For some, fantasy football is an obsession, but for those who get tired of all the team-tinkering is there a better way to enjoy the Premier League apart from watching it?
Of course there is – here are five of the very best alternatives for you to try out this season.
1. Football Survivor
Posted by Football Survivor on Thursday, August 11, 2016
This is a game of exquisite and addictive simplicity.
Players start with ten lives and are asked to pick one Premier League team each week. If your chosen club wins, you’re safe, but a draw loses you a life and a defeat concedes two.
You can only pick each team once, with the game lasting 20 weeks or until there’s one player left standing.
The game, which is free to play, is competitive and well worth making a league with your friends or colleagues – while bonus modes such as Sudden Death and 1UP allow you to mix it up.
2. Sky Super 6
💰 CONFIRMED: We will be making one of you our first ever #Super6 millionaire this season…
👀 And it's coming out of Jeff's pocket! pic.twitter.com/pBGR5OUtTn
— Super 6 (@Super6) July 22, 2017
Soccer Saturday’s entry into the mix comes with the added bonus of a tiny glimmer of hope that you might win some money, despite it being free to take part.
Like any great game it isn’t over-complicated, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be obsessing over your decisions. Players must guess the correct score for six selected matches.
One or two matches can come from outside the Premier League too, so you’ll need a little bit of Championship knowledge as well – or a bit of luck, of course.
Players must also guess the minute in which the first goal goes in across the six games to be in with a chance to win a £1 million jackpot.
Play it solo and gamely hope for some money, or create a league with a group of friends and see who is the best predictor.
3. Subbuteo
Invented by a visionary called Peter Adolph in 1947, Subbuteo is a game for the ages.
Despite years of success across the world, and perhaps because of the development of more modern football games, Subbuteo went out of fashion for several years in the 2000s. Until its glamorous re-release in 2012, that is…
Look at that – that’s Liverpool legend John Barnes playing at the launch!
So how do you play? Well, the game simulates the rules of real football, but with players using their fingers to flick the miniature figures into the ball – with a limit on the number of consecutive flicks allowed on a player.
It’s a game which requires real dexterity and, despite competition from modern computer games, won’t be going away any time soon.
4. Topps stickers
Is there anything more pure for a football fan than a good old fashioned sticker book?
Merlin was officially taken over by Topps over 20 years ago, but the classic football sticker books are still known as Merlin’s Premier League sticker collection.
This game is truly as simple as it gets. Buy packets of stickers, and fill out your sticker book.
With the new season’s collection set for release in September, how about collecting 2017/18’s players in sticker form?
And hey, if you don’t fancy a book, collect your favourite players and pop the stickers on anything you like.
5. FIFA
Let’s face it, most of you will be playing this one anyway, but just in case you somehow aren’t aware EA Sports does a video game called FIFA – and it’s a pretty big deal.
Is there a more enjoyable way to prepare for the Premier League’s weekend action than by playing the upcoming games with your housemates beforehand?
The latest incarnation, FIFA 18, is due for release on September 29 and you can bet it’ll be as successful as it is every year – with the game also being made available on Nintendo’s new Switch console.
Oh, and in case you can’t wait that long, there’s always Pro Evolution Soccer 2018 – which is out on September 12.
