Kick Off (series)

Sequels

In 1990, Anco released Kick Off 2, which kept the pace and accuracy of the original while adding a full-size multi-directional scrolling pitch with correctly proportioned players, markings, and goals. Both teams play strictly according to tactics, with players moving into position to receive passes and gain possession; the ball travels ahead of the player as in a real game. The game includes a league and a cup tournament with sudden-death penalty shootouts in case of a draw.

League teams are generally evenly matched but have different styles of play and corresponding player skills. Players can load a team from Player Manager along with its tactics to play a single game or enter league and cup tournaments. The special events menu allows loading data disks, and on expanded Atari ST systems (1 MB or more) additional sound effects are available. There are 24 referees, each with a distinctive temperament.

Super Kick Off, a follow-up for the Master System, Game Boy, Mega Drive, and Super Nintendo Entertainment System, was slower than the original games. The Mega Drive version knocked PGA Tour Golf II from the top of the charts and received a 94% score and a Hyper Game Award from MegaTech, which praised its feel and playability while criticising its high price of £45. A sequel, Kick Off 3, was in development in 1992 but was not released in that form because Dino Dini left Anco for Virgin Games, where he developed Goal! in 1993.

Goal! featured gameplay similar to Kick Off 2, adding one-touch passing as seen in Sensible Soccer, player acceleration, and more advanced menu systems and options; it received generally good reviews but did not achieve the lasting popularity of Kick Off 2. In 1994, Anco released a different Kick Off 3 developed by Steve Screech, a completely new game with nothing in common with Kick Off 2. It did not receive as good reviews as its predecessors and did not gain the same popularity. An Atari Jaguar port was in development but never released.