Rules: Round 14 starts today and will end Saturday 3rd December, 11:59pm UK Time. Score as many points as possible. Post screenshots of your high score in this thread, and write the score underneath. Screenshot maximum size of 400px width please, or use a thumbnail. Don't cheat! No continues.
Controls:
Up = Jump
Fire = Enter trick mode
Fire + Left/Right = Kick Ball
Hold Fire = Respawn Ball
Fire + Hold Fire + Down, then push Up = Super Jump
Down + Fire = Drop through gaps
Run + Diagonal down = Slide under low barriers
Fire + Face away + Left/Right (opposite) = Overhead Trick Shot
General Tips:
The game is split into 5 worlds. Each world is often split into six levels. The first six levels (world 1) are played in the towns and fields of the UK, the second world takes you through Greece (levels 7-8 ) and Italy (levels 9-12). At the end of each level you get your energy restored. At the end of every second level you will get a bonus score screen and perhaps a bonus level (see below) before moving onto another scenario/world.
It helps to move forward slowly and take your time to remove all the enemies at gound level. They will not respawn unless you die completely.
Try to master the art of kicking the ball in front of you as you run, chasing after it until it goes off screen. If the ball comes back, kick it again. If the ball goes off screen for more than 2 seconds; hold down fire to respawn the ball under your feet and kick it forward again. If you use less than 10 ball respawns on any level, you'll also get a bonus for this in the bonus round.
Some characters take two shots to kill (bikers, tall men, fat tourists, pizza throwers) - and the game only allows one hit per kick - so you'll have to regain the ball somehow and kick it for a second time in order to knock these guys out.
Climb every tree! - as there is always a score card or at least some bonus fruits up on the floating platforms nearby. When climbing trees, it is often possible to get on a lower branch and then jump up. Alternatively you may need to press and hold fire while pulling down to climb onto the ball. Pushing 'Up' will then send you high into the sky. As soon as you get into the tree's canopy you'll likely come across a bird. Kill this bird (without jumping up) with care before grabbing any bonuses.
The time limit is very long - so you won't run out unless you take forever on the level. Each game 'second' takes about 30 real seconds to tick down; so a level showing 45 seconds remaining will actually allow you up to 22.5 minutes in real time. Note: - The seconds in the bonus game (see below) are measured in real seconds.
There is always a restart point half way through each level; indicated by a stripy pole. Sometimes there is a health top-up not far from these restart points (world 1) - so take note here if you're getting low on energy. The rest of the health icons can be found in the chests in the caves. Remember to take out any rats in these caves first, otherwise you may be risking losing energy for nothing. Health icons after world 1 become very scarce!
There are usually 5 bonus cards to be found on the 'odd' levels, 6 on the 'even' levels - although sometimes this is reversed. By hitting the '!' icon at the start of every level you can see how many cards there are to pick up. You will be awarded a significant bonus at the end of every second level based on the time remaining, the bonus cards you picked up, as well as any trick shots you successfully performed to remove enemies. If you have collected all 11 cards over the previous two levels, you'll then get to play a special bonus round where you can pick up parts of the world cup (and a bit more score too).
At the end of the levels contained in a world, you'll also come across an end-of-world boss. In world 1 (UK) this is a rugby playing character. If you get hit by a boss, quickly respawn the ball and then hammer the ball repeatedly into him while your invulnerability lasts. Going into the boss stage with two energy hearts will position you in a good place to beat him.
If you get stuck you can always watch a longplay on youtube to see how they do it. Also, if you leave the game on the title screen for 60 seconds or more you'll get to see a quick demo of the first level (without enemies).
Level Tips:
Levels 1-2 (easy) - A good introduction to the game. Take your time to remove the enemies and birds - kicking the ball out ahead of you. You even get plenty of time to go back and get the bonuses later. Drop down into the caves to collect more energy. Run away from the tall men after you're first hit - respawn the ball - turn around - and hit them a second time. In this game, running away is often the most sensible first option.
