505 Games announced last week that they will be bringing the popular tabletop football (soccer) series, Subbuteo, to the DS in September. The game will use stylus-based controls to replicate the tabletop game and also feature customization options like player-created tournaments, team and player creation, and logo design. The game will also feature online play using the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.

Subbuteo, originating in the 1940s, distills soccer down to a tabletop game where players flick figures on weighted bases to position them and kick an oversized ball. There is even a Federation of International Sports Table Football (FISTF) World Cup held every year. This year's World Cup was held in Vienna, Austria and there was also an American Cup in Washington, D.C. and a Europa Cup in Manchester, England.

Subbuteo will come to Europe this September.

SUBBUTEO SCORES ON THE DS

505 Games Announces Subbuteo Exclusively for Nintendo DS

Milton Keynes, 27th June 2008 – 505 Games today announced the release of the classic table football game, Subbuteo, exclusively for Nintendo DS across Europe in September 2008.

Italian game developer ARTEMATICA has faithfully recreated the original tabletop football game on the Nintendo handheld, making full use of the Dual Screen functionality. Gamers interact with the game using the stylus on the lower screen to set the player position, defend, attack, pass and shoot, with full control over ball. Using the finger-flick icon on the screen, the player can choose the angle and power of the kick just like the real thing. The upper screen gives real time feedback on all the match action with fouls, goals and even those all-important aerobatic shots.

Fully customisable Tournaments and Traditional Leagues are available, as well as a powerful game editor, allowing gamers to create new teams, change player names and colours and change the team’s logo. A comprehensive tutorial mode provides all the information on learning the basics along with the official Subbuteo rules. Taking the game beyond the single player mode, Subbuteo players can challenge other players in a multiplayer game using the Nintendo Wi-Fi connection.

"Subbuteo is an all-time classic and only the Nintendo DS could bring to life the touch and feel of the beautiful game in such an entertaining and engaging way," commented Ian Howe, Managing Director, 505 Games. "The huge DS market will also allow us to take Subbuteo to the entire family, in much the same way we all first played the game when we were young."

Subbuteo will be available exclusively on Nintendo DS in September 2008.