Enter the Hauppauge High Definition Personal Video Recorder (HD PVR). As someone who has longed for a way to get their gaming footage onto their PC in high definition, the device seemed almost to goo d to be true.

In a nutshell, the HD PVR acts as a go between for your gaming console and your computer. Using a set of composite cables, you connect your TV and console into the device, and then use a USB cable to link it to your PC or laptop. This allows you to still play your games using your HD TV, but also for your computer to record any action taking place, giving you potential to show off your best goals, skills and games in High Definition.

Sounds simple enough, and after about 10 minutes of getting mine, I was up and running. To start off, I used some of my saved replays on Pro Evolution Soccer to test the water, and was pleased with the results. The fact that the action is still viewed using the TV means you really don’t notice your being recorded, and the overall quality of the footage far outweighs some of the other non HD alternatives on the market. A link to one of my captured videos can be found HERE! (Due to time constraints, I have only been able to upload this footage in SD. I will upload HD Video footage over the next few weeks on both Soccer Gaming and the PES Gaming You Tube Channel)

Of course, this technology comes at a price. The standard HD PVR will set you back around £150, with specialist gaming edition weighing in at £180. When I spoke to Hauppauge, I was lead to believe there is very little difference between the two devices, so personal preference may dictate which one you’d prefer. If you are looking ton record PS3 footage, you will also require a PS3 Composite cable, which start at a couple of pounds right up to around £20 for the official Sony ones. Whilst the price is something that initially put me off, I did spend time and money on cheaper alternatives that ultimately didn’t do the job required!

After using the device several times, I have been exceptionally impressed with the results, however ultimately it will come down to the gamer. If you are someone who uses their console to play video games, and wants to get their action onto their PC, there is no better alternative for the price, with even novices being up and running in no time at all. If capturing action isn’t for you, or you only have a casual interest in it, then the £150 outlay may be slightly more than you willing to spend.

If you would like more information on the device, please feel free to e-mail me personally on dan@soccergaming.com, and I will be happy to try and answer your questions.

The Hauppauge HD PVR can be viewed at http://www.hauppauge.co.uk

The Hauppauge HD PVR is used to capture all footage exclusively for the Soccer Gaming Network.

EA Sports are looking for people, regular football fans like yourself, to get involved in data collection for their upcoming projects (unofficially FIFA 12). The program is called EA Sports Football Talent Scout, and you can get involved, or find more information by visiting http://www.eafootballtalentscout.com/TalentScout/TalentScout/index.aspx

If anyone does decide to get involved, please feel free to drop us a line at Soccer Gaming and let us know of how you get on!

EA Sports have today announced that when FIFA Street launches on March 13^th 2012, it will come with a new feature called ‘the Street Network’.

The feature is intended to increase competition between friends – as well as a progress tracker that shows how far you’ve progressed against your friends (a typical inclusion in today’s video games), there is a system that allows you to film and upload your best tricks. Naturally you can then upload these videos and taunt your friends with how many stepovers you just did before scorpion-kicking the ball into the back of the net. As series’ producer Sid Misra puts it:

“Street football is all about the one-on-one battle, when you pull off a trick to roast your opponent.”

This announcement seems to enrich a game that was missing an online edge, which EA have been so keen to push in recent times. The game continues to look good and a March release date is good news to those who believed rumours that it would be pushed back for a Summer release. As a sidenote, it’s worth pointing out that if you’ve already bought into the Season Ticket programme, you can get access to FIFA Street three days before then, so on March 10^th.

Also worth noting is that pre-orders will come with the ‘adidas all-star team’ – a team featuring Messi and “12 of the greatest footballers in the world” (whoever they may be). Also coming with the pre-order is exclusive access to a venue partly designed by Messi himself, set in the heart of Barcelona. So if you’re keen on getting the game, a pre-order may be a good idea.

Source!

In a nutshell, there are some players on FM 2012 that come with a handy attached image, so you can see exactly what they look like. Then there are others who have a default silhouette, which whilst hardly game breaking takes away from the overall tidiness of the display!

The download, which is usually a few GB comes in two forms, either as an update, for those looking for just the latest / newest faces, or as a complete file, for those starting from scratch. The link to the download can be found at http://fmdownloads.com/, and make sure you take the time to check out their active discussion groups on the forums, you might just unearth the next Messi whilst your waiting for faces!

