Designed and written by Jon Ritman and Chris Clarke for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, with sounds by Guy Stevens. Published by Ocean Software in 1984.
Acorn BBC Micro version by Chris Roberts, and published by Ocean Software in 1985.
Amstrad CPC/PCW version by Sentient Software Ltd, and published by Ocean Software in 1985.
Commodore 64 version by Mercury Microwave:
Programming and graphics by Derek Ham and Paul Thomas Ralphs, with music by Martin Galway.
Published by Ocean Software in 1986 in "They Sold A Million II" compilation; no standalone release is known to exist.
Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128k updated version released as "International Match Day" was written by Jon Ritman and Chris Clarke, with loading screen by Frederick David Thorpe. Published by Ocean Software in 1986.
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INTRODUCTION & GAME STATUS
Ocean October 2024 starts off with a game that all the retrogamers out there will already know, which version will lose the most spectacularly. I'm not completely sure, though, whether Match Day is really a game we need to put too much energy into comparing, though, because ever since football games went over to the 16-bits, trying to decide on which one is better over any other has been as futile as trying to decide whether pineapple belongs on a pizza or not. But here at FRGCB, the comparison shall be made nonetheless.
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HISTORY, DESCRIPTION & REVIEW
Football games have been around since the early days of arcade gaming, with the first Soccer having been released in 1973, obviously based on Pong. Despite of a common tendency to make football games vertically scrolling, 1983 was the year football games started to change the trend to horizontal with Atari's RealSports Soccer and Commodore's International Soccer, but the real game rules were still largely overlooked.
At that time, Jon Ritman and Chris Clarke were still working at Artic Computing (who later would release the god-awful World Cup Soccer games), and went freelancing when they found out that distributors wanted to see a better football game on the Spectrum than C64's International Soccer. So, while Ritman and Clarke were working on their football game, Ritman met Ocean's co-founder David Ward by chance, and the two would later strike a deal on the game that would be released as Match Day, with the title snipped off from BBC's "Match of the Day" football highlights TV-programme.
Match Day was the first football game on the ZX Spectrum to feature throw-ins and dribbling among other exciting features, but it also improved upon International Soccer by having eight renameable teams to choose from, three different period lengths, an eight-player cup mode for party games, and lots of colour variations for the field, players and border.
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LOADING
Aside from being the most advanced football game of its time, what also makes Match Day an interesting game, is the fact that there seems to have been no standalone C64 release (the only known official release is on the Hit Squad compilation "They Sold A Million II"), but all the other three have. Of course, the original SPECTRUM version was released during a time when the C64 wasn't considered to be a priority platform by Ocean Software, so the resulting releases and release schedules correspond to that ideology. But I digress, being the hit game that it was on the SPECTRUM, Match Day had its fair share of re-releases on various labels.
AMSTRAD CPC - Hit Squad: 6 minutes 3 seconds
BBC MICRO: 3 minutes 43 seconds
COMMODORE 64: 3 minutes 29 seconds
ZX SPECTRUM 48k - original etc: 3 minutes 42 seconds
ZX SPECTRUM 48k - IBSA: 5 minutes 6 seconds
ZX SPECTRUM 128k - original: 7 minutes 37 seconds
ZX SPECTRUM 128k - Investronica: 10 minutes 12 seconds
The four regular versions of the game are surprisingly close to each other in loading times, with the AMSTRAD version being the unsurprising slow one here. Obviously, the 128k SPECTRUM version has a lot more to load into the machine's memory, though the original Ocean release of it uses a Speedlock loader that the Spanish Investronica release doesn't get to match with its more basic loader. From what I've gathered, the AMSTRAD PCW version was released in disk format only; either that, or the same CPC game is playable on PCW. I really don't know, but based on some video footage I have seen, it's the same exact version.
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| Loading screens. Top row, left to right: Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, Acorn BBC Micro. Bottom row: Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k (left) and 128k (right). |
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PLAYABILITY
First things first: the options. Actually, the original 48k SPECTRUM version makes you wait for about ten more seconds after the game has loaded, to watch an intro screen with a trophy and the two game creators' names, before you are taken to the options menu. The 128k SPECTRUM does the same thing, but none of the other three versions do. But by all means, take that as part of the original game's charm, if it makes you feel better.
