Golazo! 2 Recenzija (Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 & PlayStation 5)

Da sam imao peni za svaki put kad mi je stariji brat ili nutmegged me i postigao pobjedonosni gol u FIFA Street, ili fly-kicked loptu u moju glavu i tvrdio da ima vječna prava na hvalispis u Mario Strikers, onda bih vjerojatno imao dovoljno novca da bih razvio svoju vlastitu karijeru u sportu. Bilo bi dovoljno reći da, kada je riječ o artikuliranju pobjedničke formule u nogometu, nisam toliko dobar u izmišljanju nepobjedivih strategija koje imaju “tajni” sastojak za uspjeh na terenu. Zbog toga, činjenica da sam neuspješan u stvaranju takvih nepobjedivih momčadi i taktika čini me lošim izgovorom za nogometnog trenera u Golazo 2. Izazov prihvaćen, ipak?

Usprkos brojnim porazima i udarcima koje sam morao trpjeti u lice tijekom svojih adolescentnih godina, uspio sam naučiti jednu važnu lekciju kroz sve to: ne morate biti iskusan nogometaš da biste ponižili drugog igrača. U stvari, ne morate znati ništa o nogometu da biste postigli nekoliko uzastopnih pobjeda; kao Tekken, morate samo znati kako pritisnuti tipke i ponoviti iste dvije ili tri kombinacije. I ta ista polupečena metoda prevodi se vrlo dobro u Golazo! 2, također, čudno.

It’s been four years since Purple Tree first outlined the blueprints for its souped-up arcade entrée, and so, to say that the ground rules are still relatively fresh in my mind wouldn’t be too far from the truth. But, as always, I’m getting ahead of myself, so let’s rewind it back to the beginning—to the moment when I first tied my shoelaces and hit the asphalt running, hell-bent on reigniting a former sibling rivalry.

Igralište Bez Pravila

Priznajmo slona u sobi ovdje: Golazo! —nije vaš tradicionalni nogometni igra—at least not to the extent where you’d find a tapestry of rules and regulations, or even a referee, for that matter. No, this is a product that descends from an entirely different breed, and it doesn’t take a great deal of time to realize that, as far as real-life emulations of the sport go, this isn’t a direct replica of FIFA, but rather, an arcade-style iteration that goes above and beyond to abolish the general rules of the pitch and, in turn, create something slightly less formal, or even morally correct, oddly enough.

Golazo! 2 serves up a slew of modes to work through: a quick match option, which basically speaks for itself; a world league mode, which allows you to select one of several international teams and romp through a series of cups and seasonal bouts; and a street mode, which is, in short, a 3v3 version of the same game, only with a roster of unique and, at times, oddly grotesque characters. Regardless of the mode you choose to opt for, each match plays out in a similar fashion: you boot the ball across a medium-sized pitch, and score goals. Again, it’s football, and thus, a pretty self-explanatory game that doesn’t need to much of a formal introduction — even for those without the slightest clue of how it unfolds.

Like a lot of street-type football games, Golazo! 2 doesn’t bathe beneath an umbrella of strict rules; on the contrary, it gives you the freedom to break the mold and throw caution to the wind, which is something of a double-edged sword, weirdly enough.

Nogomet Za Male

Golazo! 2 centers itself around a bite-sized pitch, and therefore, standard regulations don’t necessarily apply in any of the three available modes. Needless to say that, when it comes to physically taking possession of the ball and scoring goals, passes need to be quick, and split-second decisions need to be made in order to develop a higher chance of scoring a winning goal. But there’s a problem here: the AI characters — they don’t often know what they’re doing, let alone what’s happening in the routine that you may or may not have previously conceived ahead of the whistle. Thankfully, though, this isn’t always the case; its online mode plays out slightly differently, thus making it easier to connect the dots and make short work of on-target goals.

It goes without saying at this point, but I would like to address the fact that, from a technical standpoint, Golazo! 2 isn’t exactly fluid. Case in point, shots often fail to arrive at the predetermined destination, and other players often fail to make contact with the ball, despite having it handed to them on a silver platter and from a mere stone’s throw away. As a result of this, the gameplay can be a little finicky, and can ultimately bog down what would otherwise be a genuinely fun and exciting arcade experience. Perhaps it’s nitpicking at this point, but the fact that I, for one, often fell at the last hurdle due to some technical oversight did, in all honesty, detail the momentum and leave me feeling more frustrated than disheartened.

Pršanje Neona

One of the standout features of Golazo! 2 is its art style: it’s a bit of a mixed bag, if anything, though it does create something of a talking point that helps separate it from other games of its kind. Aside from it sporting a ludicrously large coating of neon, it also features a distinctive design that’s both unique in its own right, as well as oddly memorable, for better or worse. Like flicking through the pages of a comic book, each segment of the story relies heavily upon vibrant colors and in-your-face animations—two things that tend to go hand-in-hand when it comes to arcade favorites, for sure. But that isn’t to say that it’s a real sight for sore eyes; it isn’t likely to please every player and their neighbor, as it does require a certain type of attention span that, quite frankly, you wouldn’t necessarily need elsewhere.

Of course, Golazo! 2 isn’t a game that takes itself too seriously, as made evident by its oddly misshapen egos and wacky gameplay mechanics. On that note, it wouldn’t be fair to compare it with the likes of FIFA or PES — because it’s nothing of the sort, despite its thematic nature and connection with real-life, albeit caricature-like versions of genuine teams that flesh out some of the most prolific sporting leagues in the world. The question is, is it a good nogometna igra? In ways, yes — but it’s hardly something that I’d refer to as hat-trick material. Is it a better version of the original that launched back in 2020? Meh — I’m not convinced.

Zaključak

Having slugged through the original chapter in the arcade series, I can safely say that, as far as sequels go, Golazo! 2 isn’t so much a step in the right direction as it is a major lunge to the side. On one hand, it does manage to amplify a lot of the first game’s core features—its neon-drizzled visuals and control mechanisms, being two of the defining points—but on the other, it often falls flat when it comes to AI-generated animations and other mechanical effects. For example, when you make a bid to compete against offline competitors, a lot of the players tend to get lost in their own train of thought—a downfall that often results in the game being somewhat one-sided and brain dread. And unfortunately, this does dampen the overall experience — more so for those who’d soon rather test their mettle in an offline environment.

As luck would have it, the online portion of the game does perform a lot better than its counterpart, though this is mainly due to the fact that players can, essentially, outsmart the AI and manipulate the mechanics to their advantage. Granted, it’s still a little sluggish, and it does often take some getting used to, but it’s still an entertaining little number that’s far better suited for short bursts of play with local friends than anything else. Is it a worthy spiritual successor for the likes of FIFA Street and several other cult favorites from the late nineties? Not quite, though I can say that, in spite of all its technical flaws and graphical shortcomings, it does manage to produce some pretty good content. With that said, it doesn’t quite hold a candle to its adversaries; if anything, it only just about finds a box to strike the match.