When animated, white and yellow jersey blobs looks like players.

Real Soccer 2009 is a surprising kick on the iPhone. Similar to soccer titles for other videogame systems, you control the action from a sideline, 3D perspective; the camera even cuts to different angles for goal highlights. While we found several flaws in its control and AI, Real Soccer is dramatic and exciting.

When paused, the graphics are ugly. Blocky blobs of color represent players, and the ball is shown as a polka-dot disc. But those splotches come to life with 3D animations. Running, tackling, dribbling, and other constant moves look fluid and natural. Black dots on the white ball spin as it rolls. If it’s waist-high, a player will meet the ball with his foot, instead of recycling the same ground-kick motion. These effects make the game feel realistic even though the graphics are rough.

 
Instant replays show highlights from new angles.

The actual play usually rises to this level; we felt in-control of the action. Gamers press a permanent, on-screen directional arrow to move, and tap “A” and “B” on-screen buttons to shoot and pass. We wish we could find the positions by touch and occasionally missed the correct points. The screen also uses gestures for a few trick moves, such as a quick circle to spin, often making full use of the iPhone’s abilities. Hold either button for a harder kick, double-tap to give-and-go, or slide right off A to fake a shot, for a surprising amount of depth. Tutorial modes help explain everything, and brief instructions give a reminder when paused.

In the game’s other flaw, its AI can get winded. Your defender is automatically selected by being the closest to the ball, but you can toggle to another by tapping the screen. However, when an attacker approaches a tight cluster of defenders, the game quickly swaps between each person; we frequently ran the wrong way, being disoriented. And when beating weak teams, we could sometimes hold the ball in one place to run out the clock without being contested.