Once you do get to the title screen, or the main options menu, you can select to play a single player match, a two player match, or a special mode, which makes you aim for the championship against seven other teams - although you only get to play against three teams, at the most. You can also change match details in its own separate menu, which features three possible lengths for match halves (5, 15 and 45 minutes), three difficulty levels for the computer, number of attending players for the special cup mode, and whether you want a computer to play in the cup mode or not. The last item in the main menu lets you change all eight team names, if you so wish. Once you choose to start a game in whatever your chosen mode is, you get to change team and border colours, an optional score handicap, as well as your in-game controls. All these pre-game menus are controlled with Symbol Shift, Caps Shift, Space and Enter in the SPECTRUM versions.
The C64 version features all the same options, apart from the score handicap option, except the menus are all controlled with a joystick, and thus feature a "Return to the previous menu" item in all sub-menu screens. In the AMSTRAD version, everything else is there, except the border colour options, and the menu controlling keys are Space, Enter, Esc and Del. The BBC MICRO version only allows you to change the control method, and once you choose to play either a single player match or a two player match, the game starts immediately, with no other options.
Because the special cup mode brings nothing of real difference to the actual gameplay, the comparison is conducted playing the single player mode. Besides, since it is completely missing from the BBC MICRO version, the value of such mode is questionable, although it well might have been a different case back in 1985.
The game starts, with no exceptions, with an opening fanfare and the players marching onto the pitch, both teams taking their designated places. These proceedings take a while, before you are allowed to kick off. There is a surprisingly wide variety of length for this part, with the C64 version taking the shortest time to get through this at 16 seconds. The BBC MICRO version is the next quickest at 23 seconds, the two SPECTRUM versions coming at 25 seconds for the 128k version and 34 seconds for the 48k version, and the longest opening sequence is on the AMSTRAD version, taking a whopping 50 seconds to get through. Now, I'm fine with a good fanfare if it's done gracefully, but this was made during a time in gaming history, when cutscenes hadn't really become the norm quite yet, so there was no possibility to skip them, either, so enduring this opening sequence every time you started a new match could become rather old after a while.
Not long after you start the game, it becomes apparent that Match Day is still a long way from being nearly as playable as more modern football games, like, let's say Kick Off 2 and Sensible Soccer. The ball/player collision detection is dubious at best, players cannot occupy the same space so attempting to take control of a ball from the opponent is next to impossible, the player-switching AI is mostly illogical, and the computer opponent AI has a tendency to guide the ball towards the sides, when it's not mirroring your movements exactly. Added to all that, the game runs fairly slowly, and with a barely notable speed advantage to the player not controlling the ball, you can run for the entire length of the football pitch after your opponent holding the ball and barely catch him. So, there is still room for improvement here, even things to be learned from International Soccer.
However, Match Day on the ZX SPECTRUM is reportedly the first football game to feature taking corners, dribbling, chipping (shorter kicks) and the ball bouncing off the goal's top bar. Bouncing the ball on your head is also mentioned in the back cover of Match Day (header), but that was already possible in International Soccer. In other words, while the basic gameplay might not be as comfortable as in Commodore's previous football game, you need to use all the new tricks with skill to perform with success.
Some of the most pressing imbalances were somewhat fixed for the 128k version, giving the player wielding the ball a slightly more pronounced disadvantage in speed, and the general game speed being slightly better here (obviously thanks to the higher RAM). Still, too often you get a standstill situation with two opposing players standing against each other, trying to take control of the ball. With no tackling available and no off-side rule, Match Day can hardly be called a particularly advanced football game.
The AMSTRAD version is just about as slow, if not slightly slower, than the 48k SPECTRUM version, and it features most of the same gameplay problems and/or features. Catching up with the ball holder is perhaps slightly more plausible on longer distances, and the players are now allowed to overlap a little bit more, but standstill situations still occur commonly, and the computer AI still tends to steer the ball towards the sides. At least the computer has been given a little bit more strategic behaviour here, since they do occasionally act as if there is something more in their collective minds than try to stop you by any means necessary. It took a while for me to realize, that the player you are in control of is highlighted by the colour in his shoes, so it's a bit more difficult to spot than in the original. However, it's the system that picks your player to control that makes this version rather uncomfortable, sometimes even combining multiple possible players simultaneously for lack of clarity on which player is the closest to the ball.
