The data for the over 16,000 players was gathered over a period of "about 18 months" in collaboration between Crimson's lead researcher Nick de Palma and Gavin Hamilton, the editor of World Soccer Magazine.

Viva Football, by contrast, he said, had implemented a control method that focuses on kicking strength as much as direction, allowing for more varied approaches to play.

We started simulating some stuff which analyses space on the pitch and after a few weeks it fell into place...What goes on off the ball is just as important as what happens on it, which is gets missed in a lot of computer games.

[8] Sam Thomas of PlayStation Pro disagreed, describing the control system as "one of the trickiest ever" for a football game on the console, suggesting that it would prove challenging for new players, but added to the realism of the gameplay.

Writing for PC Zone Steve Hill argued that "Crimson have succeeded in recreating all the tedious parts of football: the misplaced passes, the numerous offsides, niggly challenges, aimless freekicks and wayward opportunities".