When you think of football games you will usually think of FIFA Soccer or Pro Evolution Soccer, but a new massively multiplayer online game, Football Superstars, looks to change the way you play football.

You will have heard the phase ‘this is not just a football game’ many times before if you are a football fan, but when looking at Football Superstars, it is completely true in every sense. Football Superstars is a football game and so much more, but by more we do not mean your usual off the pitch stuff thrown in such as arranging friendlies, expanding a stadium etc, in the case of Football Superstars we mean buying shoes, hitting clubs and wandering by the river.

Confused? That is expected to be honest, as it seems very few people fully understand every aspect of Football Superstars right now as the game promises to be so varied in what you can do as a professional football player both on and off the pitch. On the pitch you obviously play football, playing alongside other human controlled players who share the same vision as you - to become a football superstar. Off the pitch however you lead your life as if you were living in The Sims only more tailored to the lifestyle of a real professional footballer, for the want of a better description.

Depending on how good you are as a player, you will be able to earn a wage within the game world which consists of two large city environments. Each city is home to numorous football clubs, one of which will be your chosen club. You will compete in various match types as you look to improve as a player both technically and statistically through experience points and level ups much like in a traditional role playing game, and as your skill and fame progress on the pitch, your lifestyle can be improved more off it as you find yourself being able to afford more and more luxuries in life.

Football Superstars is no ordinary football game in any context, this is certainly true for the actual on-pitch gameplay. You will not be controlling a team with the standard joy pad control system that you associate with FIFA or Pro Evolution Soccer, but instead will be given progression choices and making the correct decisions in perfect time is key to success, and your ability to play as part of a team will have to be honed to perfection if you are going to make the big time in Football Superstars. It certainly takes some getting used to, and despite being vastly different from normal football games, it does manage to maintain a fun factor which you would struggle to see from the outside looking in - you have to give it a go to truly appreciate it, which anyone can do, as Football Superstars will be free of charge to play via an online game download.

Leading your life off the pitch is where Football Superstars comes into it’s own as a title, as nothing like this has ever been done before. Making your way around the cities alone by taking a gentle stroll is a hugely enjoyable experience, particularly when the streets are quiet - you can really appreciate the environment around you. The detail used, though not comparable to fully fledged football games, does a great job for what you are actually doing here.

You are pretty much free to do what you wish when you hit the streets. You can walk around or grab a ticket and jump on the metro to instantly be taken to a location of your choice - and you do have to buy your ticket by the way, using the in-game currency you have accumulated with your salary. You can head into shops to buy some new clothes and shoes, or perhaps pay a visit to a fancy restaurant or club and see who you come across on your travels. You will even bump into journalists, and you may find they offer you some cash for a quick interview if you are deemed a player worth interviewing - and for that to happen, you need to get things right on the pitch!

To mention every aspect of Football Superstars would take forever because, as we mentioned earlier, the game is so incredibly varied due to the lifestyle aspects of the game - and it is a game - despite at times feeling like a real world. There is no doubt it will take over the lives of many people as they look to train hard early on to earn big bucks and gain legend status before anyone else, but if they think they can do it alone they will be sorely mistaken. It is essential to socialise, build up a list of some good contacts who are good on the pitch too as teamwork is ultimately what will decide your success or failure.

Football Superstars is a must see for any football supporter who spends a bit of time online too, particularly social network fans, as Football Superstars is the perfect combination of both.

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