Most of the criticism towards the C64 version is well deserved, as it has one of the worst computer AI behaviour I have ever seen in a football game, although it does exist - barely. The ball behaves nothing like a real ball, and the depth perception and visual cues for any real location for the ball and the players on the screen is practically non-existent. There is also a bug, where the ball can get stuck behind the screen borders, and the whistle gets stuck holding a note, and there are other glitches as well. On the plus side, the player holding the ball runs perceptively slower than the player trying to catch up to him, and you can actually occupy the same space with another player, making it more possible here to steal the ball. Also, the C64 version is notably faster to play than the SPECTRUM version, making it slightly more comfortable to endure. But while it's considerably easier to make a goal in the C64 version, it doesn't really have the qualifications for being a better football game. The most ridiculous problem with the C64 version is, that after the half-time change of sides, you also need to switch joysticks to play the correct side. Never in my life have I come across a similar lack of attention in programming on what you should be able to call a professional game product.
Lastly, we have the BBC MICRO version, which also offers the least to play, and not only judging by the main menu screen. You only get one round to play, which is 90 seconds game-time, whatever that is in reality. Perhaps it is meant to be 90 minutes, but you get no half-times, so it's anybody's guess, how it is meant to be taken. This version shares the slowness factor with the 48k SPECTRUM and AMSTRAD versions, but uniquely, this version shows no highlighting on the player you control at all. The computer AI is made to behave more similarly to the 48k SPECTRUM style, so it is a bit rough to outwit. The collision detection is closer to the AMSTRAD version, though, so it's a fair mixture of the two.
Even by 1989 standards, Match Day was seriously outdated, but I suppose it did offer a good alternative to International Soccer in 1984. The slowness of the game could have been thought of as an advantage, so people were able to get used to it after all the earlier football games, but now, it is very difficult to tolerate it. In fact, the C64 version, while a seriously faulty product, took things into the right direction in some ways. But it's really the 128k SPECTRUM version that ultimately offered us the technically best version of the original game. The AMSTRAD version is a good second, sharing the spot with the 48k SPECTRUM version, and the BBC MICRO version has to take the bottom spot, largely thanks to the missing elements.
1. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM 128k
2. AMSTRAD CPC / SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM 48k
3. COMMODORE 64
4. ACORN BBC MICRO
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GRAPHICS
In a football game, one would expect, at the very least, to see a reasonably well defined football pitch along with all the markings, a couple of goals, a ball and a generally appropriate amount of players. This norm was reached and established many years prior to this on the Atari 2600, and things have gradually piled up since those days. Match Day merely represents one step of progression in the line of many over the years.
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| Main menu screens. Top row, left to right: Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k and 128k, Acorn BBC Micro. Bottom left: Commodore 64. Bottom right: Amstrad CPC. |
For the C64 version, the font was changed to something not quite so stylish, which uses only capital letters, and all in white. The only real graphical element is the row of blue highlighter bulbs, which upon selection, show as light blue. For the BBC MICRO version, the options menu is drastically more colourful than in any other version with a wider and more rounded font, and is operated with the number keys.
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| Colour options where available, top to bottom: Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48/128, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC. |
In the SPECTRUM version, you get eight pre-set colour options for the colour combinations of players, pitch and background, as well as eight colours for the screen borders. All the other versions have an unalterable green pitch, but in the C64 version, the ball changes colour along with the player colours, of which there are no less than fourteen combinations. There are also fourteen border colours to choose from. The AMSTRAD version has only five colour options to choose from, and only the players' clothes change colour.
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| In-game screenshots from the Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k version (+ the start-up screen). |
As you saw in the previous picture, there are plenty of colour options in the SPECTRUM versions, three options of which you see here put into real use. Note that the two screenshots from the bottom row come from the 128k version, which has different team names for the computer player, but the graphics are otherwise exactly the same.
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| Audience close-ups from the 128k Spectrum version. |
The 128k SPECTRUM version does feature some added exclusive graphics, thanks to the larger amount of available RAM to include some new fancy things. When either team goals, a full screen animation of an audience close-up is shown, with a smaller screen showing the goal the ball was delivered to. This screen is shown for a few seconds, before the game continues. There is a third exclusive screen in the 128k version, which we will get to later on.
