<s>
Actua	B-Application
Sports	I-Application
is	O
a	O
sports	O
video	O
game	O
series	O
published	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Interactive	O
which	O
competed	O
with	O
Electronic	O
Arts	O
EA	O
Sports	O
label	O
during	O
the	O
second	O
half	O
of	O
the	O
1990s	O
,	O
until	O
Gremlin	O
was	O
acquired	O
by	O
Infogrames	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
term	O
"	O
Actua	O
"	O
is	O
a	O
(	O
seemingly	O
marketing-related	O
)	O
play	O
on	O
Sega	O
's	O
line	O
of	O
"	O
Virtua	O
"	O
titled	O
games	O
,	O
which	O
included	O
Virtua	B-Application
Fighter	I-Application
,	O
Virtua	B-Application
Racing	I-Application
and	O
Virtua	B-Application
Striker	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
game	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
was	O
the	O
1995	O
milestone	O
title	O
,	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
,	O
which	O
quickly	O
became	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
company	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
joined	O
by	O
the	O
rebirth	O
of	O
the	O
Premier	B-Application
Manager	I-Application
franchise	O
and	O
the	O
club	O
version	O
of	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1996	O
,	O
the	O
first	O
non-football	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
Actua	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
,	O
followed	O
by	O
the	O
sequels	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
2	O
in	O
1997	O
,	O
now	O
endorsed	O
by	O
English	O
international	O
Alan	O
Shearer	O
and	O
Premier	B-Application
Manager	I-Application
98	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
third	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
series	O
and	O
the	O
Ninety-Nine	O
edition	O
of	O
Premier	B-Application
Manager	I-Application
followed	O
in	O
1998	O
,	O
the	O
year	O
a	O
new	O
title	O
debuted	O
in	O
the	O
series	O
:	O
Actua	B-Application
Ice	I-Application
Hockey	I-Application
,	O
the	O
official	B-Application
video	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
Nagano	O
Olympic	B-Application
Games	I-Application
ice	O
hockey	O
tournament	O
,	O
followed	O
by	O
Actua	B-Application
Tennis	I-Application
in	O
the	O
same	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
now-named	O
Infogrames	O
Sheffield	O
House	O
continued	O
to	O
develop	O
sports	O
games	O
which	O
functioned	O
as	O
successors	O
to	O
the	O
Actua	B-Application
Sports	I-Application
games	O
:	O
PGA	O
European	O
Tour	O
Golf	O
,	O
UEFA	B-Application
Challenge	I-Application
and	O
Slam	O
Tennis	O
,	O
which	O
were	O
all	O
published	O
by	O
Infogrames	O
in	O
1999	O
–	O
2000	O
,	O
2001	O
and	O
2002	O
respectively	O
,	O
with	O
Premier	B-Application
Manager	I-Application
2000	I-Application
releasing	O
in	O
April	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2003	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
closure	O
of	O
Infogrames	O
Sheffield	O
House	O
,	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
ex-Gremlin	O
assets	O
were	O
sold	O
by	O
the	O
now-named	O
Atari	O
to	O
Zoo	O
Digital	O
Publishing	O
,	O
who	O
re-released	O
a	O
majority	O
of	O
the	O
titles	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
PC	O
in	O
Late-2003	O
under	O
the	O
"	O
Zoo	O
Classics	O
"	O
budget	O
range	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
title	O
's	O
biggest	O
claim	O
to	O
fame	O
was	O
its	O
full	O
3D	O
graphics	B-Device
engine	I-Device
,	O
used	O
for	O
the	O
first	O
time	O
in	O
a	O
home	B-Device
console	I-Device
football	O
game	O
(	O
the	O
first	O
full-3D	O
football	O
game	O
being	O
Sega	O
arcade	O
Virtua	B-Application
Striker	I-Application
)	O
;	O
although	O
other	O
console	B-Application
games	I-Application
had	O
used	O
a	O
3D	O
field	O
,	O
players	O
were	O
commonly	O
still	O
2D	O
sprites	O
but	O
in	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
players	O
were	O
polygonal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
with	O
close	O
ties	O
to	O
a	O
local	O
football	O
club	O
Sheffield	O
Wednesday	O
:	O
their	O
players	O
provided	O
hints	O
to	O
the	O
programmers	O
,	O
and	O
three	O
players	O
,	O
Chris	O
Woods	O
,	O
Graham	O
Hyde	O
and	O
Andy	O
Sinton	O
,	O
also	O
served	O
as	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
models.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx1	O
{{cite	O
web|title	O
=	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
History	O
"	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
History|url	O
=	O
http://www.actuasoccerworld.com/html/history.html|first=Aarud|last=Thomas|date=2005-01-01|accessdate=2009-01-28|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070820180537/http://www.actuasoccerworld.com/html/history.html|archivedate=2007-08-20|url-status=dead}}	O
<	O
/ref	O
>Actua	O
Soccer	O
featured	O
only	O
national	O
teams	O
,	O
with	O
squads	O
of	O
22	O
players	O
from	O
each	O
of	O
44	O
national	O
sides	O
,	O
However	O
a	O
follow	O
up	O
version	O
with	O
English	O
Premier	O
League	O
teams	O
named	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
:	O
Club	O
Edition	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1997	O
using	O
20	O
players	O
from	O
the	O
20	O
Premier	O
League	O
teams	O
from	O
1996	O
–	O
97	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
match	O
engine	O
was	O
also	O
used	O
to	O
display	O
matches	O
in	O
Premier	B-Application
Manager	I-Application
64	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
bestseller	O
in	O
the	O
UK	O
,	O
Gallup	O
UK	O
Playstation	B-Device
sales	O
chart	O
,	O
May	O
1996	O
,	O
published	O
in	O
Official	B-Application
UK	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Magazine	O
issue	O
6	O
where	O
it	O
was	O
backed	O
by	O
what	O
journalists	O
called	O
"	O
the	O
most	O
expensive	O
advertising	O
campaign	O
ever	O
mounted	O
for	O
a	O
console	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Tommy	O
Glide	O
of	O
GamePro	O
,	O
while	O
criticising	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
lack	O
