Pure Futbol: Soccer with no refs, few rules

RATING E for Everyone

Pure Futbol throws tradition aside in favor of a brutal modern twist on soccer. In this game, professional players have grown disgruntled by having matches decided by a referee's quick whistle. They agree to play at locations across the globe, with no referees and few rules.

These matches are very different from a traditional setup. It's five-on-five (goalies included), and the ball can move from end to end quickly on what visually appears to be a shortened field.

A nice feature in Pure Futbol is the cross shot indicator. When our player moved the ball close to our opponent's goal, a small purple triangle glowed to indicate that one of our teammates was in good position to receive a cross kick, and possibly take a strong shot on goal. This paid off, and we were blasting strong shots at the goalie in no time.

The matches are quick and set to last three minutes each by default. You can toggle up your aggression level to really take on the role as a bullying "hard man." We also liked the shot meter - an arc of colored zones determined how well you would perform power or skill shots.

Pure Futbol's learning curve is challenging, but well worth it.