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| In-game screenshots from the Amstrad CPC version. |
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| In-game screenshots from the Commodore 64 version. |
The one thing that makes the C64 version interesting is that the screen scrolls both horizontally and vertically. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a particularly effective method of scrolling, since you can even transit the ball at the very edge of the screen. In other words, there is no good screen centering system. The score panel is visible below the bottom line of the football pitch, which means you can only see it scrolling along with the screen when the camera has centered into the bottom area. Also, when you're at the bottom area, you cannot see the audience area at all, so it's an either-or situation. To be honest, the audience area is the most hideous version so far, with the yellow wall and structures combined with the yellow-haired people in the audience making an unholy mess. The only constant is the timer, which at least is sort of modeled after the SPECTRUM one, although here, the clock graphic is shown in the colour of the team holding the ball - or white, if the ball isn't held by anyone. The cheapness of the C64 version is apparent from the clone army of Daley Thompson sprites used earlier Ocean games, and probably the worst drawn middle circle in any football game I have ever seen. There are also a lot of graphical glitches and illogical perspective problems that are impossible to get into screenshots. At least it runs faster and scrolls smoother than the other versions.
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| In-game screenshots from the Acorn BBC Micro version. |
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| Special cup mode -specific screens. Top left: Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k. Top middle & right: Sinclair ZX Spectrum 128k. Bottom left: Amstrad CPC. Bottom right: Commodore 64. |
If you choose to play Match Day in its special cup mode, where available, you will get to follow the standings table between each match, and before. These screens are obviously taken from before any match has been played. In the two SPECTRUM versions, the tables have been colour-coded to match the importance of the matches - whether they're quarter finals (green), semi-finals (cyan) or finals (yellow/gold). The International 128k version features countries instead of FA Cup teams, so you also get a flag screen shown before the table. The AMSTRAD and C64 versions do not have the colour coding, so the tables look a bit boring and unclear for the uninitiated, whereas the SPECTRUM tables look more intuitively decipherable. The C64 table screen, in particular, looks absolutely horrible with the dark red text getting drowned by the white frames of ball-icons on a black background. Of course, this should not come as much of a surprise at this point anymore.
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| Final scores screens. Top row, left to right: Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k & 128k, Acorn BBC Micro. Bottom left: Commodore 64. Bottom right: Amstrad CPC. |
While it is abundantly clear, that Match Day was designed for the ZX SPECTRUM first and foremost, it does not offer the most optimal visual experience. Granted, the amount of graphical content is notably higher than in any other version, and it's all nicely pixelated and well animated, but the colours are, regardless of the amount of colour options, fairly restrictive, so the focus is entirely on the players. Of course, the 128k version tops the original off with even more content and slightly better speed. The other three versions feel a bit cheap and boring concerning the player sprites, particularly the C64 version, but the amount of background details in the AMSTRAD version, and even more in the ACORN version, are truly wondrous. One could say, that the lack of colour options is compensated well enough. The C64 version can boast of the most colour options, as well as the best speed and scrolling smoothness, but that's all good there is to say about it.
1. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM 128k
2. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM 48k
3. AMSTRAD CPC / ACORN BBC MICRO
4. COMMODORE 64
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SOUNDS
Traditionally, in early football games, an epic soundtrack is not necessarily to be expected. The first sound you will hear in the game is a rendition of "Offside", the title music from the British TV-programme, Match of the Day, which this game was clearly unlicenced from. The original tune is around two minutes long and sounds vaguely like something Herb Alpert would have done with his Tijuana Brass, but clumsier, plastic-er and cheaper.
None of the home computer arrangements of the theme from Match of the Day are equal in length and content. Obviously, the 48k SPECTRUM rendition doesn't exactly get over the fact that the machine uses a single-channel beeper, but the oddly fluttering octavated horn-like beeping makes for a surprisingly charming alternative to the more common three-voice melody and two rhythmic chord voicings that all the other versions use. Still, if you're not a fan of the beeper stuff, you will be glad to know that you will only have to endure the first sixteen bars (the first 8-bar part played twice), after which the ending fanfare is played, followed by the starting whistle. All of this takes around 33 seconds together.
For the BBC MICRO version, they shortened the tune by half, only playing the first eight bars, followed by the ending fanfare, but no starting whistle. All the three channels use the same type of sound, so it's still a bit unimaginative, although certainly less grinding than the beeper version.
