RealSports Soccer

It’s the final game of the season, and once again the championship is at stake—only this time, it’s among old rivals. A goal by the opposing team ties the game with one minute to go. You wipe the sweat off your forehead as the score flashes across the screen of a giant indoor stadium: Blue Defenders 2, Red Rebels 2.

With precious seconds ticking away, the crowd is growing restless in the stands. The team lines up for the final kick-off. You hear the screech of the referee’s whistle and the ball shoots toward your center position with the velocity of a bullet. You dart forward and kick the ball to a wing player, but a Rebel skillfully steals it away, leaving you off balance. Crashing to the side, you hear the ball whizzing past your left ear.

Don’t worry! A player on your team intercepts the ball and kicks it to a teammate. But in the tension of the moment, he misses. You close in from the wing. Too late! A Rebel gets control of the ball and dribbles it toward your goal. Like a shadow, you follow close behind. Only you can steal the ball and prevent him from scoring a winning goal. In a split second, your foot snaps the ball from beneath his feet and brilliantly kicks the ball high across the field. What a pass! The crowd rises to their feet and cheers, anticipating a possible victory.

With 20 seconds to go, you sprint toward the center of the action. A star player for the Rebels tries deflecting the ball to the sideline, but under pressure from your team, the ball spins toward you.

You rush to meet the ball before your opponents close in. With a tremendous low kick, the ball barely leaves the ground as it shoots into the goal. A Rebel makes a quick dive and…misses.

The crowd erupts into a frenzy. Your team has won the game—and the championship! Proud fans jump up and down in the stands. In the resounding roar, you hear the loud, clear chant of victory.

About the Game

Programmer Michael Sierchio’s RealSports Soccer was the second and last Atari-produced soccer game for the Atari 2600 after Championship Soccer/Pele’s Soccer (1980/1981), and third overall after M Network’s International Soccer (1982), which only supported two-player games. Only RealSports Soccer features a side-scrolling perspective of the action and is arguably the smoothest-playing and most accessible of the bunch. All three soccer games are found on the Atari Flashback products.

Object of the Game

Soccer players, get ready! With three players on your team, your objective is to bluff, pass, and outmaneuver your opponents to score the most points before the clock runs out. You score one point for each goal. Play against the computer, or play against a friend.

How to Play

At the start of the game, the ball is placed at the center of the halfway line. Blue fielders are on the left side of the line, reds on the right.

Either team can take possession of the ball. Players are assigned to one of three lanes in the playing field and must dribble the ball within their lane or pass to another fielder.

Each player controls one player at a time, while the computer controls the rest of the team. As the offense, you control the player with the ball. As the defense, you can switch control from one player to another by pressing the button on your joystick controller.

Use the wraparound feature in RealSports Soccer to run your player off one side of the screen and have him reappear on the screen’s other side. When using this feature, the controlled player must not be in possession of the ball. A controlled player can run off either side of the screen, but cannot run off the end of the field.

Only your controlled player can score a goal. But watch out! If the ball doesn’t go all the way into the goal, a defensive player can still block the goal and take control of the ball. If the ball does go in, you’ll hear the shriek of the referee’s whistle. You score one point, the clock stops, and the ball is turned over to the other team for the kick-off.

The referee’s whistle sounds off at three different times throughout the game: at kick-off, after goals, and at the end of the game. Gameplay lasts for five minutes or nine minutes, depending on the game you choose.

Using the Joystick

Use the joystick to move your controlled player in the direction you want the player to run or to dribble the ball. Notice that controlled players appear brighter than their teammates. To kick or pass, point the joystick in the direction you want the ball to go, and press the red controller button. Fielders must touch the ball with their legs to have control; the ball cannot be passed or blocked with any other part of the body.

Defense

When playing defense, you can switch control from one player to another. Press the red controller button until the desired player appears brighter. Notice that the control switches from player to player in sequence. When you’re ready to steal the ball, run your controlled player into the ball.

Offense

When playing offense, your controlled player moves more slowly than the defensive controlled player. Pass the ball to a teammate to avoid a steal or to move the ball into another lane. The receiving fielder automatically becomes a controlled player.

Difficulty Options

The left difficulty button in the A position has no function. In the B position it creates a wraparound feature.

Game Options

Use Select to choose the skill level, duration of the game, and number of players among 12 variations.

In one-player games, the computer controls the red team.

Each game has three skill levels and playing option of five minutes or nine minutes.

As you progress through each level of difficulty, gameplay speeds up, and in one-player games the computer’s teamwork becomes quicker and more skillful.

Press Reset to start and restart the game.

The 01 difficulty level is considered Easy. The 02 difficulty level is considered Intermediate. The 03 difficulty level is considered Advanced.