Website: www.cyki.com
Price: Free
Private Leagues: Yes
Strengths
* It’s free
* Private Leagues are easy to setup
* You can enter multiple Private leagues with a single team
* Fluctuating player values adds a play the market strategy
* Automatic substitutions keeps the casual players in touch
* Well-balanced scoring system
* No arbitrary “bonus” points
* Wealth of statistical support if you want it
* Live score updates
* Deters Multi-entrant managers
Weaknesses
* Plays like a lite version of the FPL
* No additional competitions
* The wealth of information makes discovering gems a little easy
* The Captain=double Points system can require hands on management
Game Rules
The rules are very similar to those employed by the Fantasy Premier League game. There are exceptions however. Firstly, while you have 100 million to spend as in the FPL game, you only have to build a squad of 12 players. Also you are only allowed 2 and not 3 players from each Premiership club.
The scoring system is almost identical to the FPL gme. Players get 2 points for appearing on the pitch and 3 for any assists they contribute. Forwards get 4 points for a goal, midfielders 5 and defenders and keepers 6 points. Clean Sheets meanwhile, get defenders and goalkeepers 4 points and midfielders a single point. Finally managers must nominate a captain and the points haul from your assigned captain is doubled each gameweek.
The main difference between this game and the FPL game in terms of scoring is that there are no bonus points on offer for players.
Unlike the FPL you get two transfers per week with additional weekly transfers available for the cost of 4 points off your total. You can tinker with your lineup each week but, in your absence, the game will auto adjust your lineup and formation to maximize the number of players that appear for you each gameweek using your sub to fill in gaps left by injured or suspended players.
Unlike the FPL there is no wildcard available to allow you to scrap your entire side or make a bulk of free transfers during the season.
Review
Can You Kick It is a game straight from the creators of the Official Premier League game – ISM Fantasy Games. As you may expect then, CYKI is powered by a very similar set of rules and has a similar player list although the value of the players differs somewhat. As a result then it’s a very very solid fantasy game.
The main difference between CYKI and the FPL game is that this game only requires you to select 12 players rather than a squad of 15. That means that the player values are slightly distorted in comparison given that in this game you still have the 100 million with which to select 3 fewer players. With only 12 players to look after this game doesn’t quite have the same depth that the FPL enjoys but then again, this makes it even more suited to casual players for solo play and particularly private league play.
The other significant difference is that this game does not include a “bonus” point scoring system based on the performance of the players in a match. In the FPL players earn 1, 2 and 3 additional bonus points if they are considered to be in the top 3 performers in a game by the Press Association journalist in attendance. These points can often seem baffling to players of the FPL game and their absence here is actually a plus point, although it does warp the value of some players. Fabregas for example is an entirely different proposition in this game without his steady supply of bonus points.
There are other minor differences. There is no wildcard facility in CYKI so managers cannot carry out major surgery on their side. The provision of two transfers in this game, compared to just one per week in the FPL game, certainly compensates for this however.
Like the FPL you have the option to set up your own Private leagues and enter your registered team in up to 10 leagues in total. In addition, CYKI places you automatically in the overall league in the game, plus a league with those who join up at a similar time and those who support the same real-life club. There’s plenty to get involved with then. Sadly there is no cup competition or Head to Head league that comes packaged with the FPL.
The website isn’t quite as polished as the FPL game and you do get the overall impression that you’re playing a “lite” version of the Premier League game. That’s a shame because look a bit deeper and you’ll notice that this game does offer a decent prize pot of £50,000 which, considering that registration of a team is free, is not a bad offer.
With registrations limited to one per person the game is free of multi-entrant domination so there is every incentive to sign up for this game from a solo manager perspective. As a private league game it’s also a strong option. With just 12 players to consider and no confusion coming in as a result of mysterious bonus points, it’s actually a better option than the FPL for a league containing those new to fantasy football or one filled with more casual managers.
It’s just a shame for ISM that they made such a good job of the Fantasy Premier League game. Without it, CYKI would be a contender for the best game around. As it is, we have a very decent second option but if you’re already playing the FPL it might be that you’re looking for some variety for your second game rather than a slightly tweaked version of your main fantasy fix.