Live Your FIFA World Cup Dreams With CleanSheet Soccer 2 on PSVR2

Even if you aren't a football fan, or even a sports fan in general, it's difficult not to get swept up in the current FIFA World Cup hype. There's really nothing else quite like the spectacle and competition that this event brings to the entire world once every four years.

If you're like me and are also a diehard sports fan (that also happens to love video games), it's not uncommon to find yourself daydreaming of being on one of these squads, fighting for global glory on the pitch. And even more specifically, playing goalkeeper in general has always been my personal spot on the field, the last line of defense to keep your team in the game.

Enter, CleenSheet Soccer 2, the next title from developers INCISIV Ltd., the follow-up to their previous VR title of the same name (minus the "2", of course). As someone that considers himself a VR enthusiast, it's great to see more support for the PSVR2, and the original CleenSheet was already easily one of my favorite sports titles on the platform in general.

What's New This Time Around

For the uninitiated, CleenSheet's whole thing is putting you in control of a goalkeeper, but obviously in the VR space. Kind of just by default, it then becomes perhaps the best way to experience thrilling keeper action without actually going outside. I live in the Vegas heat, so this is obviously the ideal way for me to play immersive soccer during the summer.

The game's sequel, which has already launched, has brought some new ideas, mechanics, and modes to the formula to improve on the already stellar original game. Here are some of the highlights:

• Goalkeeper Career Mode: You begin your keeper journey at the local level, and work all the way up to the big arenas. This includes three fictional teams added to the mode, and the ability to transfer between clubs if you so choose.
• New Training Equipment: This means more dynamic and realistic ways to hone your skills, featuring ball launchers, rebounders, and timed reaction lights to sharpen your reactions.
• Athlete Motion Capture: The extra mile has been traveled by using genuine mo-cap to make things as real as possible in CleenSheet 2. This leads to more realistic penalties, corners, throws, and more.

While the original game was excellent, I will say that the lack of a real sense of mode progression was perhaps something to desire more from. Personally, I'm most excited about the newly added Goalkeeper Career Mode in the sequel, as that gives you real, tangible goals and motivation to lock-in and keep your squad in good standing.

The animal-based coaches are also a cool touch, giving CleenSheet 2 a unique vibe that is a bit wacky, sure, but also adds a fun identity to each club in the game.

Why You Should Play CleanSheet 2

So why should you either make the jump from the OG game to the sequel, or even start your CleanSheet journey for the first time the new game? In basic terms, CleanSheet 2 is simply more refined, more accurate, and boasts more modes and ways to play than ever before.

As it already stood, the original was a genuine tool players could use to hone their real-life skills, as things like angles, timings, and reactions in VR genuinely do translate to the actual pitch. But even if you're not interested in playing football IRL, CleanSheet VR is still just fun as a video game experience, sports fan or not.

If you're a PSVR2 fan too, I truly do believe that whenever a good team is bringing something new to the platform (and in this case, CleanSheet 2 was designed with PSVR2 in mind first), it's reason to take note. In fact, James Stafford, Head of Business Development at INCISIV had this to say:

"Ever since we launched CleanSheet Pro on Meta Quest, the PlayStation community has been asking us to bring the experience to PSVR2. CleanSheet Soccer 2 was built directly in response to that demand. We wanted to create the definitive VR goalkeeping game for PlayStation players — something that combines the realism and depth of CleanSheet Pro with progression systems, rewards, and gameplay designed specifically for gamers.”

Here's how CleanSheet 2 is geared for PSVR2 specifically, with each of these bullet points pulled from the game's press release directly:

• Enhanced PSVR2 Visuals — Improved lighting, fidelity, immersion, and environmental detail built specifically for PlayStation VR2.
• Full Trophy Support — Including a complete trophy list culminating in a Platinum Trophy.
• Interactive Team Coaches — Dynamic coaches assign challenges and objectives based on player performance.
• Loot Balls & Rewards — Unlock progression rewards and gameplay items throughout Career Mode.
• Revamped Career Progression — Players can now progress instantly once league requirements are met, removing previous progression locks.

Wrapping Up

If you want to get in on the action, the good news is that CleanSheet Soccer 2 has already been released and is available for purchase now! More excitingly, it's already generated very nice user scores, sitting at a 4.4 out of 5 on the PlayStation Store where it retails for $34.99 USD.