I'm a massive fan of console football games, but playing soccer sims on a PC has never been a pursuit I've enjoyed much in the past. United Football has changed my view somewhat though, largely due to its genuinely intuitive control system and immensely enjoyable online mode.
The game sees you assume the role of a single player, who must help your team of five human or computer-controlled players (or a mixture) defeat the opposition. The game controls are something of a breath of fresh air compared to the fiddly keyboard command systems employed by some of the bigger games like FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer. Instead, United Football adopts a method similar to first person shooters, whereby you use the mouse to direct the player, pass and shoot and just rely on four keyboard buttons for moving forwards and backwards and strafing left and right.
Once you've mastered this fluid control mechanism using the helpful in-game tutorial it's time to battle it out against your pals, or friends from across the World. United Football is solely an online game, but it's fast enough to be as enjoyable as any offline soccer sim. You can choose to join a game, create your own, or text chat with the rest of the community to arrange your own matches. Unfortunately, the United Football community is still a little small so you'll struggle to find a game where both teams will feature just human players.
Graphically, United Football adopts a cartoony approach rather than going for realism. This works well though, the animation is smooth and the customizable characters look great.
If you're fed up with the clumsy controls and graphic-intensive demands of the big name PC soccer sims, then Ultimate Football makes for an immensely playable alternative.
