Dreamcatcher isn’t known for their Xbox titles (in fact, this is one of their first), but coming out with a solid title at a low price will always get someone’s attention, especially if it’s a sports game. Ultimate Beach Soccer takes the wild world of soccer and plants it right in the middle of a beach. Yes, I know it’s surprising, but it’s true! The game features 4 on 4 play against a variety of teams from across the globe. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to go to any of those locations. All of the games happen on one court, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Playing soccer on the beach presents an interesting challenge though. The physics of soccer lends itself nicely to the normal grass fields that it’s usually played on, but the beach is a different matter. Since sand tends to bring the ball to a screeching halt within seconds, players will have to rely a lot more on juggling the ball in mid-air before attempting any kind of strike on the net. Luckily there’s a dedicated trick button which will allow you to do just that. The other buttons allow you to pass and shoot on offense, while providing you with two different types of tackles on defense. You also have a turbo button for a speed boost and more powerful shots.

Ultimately pitiful AI and sloppy controls mar what was a good concept. Don’t get me wrong, the game is still fun, but a lot of times you won’t feel like you’re really in control of the action. It feels that there’s nearly half a second delay between you pressing a button and the appropriate action happening on the screen at times, while in other situations the control is spot on. It wouldn’t be bad if it was one or the other, since you can easily compensate if you know what is going to happen, but it’s a nightmare when you don’t really know when your player will respond to your controls. The goalie AI can be flaky at times too. A lot of times you’ll see your goalie actually dive in the wrong direction after a shot, but sometimes he’ll be standing on his head to keep you in the game. Consistency is not a forte of this title.

Graphically the game is decent, but there’s nothing too spectacular that stands out. The motion capture is actually quite good, and there’s a lot of variety among the players. Since the camera is fixed on the court, you won’t notice too much in the way of spectators, but the one court that they do have in the game is nice. As for the commentary, it could’ve been a lot better. For a game that has the words “ultimate” and “beach” in its title, you would think that someone younger, who sounds excited about calling the action, like in NBA Street, should have done the commentary. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen, as we’re left with a person who has a noticeable English accent and doesn’t really seem to care about what’s going on during a match at all.

Ultimate Beach Soccer is a game that has some very good ideas, and really does shine from time to time. Unfortunately it’s also riddled with mistakes that could have easily been fixed if the game was given a month or two more worth of testing. Things such as inconsistent control and AI can literally bury a title, and that’s the case here. For what it’s worth, the game is a fine first effort, and hopefully Dreamcatcher can improve on the game in the next installment.

· · · Reno