Note the outdated image of Wayne Rooney without his new hair may be being displayed, but this is an official ’sample’ from the pack. Please do not ask if this is the actual image of Wayne included in the most up to date pack. I don’t know!

Most Replayable Game

If a game is good, people will praise numerous things about it. One of those things, and indeed a -crucial- thing for a football video game, is replayability. Fortunately, this year has been kind to us with a wide array of games that have kept up their end of the bargain months on… which begs the question as to whether three or four months is long enough to judge replayability. My opinion? No. As such, this award is for football games released in 2010 – which game released in that year is still fun to play today?

Football Manager 2011

This was so easy. Both FIFA and PES are great, but they pale in comparison to a game that can be picked up for £25 on launch day. I don’t think I need to go into too much detail to explain why this game is so good, but it’s probably related to the fact that you have an unlimited career and the ability to manage however many teams you like. Add to that the dynamic regeneration of players and it’s no wonder why this game is so much better than FIFA or PES for replayability.

Honourable Mentions…

Football Manager Handheld (PSP) – In-depth and genius, a really great game that has almost single-handedly added to the life of the console by a year.
Football Manager Handheld (iOS) – A bit of a cop-out to name FMH as both of my honourable mentions, but it’s an important point to distinguish just how much this series has revolutionised taking my life away from me.

Most Original Approach to a Football Game

This is one of the stranger awards that i’m handing out in this feature, but it’s an important one that can really only be taken by one of two games this year – Inazuma Eleven or NSS 5. Both were original, both were wonderful and both made you wonder why they don’t make more games like this… but which one was better?

Inazuma Eleven – DS

Sorry New Star Soccer 5. You were close, but not close enough. Inazuma Eleven combines football and RPG in a way that was previously inconceivable, and the end result is one of the best DS games of all time, let alone DS game of the year. It was so refreshing to be able to play a football game and not be frustrated by the controls, and even more refreshing to be truly sucked in to a narrative surrounding a gorgeous gameplay mechanic. Well played, Level-5. Well played.

Honourable Mention…

New Star Soccer 5 – As previously noted, I loved this game and still urge all readers to get their hands on it. It adds lots of features to make football more realistic, but it couldn’t beat the charm of a DS classic.

Best Effort

It’s the award that we hand to the game that really tried but never quite got it right – or as it’s therefore also known, the Cardiff City Award. Four years of playoffs and yet they’re beaten to the Premiership Punch by rivals Swansea. Still, which game put in the effort, but didn’t reap the rewards?

Premiership Manager 2012 – PS3/PC

Granted I only played this game on the PS3, but I don’t think playing it on a PC would make too much difference. I was always going to expect something quite special when playing a game named after one of my all-time favourites (Premier Manager 98), and this game was a real let-down. It ticked the boxes in almost every area, creating a wicked arcade-y feel, but when it came time to play a match the game fell apart. Matches were long, tedious, impossible things. A simple ‘instant’ option would have made the game brilliant… but without it, it became abysmal. A sterling effort, but one that ultimately leaves a sour taste in the mouths of those that buy the game.

Honourable Mentions…

Football Manager Handheld 2012 (PSP) – I will have more to say about this in my upcoming review, but suffice to say the developers have squeezed everything they can out of the console and it’s basically running on empty. Good try though.
FIFA 12 (Wii) – It’s a game that has never had much success on this console, and despite many attempts at changing the formula this was just another in a sea of let-downs. I really appreciate the effort, but it was never going to win any awards (well, apart from this one!).

Best Multiplayer

The best multiplayer award is handed out to the game that produces the most fun when played with two (or more) people sat next to each other in the same room… as we all know that that’s the only way to play football games against your mates.

FIFA 12 - PS3/Xbox

I really, really, really didn’t want to give FIFA 12 this award after the removal of the wonderful ‘Lounge’ mode that has made previous multiplayer battles such fun. But at the end of the day, the introduction of the slider system to edit match stats is too excellent to not give FIFA the award. I point you towards my FIFA 12 review, where I referred to this as one of the best things to come out of the game this year, and I still hold that to be true. One match goalies are amazing, the next a shot from anywhere on the pitch will go in and it’s football-basketball. Great fun.