Levels 3-4 (medium) - Farmers take two hits. Snakes often await you in the tall grass. Sheep will stop to munch on tall grass. If you 'wobble' over a patch of ground it may be an indictation of a hidden section. Pull down and press fire to drop into these. Remove fish with the ball before jumping over any rivers.
Levels 5-6 (easy) - Energy becomes more scarce here - but there's a bonus life in a chest somewhere in the London Underground. Take a leap of faith to jump from the tops of the big red busses on level 6, having first cleared any enemies below. End-of-world boss is a rugby player.
Levels 7-8 (hard) - Greece is often tricky, and it is worth timing the jumps over the regenerating spears as they sometimes respawn immediately. Watch out for platforms split into three sections as these will crumble if you land on them. There is a bonus life on level 7 in a cave above a crumbling bridge. Climb onto the ball and push left/right to roll over the bridge without making it collapse, then power jump to get the life.
Levels 9-10 (medium) - Watch out for guys throwing pizza, and kill any fish before jumping over rivers. Climb all the buildings to get the bonuses. Watch out for the guys driving mopeds (shoot twice) as they appear very quickly! There are NO energy pickups on these levels!
Levels 11-12 (hard) - Watch for the spinning road signs to anticipate the guys on mopeds. These guys can jump too - so be very careful. Again, if is often better to run away to a safe spot to avoid these. Shellfish are tricky to shoot (twice) and they also fire stones at you. Palm trees can be climbed with a power jump, but also spawn deadly coconuts! There are NO energy pickups on these levels until directly before the final boss. The end-of-world boss is a 'Pavarotti' type opera singer. Kick the ball as he appears. Wait for the music notes to disappear and then hit him again when the platform is lowered.
Levels 13-14 (hard) - Russia. Always kick the ball up and down any slopes as there are guys on sledges who appear very quickly. Wait at ground level for any squirals to drop down from the trees to shoot them (twice) more easily. The big guys don't fire at you, but take three hits to kill. Use the plungers to blow up the caves (avoid the shrapnel) - inside one of these is a bonus heart (allowing three health hearts in total), and there's an extra life later too.
Last edited by lifeschool on Sun Nov 13, 2011 7:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
^ That's a pitty. I felt the same way when I first started on this game many years ago. It is hard to get into but once you learn the moves (a bit like yo joe) it becomes a lot easier. Just like yo joe, it is often very daunting to begin with.
FYI, you can also choose to play with music or SFX (or both, or nether) by switching those on or off in the options menu.
I think this game would of been alot more fun if the ball auto returned like a boomerang. Its like having a gun but instead of shooting the enemies you throw you gun at them.
mihcael wrote:
I think this game would of been alot more fun if the ball auto returned like a boomerang. Its like having a gun but instead of shooting the enemies you throw you gun at them.
Yeh, I had the same thought. I'm guessing they must have thought of this but couldn't realise it in the programming for some reason. It's a bit shxt that the ball has to re-materialise out of thin air. I hate to sound like a grouch but I just don't understand the popularity of this game
I guess the idea is to chase the ball so that you don't have to constantly respawn it. Kicking it over spikes etc. It is possible to do this game without having to respawn, and you get a huge bonus if you do that. To me, I am surprised by all the moves and tricks the player can do with the ball. It's an idea that is unique to this one game. Sure it takes a while to memorise the levels enough to move forward confidently, but EAB don't seem to be experiencing that problem. <dig dig!>
mihcael wrote:
I think this game would of been alot more fun if the ball auto returned like a boomerang. Its like having a gun but instead of shooting the enemies you throw you gun at them.
Bear in mind that you have to look after the ball. If the ball falls on spikes you lose one ball and in each level you only have ten. This is a difficulty factor.
Last edited by mailman on Thu Nov 24, 2011 7:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Lemon/EAB Super League 2011 - Round 14
Round 14 starts today and will end Saturday 3rd December, 11:59pm UK Time.
Soccer Kid Lemon Page (includes manual)
For the RULES and FAQ click HERE (includes 2011 Season Schedule).
CLICK HERE
