Emlyn Hughes International Soccer
From Kick Off World of Soccer - wikickoff
Emlyn Hughes International Soccer (EHIS) is a football (soccer) computer game first released in 1988 by Audiogenic Software Ltd. It debuted on Commodore 64, but versions were also created for Amstrad, ZX Spectrum, Atari ST and Amiga as part of Audiogenic's general cross-platform strategy. Upon its release it was hailed by some as the most realistic football simulation ever made, and gathered enthusiastic reviews, in particular from ZZAP!64.
The game was in the UK computer games charts for over three years following its release, and it still enjoys a small but enthusiastic cult following more than 15 years after its release.
Every version of the game was programmed by Graham Blighe and produced by Peter Calver, with graphics created by Andrew Calver, and playtesting by Jeremy Wellard; the strategy section was coded by Michael McLean (in later versions Terry Wiley). The music for the Commodore 64 version was written by Barry Leitch.
The inspiration for the game came from International Soccer, a highly-successful cartridge game for the Commodore 64 that had been released by Commodore themselves in the early 1980s. Indeed, EHIS offered a mode in which the controls were deliberately limited, to simulate the restricted options available in the earlier game. This both provided an easy introduction and helped to emphasise the extent to which the controls had been enhanced.
At the time of its release EHIS faced heavy competition from titles such as Match Day II (1987), Kick Off (1989) and Microprose Soccer. However, what made EHIS different from the other games of its time was the fine balance between playability and simulation - it was not as slow as Match Day II, nor as reflex-driven as Kick Off and Sensible Soccer. As a result, the appeal of EHIS was strongest among those who preferred skilful, tactical football to frantic arcade action. Despite limited graphics, and a side view of the action (whereas Kick Off had recently introduced the bird's-eye perspective), EHIS held its own because of a powerful control system that gave the players unprecedented control over the game.
At the same time, the game was also highly configurable with everything from the players' stats and names to the pitch and shirt colours changeable, and competitions including cup, championship and league available. This was the first time that management features had been included in an arcade-style soccer game, and the identities of the players were reinforced with a rudimentary on-screen commentary, another ground-breaking feature.
Audiogenic subsequently developed two other arcade soccer games, European Champions (released by Ocean Software) and Wembley International Soccer, both of which extended the degree of control, though neither sold in great numbers. However they did introduce another innovative feature - the option to switch between side-on and top-down views, which made replays particularly interesting. Note: Graham Blighe also wrote the arcade section of these games, with the exception of the [IBM PC] version of European Champions.
External links
- Emlyn Hughes International Soccer Community Home of the Emlyn Hughes International Soccer Fans
- Audiogenic Audiogenic Software home page
Similar games
Links
- Sensible Soccer World Forum - Forum about Sensible Soccer 2006, Old School soccer games and Emulators.
- Blog Kick Off World of Soccer - Blog about Old School Footaball games and Emulators
- Group and Kick Off World of Soccer mailing list - English mailing list for old-school football fans Worldwide