Honourable Mentions…

FIFA 12 (Wii) – The street mode is great for a kickabout with mates, as the modifiers really affect the game positively. Small goals, big goals, small players, lobs only… it all makes for a fun game.
Football Manager 2012 – Four people, four laptops, one amazing Boxing Day. Admittedly it’s a rare occurrence that you can have such an epic LAN session with FM2012, but when you get those people together in a room, the banter that springs forth from your mouth is unbelievable.

Overall Best Handheld Soccer Game of the Year

Inazuma Eleven – DS

As I noted in the most original approach award, Inazuma Eleven does a lot of things that other games don’t. And though I would take a random match in PES2012 on the PSP over one here any day of the week, the overall experience of Inazuma Eleven is nothing short of exemplary. This is how DS games should be made, and I can only hope that they make an English language version of the sequel soon so that I can revel in it wherever I am.

Honourable Mentions…

PES 2012 (PSP) – I don’t think I need to spend much more time telling you how much I enjoy this game. If there were more features, I would consider it my favourite. As it is, it’s a close second or third.
FMH 2012 (PSP) – Again, this game is great. A really, really good game to play wherever you are and something that single-handedly makes five-hour train journeys go by in an instant. If only it were more different to the previous incarnation, then it would be the best.

Overall Best PC Soccer Game of the Year

Football Manager 2012

No introduction needed, no explanation needed. Though there were some other games this year that gave a good PC experience, none moreso than this masterclass in game design. FM has and will continue to steal more hours of my life than any other game I know.

Honourable Mentions…

New Star Soccer 5 – A great game, but not great enough. Obviously Sports Interactive have a much bigger team, bigger budget and so on, but on merit this game isn’t bad at all. It just so happens that Football Manager is the greatest PC game available right now, let alone soccer game.
FIFA 12 – Having tried both EA Sports’ and Konami’s attempts to bring their franchises to a PC user-base, I have to say that I enjoyed the port of FIFA 12 more. It just felt more polished than PES, to me at least. Nothing on NSS5 or FM2012.

Overall Best Console Soccer Game of the Year

The final award of this whole award show thing. The overall winner of the Soccer Gaming 2011 Awards is a game that combines all of the top features we look for in a video game, adds many new things to an old formula and (most importantly) creates a fun experience that can be enjoyed over and over again. So, without further ado, here is the Overall Best Console Soccer Game of the Year:

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

PES or FIFA is a thing of taste. And picking between these two monoliths is a task that really takes a lot of time considering the positives of the two. But I would say that objectively, having played both games for two to three months now, my vote has to go to PES. It may not be the best multiplayer, it may not have the best sound, but when you switch commentary off and play the Master League on your own, you get engulfed into a season mode like none other. You build up imaginary relationships with players for reasons you can’t explain, and end up retraining Nihat to play Centre-Midfield for a team winning the Champions League, despite him being 36 and nowhere near good enough to make the bench, let alone the starting eleven. I don’t build those relationships in FIFA, only in PES… and that is why Pro Evo 2012 is my favourite. That is why it is the best.

Agree? Disagree? Then drop your argument for why i’m right (or wrong) in the comments below and i’ll be sure to join in on the debate. Come on FIFA fans, tell me why I picked the wrong game!

2011 has been and gone, which means it’s time for the inaugural Soccer Gaming Awards (presented by yours truly). As ever, comments are hugely appreciated and this is all up for debate – so if you disagree vehemently (or agree fervently) then let me know in the comments below!

The Why FIFA is Better than PES Award

People will argue that FIFA is better than PES (or that PES is better than FIFA) until either one company goes out of business or the world comes to an end – and i’m guessing the latter. So rather than bluntly saying which game I think is better, i’m presenting the best argument for each side, and thus we have this award for why FIFA is the best.

Career Mode

EA Sports have outdone themselves this year with a lot of work having been put in to the new career mode. It’s been revamped considerably, with many of the faults of the past few years gone completely and replaced by clever features. The transfer deadline day system is a blast and I can see it featuring in PES 2013 (although it originated in Football Manager anyway, so it’d be plagiarising plagiarism), but the main fantastic element of the career mode was the morale system. Players getting upset, worrying about salaries, worrying about matches, team underachieving (etc etc). Good show EA. More like this in the future, please.

Honourable Mentions…

The Roster – With over 500 teams to choose from, you have to admit that the FIFA roster is impressive, even if you’re a diehard PES fan.
The Arena – Loading times? What loading times? I’m just chillin’, kicking a ball around. I know FIFA has had this feature for years, but it’s just so damn good. Konami need to steal this idea.

