| Introduction
Let's get one thing out of the way. International
Superstar Soccer will be known as ISS for the rest of
this review as my fingers are throbbing following a
particularly embarrassing defeat by a friend and let's
face it, it's just too many letters to type every time
I need to mention it. Football (or soccer as the Americans
call it) has had a fair showing on the GBA and we've
recently seen both Disney and EA have a stab at it.
The problem with most of these titles is that, by trying
to please as many sections of the gaming community as
possible, they can end up satisfying none. Konami aren't
exactly new to the sport, they actually published this
year's Disney effort but have they learnt from everyone
else's mistakes?
GamePlay
As with the most sports Sims the first option is
the quick fix. In this case a 'Friendly Match' allows
you to choose two teams and have a simple game of football.
In all the ISS games you can alter almost everything
including game duration, difficulty and even how strict
the referee will be. The two other options are more
immersive, but there are only two, which seems a little
under whelming when you consider how many options some
other soccer Sims offer.
First up is 'International Cup Mode', which is played
out like any large-scale tournament with teams having
to qualify for each round before moving on to the next.
As with real football, luck has a lot to do with it,
so if you happen to find yourself in a tough group you
could be out of the tournament in the early stages.
'Superstar Mode' is a simple knockout game. You play
against eleven teams in three minute matches, lose a
game and it's all over. It's simple if occasionally
rather frustrating.
Apart from the standard football games you have a
'Penalty Shoot Out' mini-game where you can choose two
teams and alternatively play as goalie and striker over
five penalties. You can't actually move the goalie until
the ball is kicked so fast reactions are essential.
You have a little more control when shooting as you
can not only aim the ball but also decide how hard it's
kicked and whether you wish to give it any extra height
before it leaves your foot.
Finally, a soccer Sim would be something of a non-starter
without a multi-player option and ISS allows you to
link up two GBAs although you will require a second
copy of the game and a friend to enjoy it. ISS also
features an intelligent battery save system. It does
appear that the majority of developers and publishers
are at last realizing just how much we gamers loathe
those 14 digit pass codes which are both irritating
to record and also make the whole game a little less
portable.
Controls
Whilst the control system isn't as intuitive as some
other soccer titles I've played recently, it does give
you enough options to control the players and therefore
the ball. It's all standard stuff though, mostly due
to the GBA's limited button set, with the players capable
of a hard or soft tackle, passing or lobbing the ball.
The biggest problems occur when you actually attempt
to score a goal. It sometimes seems impossible because
of the isometric viewpoint - so although you're convinced
you've beaten the goalie, the ball simply bounces off
the bar or one of the posts. This is more a fault with
the visuals than the actual control system but these
two gaming aspects should never be mutually exclusive.
Outside of the game the menu systems are user-friendly,
making easy work for all you armchair pundits.
Graphics
Starting up ISS reveals some of the most impressive
presentation visuals you're ever likely to see on a
GBA soccer Sim and the quality of the menu system as
it morphs from one section to another is a truly awesome
sight. This extends to the various statistics screens,
which maintain the same visual style whilst clearly
communicating a variety of number, names and team formations.
Strangely though, the whole thing changes the minute
you enter a game where rather than the fully rendered
players you might expect, the graphics have a comic
book quality to them reminiscent of an old "Roy
of the Rovers" strip. It's by no means terrible,
just isometric and unexpected.
The animation is fairly good too and the players
move around in a realistic and pleasing manner whilst
adverse weather conditions can cause a game to be called
off because of the pitch flooding. The real highlight
though is the goalkeeper during the penalty shoot-out
section - it's almost worth missing all the saves just
to watch him fall to his knees and pound the ground
in frustration.
Sound & Music
Konami clearly realize just how essential good audio
is for an immersive atmosphere and the various effects
here create one of the best sounding sports titles you're
likely to come across. For starters the crowd roars
in sync with the on-pitch action so they'll cheer when
a goal is scored but they'll signal their disapproval
if a foul is committed. ISS also includes a commentator
(John Champion) who does a fine job of describing the
football action. Obviously, this is not as sophisticated
as say, radio coverage but the developers have done
a fine job of providing a seamless and informative soundtrack
to the games.
Final Comments
If nothing else, ISS certainly has high production
values and the whole experience looks and sounds fantastic.
On the positive side, it's actually quite enjoyable
to play too. The first few matches are highly entertaining
especially when the referee turns a blind eye to some
less than sporting tackles.
On the minus side, there's not much in the way of
replay value as once you've completed the Tournament
there is little incentive to revisit it. Some gamers
may also be put off by the lack of any recognizable
license with players such as Bohaen and Dekkaan populating
the football pitch. Overall, while it may not be the
most rewarding or feature laden soccer Sim to grace
the GBA, it is great fun to play and it could be just
what some soccer enthusiasts have been looking for.
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