2001 KONAMI CORPORATION
ISS (or International Superstar Soccer in its full form) has been the staple diet of every videogaming soccer fan since its original incarnation on the Super Nintendo along side a main serving of EA Sports FIFA franchise. The ISS series created by Konamis Major A(now known as KCEO) always played second fiddle to EAs FIFA series in the sales charts due to a few well documented factors, the main two being that it lacked the real player names and overall swanky presentation that FIFA soccer brought to the table. However, many soccer-loving gamers will know which series most closely emulates the beautiful game.
This year Konami aim to send out a more polished package that appeals to both the FIFA loving crowd and fans of the originals unique style of gameplay, while also attempting to draw from the pure soccer experience that is Pro Evolution Soccer. Roll in International Superstar Soccer 2.
Features:
- Control one of 58 countries in the International Cup, Friendlies and Custom tournaments
- Wide Range of Player Animations
- TV styled on field presentation
- Grand Stadiums brimming with atmosphere
- Original player names with the FIFPro license
- In-depth In-Game commentary
- 1-4 players
Anthony P: Im going to be upfront with you soccer fans out there. Dont fire up your GameCubes expecting ISS2 to look as polished as an EA sports FIFA title. As well as that, dont expect to pull off overhead kicks with an accidental flick of a button either. Infact, dont expect ISS2 to play anything like FIFA. It never has done and most likely never will. As a fan of the ISS series, looking toward the flashy intro that greets you in ISS2, you expect the presentation of the title to have been fine-tuned since the series last outing on the PS2. However, KCEO seem to have opted for a more formal, unexciting front end to the game, which is definitely a missed opportunity, as with the world cup around the corner, a lot could have been done to channel that excitement into an appealing front end.
The game offers up the standard array of gameplay scenarios, from an international Cup campaign to a gruelling season-long world league. Theres also a training mode where you can hone your skills in an empty stadium far from the eyes of the world. Here you can practice free kicks, corner kicks or just practice some of the many skills that are open to you on the pitch with your team-mates. After sweating it out in the training pitch the International Cup beckons, thats the real meat of the game.
Taking your favourite team through the tournament in an attempt to win that infamous gold trophy allows for all the highs and lows of the real deal. Its here that you get to test out the way this game plays. ISS2 falls somewhere between Konamis own Pro Evolution Soccer for the Playstation and International Superstar Soccer Millennium for the Nintendo 64 in terms of gameplay. Major As series has always been deeply rooted in the arcade style play while KCETs Pro Evolution leant heavily toward the simulation side of the sport. Borrowing from both, ISS2 doesnt really let you go on those mesmerising runs through the middle of the field as often as previously, nevertheless you can still pull off some unbelievable long range efforts good enough to make David Beckham shy away in retirement.
Performing shimmys and step-overs has been made slightly more of a chore to prevent you from dancing through the cpus defence like Pippy Long-Stockings. At first its annoying not to be able to access the many moves from the get-go but it ultimately adds to the title, making discovering new moves more of a surprise, (more often the not when the cpu is making you look silly on real hard mode).
ISS2 isnt bad to look at either. Containing true-to-life animations and an assortment of cut scenes during any given match depicting your players going through the emotions of a world cup match. The player models arent the most high poly figures ever but they seem to do a better job at imitating their famous soccer star counterparts than other titles of the same ilk. The replay option features an innovative camera angle that captures the excitement of shots at goals from inside the net, rattling away when the ball hits the net. The effect is pulled off wonderfully and adds to the already accurate TV style coverage of the match.
Infact the only real cause for concern in ISS2's visual presentation during a match are the animation routine changes. For example, when shooting from a cross, players frequently attempt to finish their animation even when the ball has curled slightly out of it's previous path, resulting in strange goals where the player looks to be shooting one way when the ball travels the other.
For all its mistakes and slight inaccuracies, youll find that ISS2 for the GameCube shines more than it disappoints. From the moment you start up the game, you can see how much KCEO have tried to replicate the world cup atmosphere from the absolutely huge stadiums to the moment you finally execute that shimmy youve been practising against Jaap Stam all day in training, youll forgive Konami for a badly timed animation routine here or there. ISS2 is definitely one of the better soccer games out there for the GameCube at the moment, and this reviewer urges you not to skim over it in favour of flash over substance, as ISS2 provides enough of both to keep you hooked through the 2002 World Cup and beyond.