International Superstar Soccer 64

Konami has long been known for great soccer games, especially overseas. Perfect Striker debuted in Japan for the Nintendo 64 shortly before Christmas, and it has earned critical acclaim ever since. Finally, under its new (and tentative) title of International SuperStar Soccer, U.S. gamers will get a chance to try what could very well shape up to be the best soccer game ever.

The most immediately noticeable thing about SuperStar soccer is its silky-smooth, highly detailed 3-D graphics. The player animation is absolutely incredible. Not only does it look good, but it's also very realistic. For example, players look around for the ball, and when they have it they turn their heads, scanning the field for teammates to pass to. The analog control allows you to move the players at varying amounts of speed. As the analog stick is pressed farther in a direction, the player goes from trotting at a leisurely pace to progressing into a full-out run. Additionally, there is a variety of tackling, injury and diving goalie animations in the game, and some of the goal scoring celebrations are incredibly funny.

Although this title is fiendishly fun as an action game (especially with four players at once), hardcore soccer fans will undoubtedly be satisfied. There are plenty of coaching options that give the game considerable depth. The ability to choose several different strategies such as "offsides trap" and "counter attack" on the fly is welcome, and if you pause the action, you can individually pick which zone of the field you want to place each player in. Players also have stamina and attitude meters. For instance, when a certain person is on the receiving end of hard fouls too often, they get mad, and it can dramatically affect their performance.

Unlike many sports games, the artificial intelligence is excellent and can be changed to provide several levels of challenge. The Al levels are split between the team and goalie, allowing you to change each one independently.

There is a very good chance that when this market, but it could also be the best next-gen soccer game, period. It could very well be that the only bad thing about this game is the wait

THERE HAS YET TO BE A football game to better the all-round package that was served up in the form of J-League Perfect Striker, alias International Superstar Soccer 64. It had everything – gorgeous graphics, hyperactive commentary, goals that could be scored from seemingly impossible angles, back-room management, long-term challenge (if you tweaked the difficulty level) and frantic, addictive multi-player action that led to many a square-up, stand-off situation in the office!

Well this new updated version has now been released in Japan... possibly to start the build up to next year's World Cup finals in France (Japan did just qualify by the skin of their teeth after all), or possibly to make more money. Whatever the reason for this package, we can at least expect something different to line the pocket of all those importers, can't we?

Well, if the truth be told, if you own a European or American version of ISS 64 then you're be a mad fool to part with your cash for this, because when all is said and done, this is just that version in Japanese!

GIVE ME A J

If you recall, the original Japanese version featured the club teams that comprise the famed J-League (the Jap equivalent of the Premiership; Gary Lineker once played there), and the players actually looked like their real-life counterparts, if you could honestly tell the difference! The Western countries were treated to International squads, and players that looked suspiciously like they had just donned wigs after narrowly escaping the Roswell crash!

The problem here is that the J-League version was always better than the International version, and instead of keeping the gameplay of the Japanese version and porting over the different teams, Konami have opted to cut all the corners and go for the straight re-hash. What a pity. Sure, there were annoying aspects in the Japanese version, such as the frustrating break in play when the ref issued a booking, and the way in which you could always score by going around the keeper. But for some reason, many of the good points were also altered beyond recognition in the translation. This is especially noticeable when trying to attempt those rip-roaring, crowd-pleasing scorchers from way out that stole a victory in the dying seconds and made the scorer feel elated in a way unfeasible without a huge lottery win or a large quantity of drugs. Attempting such a feat in this version results in a piss-poor feeble shot that always seems to fly towards goal at chest-height... and hardly ever finds the back of the net.

ANDY GREY, NO WAY!

Other alterations are more subtle, but if you are a aficionado of the Japanese original, they grate and become apparent in no time. The welcome changes are the speeded up set-pieces, the improved AI of the computer players and the fact that it is much harder to round the keeper. Free kicks are also harder. Whereas before you could effortlessly chip the ball over the wall and into the blind top-corner (provided your aim was accurate), now you must contend with the jumping wall of players that can, and will, block the shot if you don't apply enough height.

As a game in its own right, World Soccer 3 is a rewarding enough experience. If you are familiar with the English version then you'll be able to find your way around the options easily enough. The actual atmosphere of the matches is heightened significantly by the barking commentators (updated from the original Jap version, and now featuring the MC talents of Tom G from Kiss-FM KOBE) who get right on one whenever the action gathers momentum. Let's face it, Johnny Serious on the English version made the games out to be about as interesting as Steve Davis' potting shed!

