European Super League (video game)

The game was developed using a modified version of the engine used for Viva Football, a 1998 title also developed by Crimson and published by Virgin Interactive. Producer David Casey told Official Dreamcast Magazine that their aim was to "make ESL more accessible [than Viva Football] by slowing the game down and making the controls easier to use".^[3]

The 16 sides were chosen, according to producer David Casey to provide "the best teams from the major territories - England, Spain, France, Germany, Italy - and then selected one well-known team from the other countries to make up the 16". The developers were limited to two Premier League sides due to a pre-existing contract the league had with Electronic Arts, the developers of the FIFA series. Manchester United were cited as among the available teams in previews,^[3] but were replaced by Chelsea in the released game.^[2]

The developers also claimed to have recorded real audio at each of the 16 stadia included in the game to lend a sense of realism to gameplay and differentiation between stadia.^[3]

Official Dreamcast Magazine awarded the title 70/100, with reviewer Steve Hill stating that it was "as good as any [Dreamcast football title] currently available" and that "what it lacks in finesse, it makes up for in atmosphere and authenticity".^[2] Writing in Dreamcast Magazine Martin Mathers gave the game 58/100, commenting that "The visuals, while adequate, aren't exactly mind-blowing and the whole experience seems a bit too sluggish for our liking".^[4] Greg Howson of The Guardian gave the game 3/5 stars, arguing that players may "marvel at Zidane's accurately modelled bald patch and the admittedly impressive stadia but groan as the match kicks off".^[6]