of	O
flashy	O
special	O
moves	O
and	O
mild	O
sound	O
effects	O
,	O
deemed	O
it	O
the	O
most	O
well-rounded	O
PlayStation	B-Device
soccer	O
game	O
to	O
date	O
,	O
saying	O
it	O
offered	O
a	O
good	O
combination	O
of	O
FIFA	O
's	O
deep	O
strategy	O
and	O
Goal	B-Device
Storms	I-Device
sharp	O
visuals	O
and	O
accessibility	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
(	O
1996	O
)	O
Actua	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
(	O
known	O
as	O
VR	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
'	I-Application
97	I-Application
in	O
North	O
America	O
)	O
is	O
a	O
sports	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Interactive	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
2	O
(	O
1997	O
)	O
Actua	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
2	O
(	O
known	O
as	O
Fox	O
Sports	O
Golf	O
'	O
99	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
)	O
,	O
also	O
developed	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Interactive	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
2	O
received	O
mixed	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aggregating	O
review	O
website	O
GameRankings	O
gave	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
70.50	O
%	O
and	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
38.75	O
%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
2	O
(	O
1997	O
)	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
2	O
(	O
known	O
as	O
Fox	O
Sports	O
Soccer	O
'	O
99	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
)	O
,	O
once	O
again	O
included	O
national	O
teams	O
,	O
but	O
a	O
more	O
polished	O
engine	O
(	O
optimised	O
in	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
for	O
3D	B-Device
graphics	I-Device
cards	I-Device
)	O
,	O
(	O
in	O
some	O
versions	O
)	O
the	O
full	O
Italian	O
Serie	O
A	O
league	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
"	O
scenario	O
"	O
mode	O
assured	O
good	O
sales	O
and	O
mostly	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Michael	O
Owen	O
and	O
Simon	O
Tracey	O
provided	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
for	O
the	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
2	O
was	O
also	O
bundled	O
with	O
Creative	O
Technology	O
's	O
Voodoo	O
2	O
graphic	B-Device
cards	I-Device
,	O
which	O
helped	O
to	O
achieve	O
widespread	O
distribution	O
and	O
popularity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Ice	I-Application
Hockey	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
Actua	B-Application
Ice	I-Application
Hockey	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Interactive	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Windows	O
in	O
1998	O
and	O
was	O
the	O
official	B-Application
video	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Nagano	O
Winter	O
Olympics	O
1998	O
ice	O
hockey	O
tournament	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Tennis	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
Actua	B-Application
Tennis	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
PlayStation	B-Device
in	O
September	O
1998	O
and	O
Windows	B-Application
PC	I-Application
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Saturn	B-Device
version	O
was	O
also	O
announced	O
,	O
but	O
never	O
released	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
3	O
(	O
1998	O
)	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
3	O
arrived	O
in	O
late	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
its	O
predecessor	O
had	O
been	O
criticised	O
for	O
the	O
absence	O
of	O
club	O
teams	O
,	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
3	O
featured	O
a	O
total	O
of	O
25	O
leagues	O
with	O
450	O
national	O
and	O
international	O
teams	O
,	O
more	O
than	O
any	O
game	O
of	O
the	O
time	O
except	O
the	O
earlier	O
Sensible	B-Application
World	I-Application
of	I-Application
Soccer	I-Application
as	O
well	O
as	O
over	O
10000	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
graphics	O
used	O
a	O
slightly	O
improved	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
Actua	B-Application
Soccer	I-Application
2	O
engine	O
with	O
much	O
improved	O
weather	O
effects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
was	O
provided	O
by	O
Sheffield	O
United	O
players	O
David	O
Holdsworth	O
and	O
Simon	O
Tracey	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
64	I-Operating_System
was	O
planned	O
but	O
canceled	O
after	O
six	O
months	O
in	O
development	O
due	O
to	O
poor	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
Body	B-Application
Harvest	I-Application
for	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	O
Pool	O
(	O
1999	O
)	O
Actua	O
Pool	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Windows	O
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
sequel	O
was	O
developed	O
in	O
Europe	O
in	O
2004	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
and	O
Windows	O
under	O
the	O
name	O
Pool	B-Application
Shark	I-Application
2	I-Application
by	O
Blade	O
Interactive	O
It	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Actua	O
series	O
as	O
the	O
series	O
had	O
ended	O
years	O
prior	O
,	O
and	O
Gremlin	O
had	O
closed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2007	O
,	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
Actua	O
Pool	O
was	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
named	O
Underground	O
Pool	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Ice	I-Application
Hockey	I-Application
2	I-Application
(	O
1999	O
)	O
Actua	B-Application
Ice	I-Application
Hockey	I-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Interactive	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
and	O
Windows	O
in	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Actua	B-Application
Golf	I-Application
3	I-Application
(	O
1999	O
)	O
Actua	O
Golf	O
3''	O
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Gremlin	O
Interactive	O
and	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
in	O
October	O
1999	O
.	O
</s>
