John Hare / Sensible Software, 1994 / United Kingdom / Selected by Matteo Bittanti

“Sensible World of Soccer” (known by fans as “Sensi”) was remarkably ambitious for its time and genre. The sequel to “Sensible Soccer,” it set out to encompass the entire UK professional soccer world within one game, including customizable national, club and personal teams, as well as a 20-season career mode so players could manage and play as thousands of clubs from around the world. The game offered a birds-eye view, a la “SimCity,” with effective, minimalist graphics and simple, intuitive controls. Indeed part of its success was that it eschewed the bells and whistles of other sports games, like on-screen radars and gaudy animation. Even the game’s control scheme was a study in how basic can be best: as in foosball (table soccer), when players hit the ball it instantly went, rolling to the most appropriate player. This simplicity allowed players to focus on devising striking attacks and concocting the most effective strategies on the pitch. “Sensi” has been compared to “Tetris” for the almost Zen-like beauty of its simplicity.