Matchday 2

Matchday 2 is the sequel to the much lesser known Matchday, a very forgettable football game that doesn’t have much in common with its successor. Let me rephrase this ... The original Matchday sucks but its sequel Matchday 2 (the object of this post) rules.

Have to warn you that Matchday 2 is very slow paced (not sure it's such a drawback actually) but the game play is great. Best of all, you and your best pal can team up and play against the computer.


The computer plays in blue and I, the human, play in white. Notice the power indicator at the top of the screen and also above the head of the controlled player. To pass or shoot low, you have to release the directional pad (in other words, stop running) before pressing the button. There’s no tackling but plenty of (rough) shouldering (as soon as a defender gets close to the guy with the ball, he’s gonna try to steal it).

Some may say the game play is too slow. Actually, I think it’s just perfect as it gives you time to build up your attack. Some may say the sound is crappy and annoying ... and I would agree. One thing I particularly like is the way the players perform headers and the joy it brings when a crossed ball is headed right past the keeper. There are some flaws, in particular, I remember scoring every time when shooting from a little beyond the 18 yard line, dead center (you have to hit it at right power though). Also, when playing two players vs the cpu, sometimes, you lose the power bars above the controlled player.

According to me, Matchday 2 is the best football game to have ever hit the shelves in the 80s. Again, it’s just my opinion but I have played plenty of other football games (actually, not really) and they don’t come even close. Some may say that the Emlyn Hughes endorsed football game is the best ever on the C64 but I have to disagree respectfully.