The C64 arrangement of the tune is also shortened to just the first eight bars, but instead of having just the fanfare, now you only have the starting whistle. There is a little bit more experimentation to be noticed in the C64 arrangement, as the chord/rhythm section is seated an octave lower than in the BBC MICRO version, and the voices have a bit of a waviness to them, while the main melody is tooted out in straight notes. To be honest, I'm not completely sure I like this any better than the previous.
Fans of the original theme tune can rejoice with the AMSTRAD version, as it features an unskippable 50 second rendition of the tune, featuring all the necessary parts from the tune, although the first repeat of the first eight bars is skipped in favour of going straight for the second part of the tune. In the end, you get both the ending fanfare as well as the starting whistle. In terms of sounds, this rendition is probably my favourite, as it sounds largely similar to the BBC MICRO arrangement, but it uses a mild vibrato in the lead melody, and in a rather singing-like manner at that, getting the vibrato to kick in after the final note of a phrase has played for a little while. Despite being unskippable, I found this version of the music surprisingly enjoyable. However, the AMSTRAD version also features a unique and exclusive short tune that plays when the game is finished.
The 128k SPECTRUM arrangement sound very close to the AMSTRAD version, but the vibrato has been made less notable, and given some sort of reverb into the sound that the vibrato is covered up even more. Not bad, and I would say, between these two, it is more of a matter of taste than comparing skills in arrangement.
For sound effects, the 48k SPECTRUM version has been given whistles and ball-bouncing thuds. The 128k upgrade features crowd noises in various volumes, a couple of different whistles, and a more booming ball bouncing sound that sounds kind of close to what a fully inflated basketball sounds when bouncing off tarmac.
In the C64 version, you get a short, about 5 seconds' wave of the crowd's cheering after getting a goal, but no constant crowd noise ambience. There are five other sound effects, though: a horn sound for the ball going over the line, a low ball-bouncing sound, a kick noise, a whistle and a quick three-note trill sound for taking hold of the ball. Although I'm usually all for more sound effects whenever possible, the C64 sound set it a bit too plastic-y for the occasion. Still, it's arguably better than the original.
The AMSTRAD version has to make do with less, as the only sounds you will hear in the game are the whistle, the ball bouncing and the crowd's cheering after a goal is scored. As far as I can tell, the BBC MICRO version uses the exact same sound effects as the AMSTRAD version. Both versions being as slow as they are, they can really become rather too quiet to be comfortable. The C64 version is actually preferable over these two, on the long run, but the CPC version's exclusive little additional tune helps nudge its placing up a bit. But the 128k SPECTRUM version offers the only proper atmosphere, under the circumstances.
1. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM 128k
2. COMMODORE 64 / AMSTRAD CPC
3. ACORN BBC MICRO
4. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM 48k
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OVERALL + VIDEO
Match Day has not aged gracefully. Some versions of it fare better than others in some ways, but not even the 128k SPECTRUM version could be considered a viable alternative for football games from just a few years after its release. But that is how things were in those days, and these are the overall scores for the five versions:
1. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM 128k: Playability 4, Graphics 4, Sounds 4 = TOTAL 12
2. AMSTRAD CPC: Playability 3, Graphics 2, Sounds 3 = TOTAL 8
3. SINCLAIR ZX SPECTRUM 48k: Playability 3, Graphics 3, Sounds 1 = TOTAL 7
4. COMMODORE 64: Playability 2, Graphics 1, Sounds 3 = TOTAL 6
5. ACORN BBC MICRO: Playability 1, Graphics 2, Sounds 2 = TOTAL 5
Yes, it is clear that the 128k upgrade released as International Match Day rules supreme over all the others, but were it not for that one, I would still say the 48k SPECTRUM version was the most natural choice over the others, mostly thanks to its alterable graphics and overall style. The C64 version is largely the disaster it has been said to be, for sure, but the BBC MICRO version just doesn't feel like a complete game. So, if you want a viable option for the SPECTRUM version, the AMSTRAD version is your only real choice. Here is a video to further prove my point:
That's quite enough of that, so don't expect another football game comparison any time soon. If that wasn't good enough for a first-timer here at FRGCB, then next up in Ocean October 2024, we're doing another first-timer here on a completely different level, so watch out for that. Until then, cheerio!
P.S. All but the BBC Micro version was released in an official emulated bundle release by Pixel Games UK in December 2022, which is possible to purchase on Steam, if you want to support Pixel Games UK for re-releasing old games in emulated format.
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