Sensible World of Soccer Update

Plenty of great stories came out of Microsoft's X06 event in Barcelona last year, but the most exciting news for many attendees was the announcement that Sensible World of Soccer is headed to Xbox Live Arcade this year. Little else was said about the game at the event, but that didn't stop it from getting the loudest cheer of the day during a briefing that also included the announcements of Project Gotham Racing 4 and Halo Wars, as well as exclusive downloadable content for Grand Theft Auto IV. Codemasters has recently started releasing information on the game to the SWOS faithful via its official forums, and we're so excited for this one that we decided it'd be rude not to share that info with you.

Although Sensible World of Soccer first graced the Amiga in 1994, the upcoming Xbox 360 and Windows Vista game will be based on the 96/97 version, which is generally considered to be the best game in the series. Like many Xbox Live Arcade games, SWOS will include two versions of the game--an emulation of the original Amiga source code and a reworked game with high-definition visuals, improved audio, and new gameplay features. Online play and leaderboards will be supported by both versions.

The 96/97 version of SWOS was played using only a single button, and this will still be the case if you opt to play the original game rather than the updated one. You'll be able to use either the analog stick or the directional pad for player movement, and if you're playing on a PC, you'll also have the option to use keyboard controls, of course.

The Xbox Live Arcade version of Sensible World of Soccer is currently scheduled for release this summer, while the PC version for Vista-based machines will follow later in the year. We look forward to bringing you more information as soon as it becomes available.