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Remembering Seminal Video Game Manchester United Europe

History beckons for Manchester United Women
Old Trafford - The Theatre of Dreams.

The year is 1991, and Manchester United are breaking new ground for a generation of football supporters.

Since 1986, English teams had not been allowed to play in Europe, a ban lifted after the 1990 World Cup. As History.com explains, it came in the wake of the Heysel Disaster and signalled a dark chapter in English football history.

As clubs emerged from that shadow, Manchester United stood tall, going all the way to the European Cup Winner’s Cup final, beating Barcelona 2-1 in the final thanks to a Mark Hughes brace.

It was a momentous occasion, one celebrated with the release of Manchester United Europe, a video game for the Commodore 64, Atari ST and other contemporary home computers.

It might seem natural for such an occurrence to get a game; after all, games are everywhere these days, but it was a different matter altogether back then.

Today, you can go onto your mobile phone and find apps and games around Manchester United and football. Dream League Soccer and New Star Manager are two examples of developers creating football games on mobile devices, but there are hundreds more that don’t necessarily feature match action. For instance, there is a title on the page called The Champions, which uses the imagery of a goal and a ball without letting you kick anything!

That’s the same for Big Win Soccer which is more akin to sticker collecting than football. And the Play Store search for Man Utd brings up multiple options, including the official app and wallpapers.

That wasn’t the case in 1991. If you wanted to play as your heroes, you had to use artistic license in most instances. Krysalis, the people behind the game, had released Manchester United the year before to a mooted reception.

Manchester United Europe was different because it appealed to United fans and the wider football world.

Why? Depth was the main asset. It allowed players to compete in the real-life route United took to the final, taking on Pécsi Munkás, Wrexham, Montpellier, Legia Warsaw, and finally Barcelona, or you could compete in any of the other European competitions of the time, namely the UEFA Cup, European Cup, Super Cup and the Intercontinental Cup. It had depth, but it was also a decent football simulation as well.

Before FIFA, PES and even Sensible Soccer, good games were hard to find. Microprose Soccer had been one of the biggest titles, but Manchester United Europe delivered an experience that even neutral gamers found playable and enjoyable Computer and Video Games Magazine, a leading video game authority at the time, gave the game 84%.

It was described by Robert Jung for IGN as follows; “The sophisticated gameplay, quality design, and crisp controls are complemented by some very elegant graphics. Non-soccer fans won’t be swayed, but enthusiasts will find this title very enjoyable.”

It reached a mass market and became hugely popular around the country. The 16-bit version certainly appealed more than the 8-bit game; unlike most titles of the day, they felt like different titles, but both were still popular.

In 1991, Sensible Soccer landed, delivering a wider range of teams and competitions, with FIFA International Soccer, the grandfather of today’s behemoth franchise arriving a year later.

English teams also began to appear in Europe regularly, with Arsenal and Chelsea winning the Cup Winner’s Cup in the following few years before United picked up England’s first European Cup (rebranded as the Champions League) at the end of the decade.

Football moved on, gaming moved on, and Manchester United Europe was all but forgotten.

It shouldn’t be; it was a brilliant moment in time, the perfect combination of video games (an emerging market in the early 90s), brand association and quality.

Even now, 30 years after it was released, it is still remembered fondly by gamers of a certain vintage, whether they’re regulars at Old Trafford or follow another team elsewhere in England.

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