The Why PES is Better than FIFA Award

Just as people will argue the above, there are others who seem destined to argue the merits of FIFA’s main competitor, PES. Just as the above award was for the best argument that puts FIFA in a good light, this award is for the best argument for why PES is the best.

The Detail

In short, it’s the level of detail that has separated PES from FIFA as the better game. For many people, it’s the fact that you can turn on PES and feel like you may be watching a real match – the players’ faces actually look like the real players, as opposed to being generic. But the detail argument goes further; take Robbie Keane at LA Galaxy as an example. Score with him on FIFA and he’ll be fast, skinny, and do his celebration without even breaking a sweat. Catch a video of him playing in real life and you’ll recognise why this argument has merit.

Honourable mentions…

Better Graphics – This came up above but it’s still a valid point. PES looks like real football.
Better Passing – Would you rather play as Barcelona in FIFA or PES? If you answered FIFA, you need to play as Barcelona in PES. It’s better.

Best Overall Feature

This Award goes to the best feature found in any football game released in 2011.

The Skill-leveling System in New Star Soccer 5

Is it sacrilegious to give this award to a game other than one of the big two? I considered some of Football Manager’s excellent additions, but overall the one feature that really impressed me this year was the RPG element of NSS5. Hopefully you’ve played New Star Soccer 5 (and if not, why not? It’s free to play!) and if so you’ll know that it’s fantastic fun anyway, but the levelling-up feature is just excellent. In a way that Elder Scrolls players will be familiar with, in order to level up in a skill you have to practice it. Imagine how much better Be A Pro mode would be if you levelled your free kick ability by practicing free kicks? Or improved your tackling by practicing slide tackles? This is just one of those things that the indie game gets right and Konami or EA can take a few ideas from.

Honourable Mentions…

Adding/Removing leagues (Football Manager 2012) – So many reasons why this is good, that it’s not worth listing them. Rest assured that the whole world loves SI for this one.
Transfer Deadline Day (FIFA 12) – As mentioned above, this feature is just glorious. Totally plagiarised from FM, but some good ideas should be taken by the competition. This is one of them.

Best Gameplay

In simple terms, this is the award that goes to the game that is most fun to play. Ignoring all of the extra features like graphics, sound and replayability, this is the award handed to the game that is just plain FUN to pick up and play.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012 – PSP

I’m going to get a lot of stick for this one and I know it, but those out there who have played a PSP PES game will know what i’m talking about. Remember the golden days of PES 4, 5 and 6? This game is those games, but on a train (or wherever you are when playing). Bearing in mind that this award doesn’t take into account the other extraneous features, PES 2012 on the PSP is an extraordinarily fun experience that everyone who owns the console simply must try. Especially because the Vita is coming out soon and you won’t see another PES game for this handheld.

Honourable Mentions…

New Star Soccer 5 – It’s like ISS Deluxe, but in the future! Well, not in the Nineties at least. Few will argue that NSS5 has some magnificent gameplay.
PES2012 – It’s really fun to pass and shoot in PES, moreso than in FIFA.

Best Sound

As you might expect, the Best Sound award is handed to the football video game that excelled itself with brilliant audio this year. This award doesn’t take into consideration anything other than audio, so Football Manager isn’t likely to win it.

FIFA 12

It’s hard to argue that FIFA 12 is aurally excellent. Forget for a moment that the crowd sounds completely realistic, cheers and boos at all the right moments, even does chants that are tailored to individual teams. Forget that. Just think about how they got rid of Andy Gray and yet somehow manage to have the greatest commentary team in any football game ever, with varying commentators for every region (even Arab commentators) and a fantastic TWO commentary teams for the English language fans.

Honourable Mentions…

PES 2012 – Yes, the commentary is hideous. But a lot of work went into the crowd sounds this year and it shows, with the fans themselves sounding more realistic than ever.
Inazuma Eleven – Though I personally disliked the voice acting in this football-rpg hybrid, I have to say that they clearly put a lot of work into making the game sound good. Even if they failed, that effort has to be rewarded with something.

Best Graphics

This is probably the most obvious of all the awards. The game that looks the best will win this award, regardless of how any of its other features play out.