The area in which this game originally triumphed over the competition was in the sheer depth and versatility of the play. It has everything, in fact it even pioneered the 'through-ball' feature that has been emulated as a mark of respect in many of the recent offerings, FIFA: Road To World Cup '98 included. It also allows you to shimmy, juggle, flick, and loads of other footballing terms that you've probably never heard of! The analogue control ensures that no move is too tight to pull off and weaving in between defenders is made easy with nimble, sensitive controls. Defending is also a satisfying affair due to the trips, shoves and even punches that can be used as a last resort (although often penalised by eagle-eyed refs!). The experience is made better in multi-player mode as you can turn provider as well as scorer and set-up your team mate with precision, Beckham-like crosses that can be easily manipulated via after-touch in the air to find their intended target.

NET PROFITS

The goals themselves are a varied bunch ranging from the conventional run and shoot, to the slightly bizarre pinball-type affairs that somehow bounce over the line. Sure, there are pre-set methods of scoring, but there are plenty of others to try out and utilise to keep things varied, and of course variety is so important in a football game. The only thing that this game is missing (we think) is a training option to test and fine-tune set pieces and soccer skills prior to the big games. If you can cast your mind back to the original SNES version of Superstar Soccer, it featured a wealth of training challenges which you tackled as best you could, and were then scored accordingly. It also had scenarios whereby you could be chucked straight into a championship final Quantum Leap style, only to find that your team is down with only minutes to go – your job being to turn the tables in the time allocated and win the damn thing. Such features would be welcome here to enhance the longevity further, but perhaps I'm just being picky!

World Soccer 3 really is a treat for football fans – even lonely no-mates can gain satisfaction by competing in the various leagues and cups on offer, although in our opinion the difficulty levels seem a bit erratic, going from the insanely easy (levels 1-3) to excruciatingly difficult (4-5) in one foul swoop. So unless you're a natural prodigy, it is hard to gauge your ability when up against computer opponents.

This is nonetheless the best soccer franchise available on any system at the moment, making even FIFA '98 look embarrassingly tarnished in comparison. It offers enough all-round excitement and challenge to keep footie fans going for months, but the only real significant problem with this version is that there is absolutely no point in buying it! Those owning European N64's will no doubt have the official version which is identical, and import owners will own the original Japanese J-League version which is better. Still, if there are any Japanese gamers out there reading this, and who want to guide their International troop of battlers through to World Cup glory, then by all means go for it!

Fantastic football game now available at a budget (ish) price. The second best soccer sim that money can buy - only its sequel is better!

An almost flawless game which could only have been bettered with the addition of real teams. Kills all known FIFAs dead.

Konami's been in the PlayStation sports game for a while now, releasing a steady string of solid but mostly unexceptional titles. But its first N64 outing, International SuperStar Soccer, leaps straight to the top, rocketing past EA Sports' FIFA Soccer with addictive gamcplay, excellent features, and eye-catching graphics.

Goal! Goal! Goal!

SuperStar digs in its cleats with a netful of shaip features. Tire exhaustive list of national teams is manned by fantasy players who kick off in Exhibition, International Cup, World League, Scenario, Penalty Kick Shootout, and Training modes. As for moves, players are armed to the teeth with one-two passes, lobs, slide tackles, shoulder charges, feints, headers, and much more. Other standouts include player creation, changing strategy on the fly, and thorough options for adjusting formations, zones, marking, and player positioning. Beginners will appreciate the detailed onscreen help text, handy field "radar," and the useful Training mode, which combined make mastering SuperStar a breeze.

With such detailed features, SuperStar lets you do just about everything a soccer fan would expect in a round of "football," and the tight, responsive controls back you up all the way. Spirited gameplay puts on the finishing touches, delivering an arcade-ish experience that, while not as realistic as FIFA, ranks much higher on the fun scale.

Field of Dreams

Visually, SuperStar blasts one past the goalie with impressively realistic, graceful players. Classic moves like the heel lift and feint really bring the action to life, while the smooth camera movements and close perspectives keep you in the game much better than FIFA does.

SuperStar trips up in the sound department, though. The cheesy bargain-basement muzak will instantly set your teeth on edge, while the announcer, though generally competent, stutters too often. The onfield sounds and crowd chants, however, work just fine.

World Cup Contender

SuperStar is not without its flaws--real-life players, a slick FIFA-like presentation, and smokin' sounds would've been the perfect finishing touches. But the game's sheer playability and unending features far outweigh those considerations. Even if you don't get a kick out of most soccer games, SuperStar's got more than enough game to reel you in, and will go a long way toward quenching the thirst of sports-deprived N64 gamers.