stuck with a tough one, but breezed past 2 or 3 higher ones, while on one occasion, had to beat one by sheer luck to keep progressing (and unlock one upgrade that made others simple). If this happens early on, it might become a deal breaker.
Having played the PSP version (after years playing both Amiga, DOS, Mega Drive and GBA versions of the game), I already knew what was coming - slightly "off" graphics, not very good AI, but well fun to play. Its origins as a mobile game show - it's great fun for short bursts, but the lack of a better career implementation kind of kills the long term longevity of the game. Having a variable player pool, with randomized players (and faces) with more variable abilities, a more detailed league/cup system, maybe some deeper team customization (wouldn't mind playing in Energy Corporation orange). Inside the arena, when compared to previous attempts at futuristic handball - such as the dreadful Speedball 2100 or the messy Dead Ball Zone (that tried to do too much and ended up being a mess for the most part), S2HD comes as solid - although sometimes it seems harder to hit passes and straight throws. The worst part is by far the AI, often ignoring ramp multipliers and star bumpers (won several games with stars alone while allowing 6 or 7 goals). In brief, while it could - and should - have been much better, particularly the AI, it's the first step in the right way on a very, VERY long time. Hopefully, the devs will build on this and give the classic a proper sequel.