Pro Evolution Soccer 2012

I couldn’t resist. Those who know me will know full well that I think PES is miles ahead of FIFA in terms of appearance and this year has been no exception. It’s a bit of a cliché, but as people often suggest, a match in PES can sometimes look like a match in real life. I have no doubt that that is partly down to the silky-smooth passing the game enjoys, but moreover it’s to do with the wonderful graphics. An easy award to give.

Honourable Mention…

Inazuma Eleven – It may be based on a cartoon, but in the context of DS games it looks great.

So that’s it for part 1. Come back to the site tomorrow for part 2 of the inaugural Soccer Gaming Awards for 2011!

Agree? Disagree? Let me know just what you think of my decisions in the comments box below!

As the official press release below states, there are two special reasons to get excited about Christmas if you a hardcore FM gamer.

FOOTBALL MANAGER 2012 GETS FESTIVE

Two more reasons to be Merry this Christmas!

LONDON (23^th December, 2011) – Sports Interactive and SEGA ® Europe Ltd. have two extra reasons for you to celebrate Christmas with Football Manager™ 2012. For anyone who already owns the game we have a very special STEAM achievement for you to find.  The achievement can only be accomplished on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & Boxing Day (UK time).  Keep an eye out for clues to the achievement on the SI twitter account @SI_GAMES during Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & Boxing Day (UK time).

Secondly we have created a special edition Football Manager 2012 Xmas sleeve which is available to download and print from www.footballmanager.com/, giving your very own copy of Football Manager 2012 some Xmas sparkle! Alternatively, if you have bought the game as a Xmas gift, why not download the sleeve and add an extra festive feel to the Xmas present?

To download the exclusive Xmas FM12 sleeve, please visit the download section.

Football Manager™ 2012 for PC and Apple Mac is available now and Football Manager Handheld™ 2012 is available on PSP and to download now on iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® Touch.  The Xmas edition of the Football Manager 2012 podcast is also now available for free at the Apple app store.

Thats right, secret achievements and festive gaming covers, for a game that’s lets face it, is already exceptionally popular. www.isoccerapps.com will feature a special review of Football Manager 2012 for the iPad over the next couple of days, giving you the option to be anti social away from your PC over the festive period as opposed to just when your at your computer.

For those who haven’t already, the digital download version of Football Manager 2012 can be accessed on STEAM for just £22.49, and it comes highly recommended from the Soccer Gaming team.

And finally on the subject, congratulations to Kieran Swanson, who correctly stated that Andre Villas Boas managed Porto prior to his career as Chelsea chief. Football Manager 2012 goodies are winging their way to you!

There is a very good chance that new Chelsea chief, Mr. Villas Boas (or Villash Boash) is not going to win anything this season. However, one lucky Soccer Gaming reader can get one up on Andre by winning our special Football Manager competition.

In the way of prizes, we have a very tidy ’suit’ t-shirt and a small sided finger football game. Both are available and will be sent to either one winner (if we have low entries) or two individuals who correctly answer the question below.

Which Club Did Andre Villas Boas manager prior to joining Chelsea?

This is a free to enter competition for residents of the United Kingdom. If you know the answer simply e-mail dan@soccergaming.com with your Name, Date of Birth and, quite obviously, the correct club. The closing date for the competition is Friday 16th December 2011, and winners will be announced both privately and on this very site. As with all SG prizes, unclaimed prizes will be rolled over.

Good Luck

In short, what you’re about to witness is Tom from Kasabian playing a game of football against England’s own Darren Bent. Sound unfair? It would be, except for the fact that they’re using tricked-up Xperia Play consoles to send commands to actual real-life players. Seriously.

All that their screens display is the current score, which also appears to be projected onto a wall (although could well have been added in post-production). Ignoring for a moment that a lot of pauses and disjointed moments have no doubt been removed in the edit, it’s actually quite a fun idea which seems to have been executed well.

Again, i’m not particularly sure who this is supposed to be advertising, but i’m relatively sure that Kasabian are currently signed to the Sony record label anyway, so I guess it’s just a big company looking after itself. I don’t think this video is going to sell any Xperia Play consoles in the near future, but I guess if it sells a couple more Kasabian albums then it’s all worth it. See the video here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

On a side note, Velociraptor! is a fantastic album and you’d be doing yourself a favour to listen to it. Equally, Darren Bent is a fantastic footballer and Capello would be doing himself a favour to pick him for Euro 2012.