| Introduction
French International, Zidane is possibly one of the
most famous footballers in Europe right now having just
been sold for a gazillion francs to well, some other
team. Here he lends his name to an International football
game on the GameBoy Color. This is by no means the first
soccer game to appear on Nintendo's little handheld,
as for years now numerous companies have been trying
to squeeze the excitement of this beautiful game into
a tiny cart. This could be one of the last for the GBC
though, but is it any good?
GamePlay
It's very difficult to alter a console football game
in any way and this title sticks to the tried and tested
formula. People don't want a pre-show and there's no
real plot as such, other than winning, so it's usually
straight into the game. First it's to the options for
the type of game you want. It's a good idea to start
off with the 'Friendly Match' which consists of a single
game and can last 2,5 or 10 minutes as can all the different
games. There is also a difficulty setting too but you'd
be advised to keep it on the first level until you're
really comfortable with the game. The players are a
little sluggish and appear to be moving in slow motion
but this is fine for a GBC version and the screen size.
There is, however, an added problem in that whoever
has the ball slows down even more giving other players
an advantage which can sometimes feel a little unfair.
Next is the 'Arcade Mode' in which you'll always
play in Zidane's team. This is a knockout competition
so only winning teams are promoted. Lose a match and
it's all over but continue winning and you'll become
World Champion. Finally there's the 'Tournament' which
is possibly the strongest of all the options. This is
similar to a real competition and is set up in groups
which you must top in order to progress to the quarters,
semis and then finals. This the section of the game
that really shows off its complexity and the tables
convey an incredible amount of game information. This
option does include a save feature on the battery backup
just in case you don't want to play the whole of the
world in one sitting. There are also some advanced options
you can call upon, such as team formations, but you'll
only really use these after you've played the game a
few times and worked out the right strategy for you.
Control
The usual stuff for a football sim of any description
with only two tactics available to you, pass and shoot
although keeping it simple makes the game far more playable.
There is, however a nice additional option whereby using
the 'select' button you can change the viewpoint at
any time during the match. The various menus are also
a breeze to navigate through and it's always very obvious
what to select.
Graphics
This is unfortunately where the whole game comes
unstuck. It's not that the graphics aren't good as they
are and the chunky footballers run around the pitch
with great ease. The problem is to do with the player
AI, as soon as one of your players has the ball it seems
like every opposition player runs to you making things
rather messy. You can't see the ball, you've no idea
which team has possession and, to make matters worse,
there's a huge amount of graphical dropout. On the plus
side there are some wonderful hi-color cut screens which
greet you at half and full time or when a goal is scored.
Sound & Music
The in-game music is minimal and most of the sound
comprises of the fans chanting and clapping. This isn't
a bad thing as I've always found music a little distracting
in any sports sim. There is, however, a soundtrack to
the various menus and options but to be honest you'll
hardly notice it.
Final Comments
The developers have tried hard here to produce a
football sim worth playing and the options available
and the ability to change your viewpoint go some way
towards achieving that. The gameplay, however, can be
frustrating and the confusing graphics are unforgivable.
On the plus side it is easy to pick up and play and
you'll be playing a decent 5 minute match in no time
at all. There are, however, loads of football games
out there for the GBC so try before you buy.
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