Match Day II
| Matchday II | |
|---|---|
 ZX Spectrum Cover art | |
| Developer(s) | Ocean Software |
| Publisher(s) | Ocean Software |
| Designer(s) | Jon Ritman |
| Platform(s) | Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Commodore 64, MSX, ZX Spectrum |
| Release | 1987 |
| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | 1 or 2 players |
Match Day II is a football sports game part of the Match Day series released for the Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, MSX and Commodore 64 platforms. It was created in 1987 by Jon Ritman with graphics by Bernie Drummond and music and sound by Guy Stevens [1] (except for the Commodore version, which was a line-by-line conversion by John Darnell[2]).
Gameplay
The controls consist of four directions (allowing eight directions including diagonals) and a shot button. Each team has seven players,[3] including goalkeeper and there are league and cup options available.
The game is considered highly addictive due to its difficulty level, the complete control over ball direction, power and elevation (using a Diamond Deflection System),[4] and the importance of tactics and player positioning over the field (barging if necessary[5]), which makes it challenging to break strong defences. Was the first game to use a kickometer.[6]
Some versions of the game play the song When the Saints Go Marching In while the players are walking to their initial positions on the field at the beginning of each half.[7]
The ZX Spectrum version of the game went to number 2 in the UK sales charts, behind Out Run,[8] and was voted the 10th best game of all time in a special issue of Your Sinclair magazine in 2004.[9]
Related games
Matchday is the ancestor of this videogame. There is also another version of this game for ZX Spectrum 128KB, International Match Day,[10] including national teams.
The game is similar to a previous unpublished game by Jon Ritman, Soccerama.[11] Later, in 1995, Jon Ritman tried to release Match Day III, but due to copyright problems he had to change the name of the game to Super Match Soccer.[12]
References
- ↑ Comment about authors of the game in Ritman's home page, ritman.co.uk
- ↑ Matchday II at Stadium64
- ↑ Match Day II review at crashonline.org
- ↑ Matchday 2 review at Your Sinclair Rock and Roll Years
- ↑ Match Day 2 instructions at zxsoftware.co.uk
- ↑ Football games at geocities.com/SiliconValley
- ↑ Match Day 2 review at pressplaythenanykey.com (in Spanish)
- ↑ http://ysrnry.co.uk/ys27.htm
- ↑ "Top 50 Games of All Time". Your Sinclair. Imagine Publishing. November 2004.
- ↑ International Match Day at worldofspectrum.org
- ↑ Interview with Ritman at amstradmuseum.com
- ↑ Interview with Jon Ritman in Computer Emuzone
External links
- Match Day II at SpectrumComputing.co.uk
- Comment about Ritman, that allows his games to be distributed over the Internet
- Match Day II playing video at youtube.com
- Match Day challenge Crash - Issue 37
- Martin Galway interview at c64.com
- Match Day II at thelegacy.de