2002 Midway
Many of you may not have heard of Red Card Soccer. Thats probably because it was one of the many soccer titles released for the Cube before, during and after the 2002 World Cup. It snuck under the radar in a sense. But thats not at all to say Red Card's mix of arcade/serious gameplay wont be exactly what you are looking for. Red Card uses RenderWare technology to bring the game to life, but does it stand out as a soccer title that you should own for the GameCube? Read on to find out!
Features
- Official FIFPRO license, national teams, national players and real stadiums
- Over 50 playable teams with unlock able players, stadiums and more
- Special moves including the scissor kick, super tackle and shoulder barge
- In-game Commentary
Will Stevenson:Midways NBA Jam is probably my favourite arcade title ever, so the concept of soccer receiving the jam treatment seemed interesting. What I had expected was something similar to Sega's Soccer Slam, a fast paced, scaled down and over the top party game, but Red Card comes across as more of a simulation with the rules turned off.
At first glance, Red Card could be mistaken for a serious game of football. As the Australians enter Saitama stadium in genuine kits and with real player names, and a fairly normal sounding pair of commentators, youll be slightly concerned as to whether or not the attendant has put the right game in the packaging. Its at this point that the Dolphins waddle onto the pitch, and you breathe a sigh of relief. When the match actually begins, youll find that its a relatively average soccer game with super moves thrown in. These moves arent as gimmicky as they first seem though, actually proving extremely useful and adding some much-needed depth to the game.
The controls are pretty standard, with the only real stand out being optional analog striking control via the C-Stick, and the questionable absence of automatic player switching. This is left to you and the B Button, which will throw you at first as your opposition blitzes through your defence time and again because you were still controlling your striker. Given time however this becomes second nature and works perfectly. You also have semi-manual control of your goalie, requiring you to tap the Control Stick in the correct direction to save shots.
Red Card's visuals are nice and solid, but not exceptional. Player models are good, although they look nothing like the people they represent, excluding the vaguely familiar hairstyles, and theres also a very limited range of models (it seems that the French goalie is making some money refereeing on the side). This is only a problem in replays though, so it wont bother you much unless you play the game in the zoom camera mode. Player animation is detailed, if slightly robotic. Special moves look great, with the action zooming in on the player in question and switching to slow motion. As mentioned earlier, Red Card features a number of official stadiums, but theyre a bit of a mixed bag. Some are quite attractive while others look decidedly average. The pitch itself looks fantastic, with extremely detailed grass textures, and nice weather effects. The water that splashes from the players feet and the trails of mud left from a slide tackle in the heavy rain are great.
Commentary is acceptable, not being any more repetitive or inane than your average FIFA or ISS. Effects are good, with the heavy tackles in particular sounding extremely satisfying. Crowd noises are believable and add an atmosphere that is lacking in other areas. One area in which Red Card is slightly lacking is polish, probably the result of being rushed for a world cup release. I stumbled across several bugs in my relatively short time with the game, none of which have any real effect on the game, but are present none the less.
A perfect game Red Card is not, but simply a very enjoyable one. Gather your friends and your spirit of competition, and youll get your moneys worth.
Tim Knowles:To tell you the truth, I am not the biggest soccer fan in the world. Whether it be watching the World Cup last month, or watching a soccer fanatic play a soccer video game, I am generally not all too interested. So when I first started out playing this game, youd get the idea that I wasnt very much interested. Boy has that changed now.
When you first pick up and play Red Card, you may think it is just another average game in the soccer genre trying to milk some money out of this years World Cup. But after sitting down and getting into the game, you will realize that there is more to this game than you may think.
There may only be 2 modes of play to this game (friendly match and advanced match) but the huge single player quest along with the great multiplayer and large array of things to unlock, you will surely get your moneys worth. Unlockable goodies include new stadiums and playable characters. And thats not to mention the 50 teams available from the start, most with accompanying names for individual players. There is also a create-a-team mode where you make minimal changes to teams already available.
The gameplay of Red Card is like no other soccer game Ive seen or played before (maybe Segas Soccer Slam, but due to its poor PAL release date I am unable to compare). It looks like a normal soccer game up until you encounter your first special move. The many special moves in Red Card can be used for all sticky situations or goal shooting purposes. In a sense, they make the game. You have a special meter down the bottom of your screen and only when you have enough special power you can activate your desired move. This adds a whole new twist to the game, meaning you will have to choose the right moment to use your power in your bar. The controls of the game will also have to be mastered to become a decent player. They will start out a bit tricky but once you are accustomed to the button layout you will be tripping up your opponents in no time or even the umpire if thats what you want. Red Card is also a very fast paced game, so your controller skills are much needed. All in all, this game has great gameplay if you give it just a little bit of your precious time.
I generally feel the same way as Will about the graphics of Red Card. Let me tell you now that this game definitely will not blow you away in graphics department, instead it will provide you with solid graphics that wont sway your eyes away from the gameplay. But thats not to say that the graphics couldnt have had more time spent on them, to provide more detail on the character models and play arenas. The character animations are also good, but there are a few small bugs that you will notice, like the ball just attaching itself to your feet when you first pick it up. Id also like to mention that the framerate is of high standard, and Ive only once encountered minimal issues. Multiplayer also retains a high framerate, which is of course great. A round of applause also goes out to the people that worked on the special move animation. The special moves are very well pulled off and often graphically impressive. The PAL 60hz feature is also greatly appreciated.
As Will has previously stated, the in-game commentary is good, but sometimes suffers from repetition. There is no actual music during gameplay, but instead you will hear the roars and cheers from the well-orchestrated crowd. You also may want to turn down the commentary and crowd so that you can hear the nice thuds of players getting thrown to the ground. The sound really isnt anything special, but the commentary and crowd do provide enough to keep you entertained.
In all honesty, I had expected a lot less than the sheer amount of fun and enjoyment this game has provided for me. As for the graphics and sound? Well I think that they could have been improved vastly, but dont get me wrong it doesnt take away from the fun and addictive gameplay. Please, by all means dont dismiss this game simply as third party shovel-ware; you may very well like it. Check it out!
A very special N-Sider Thank You to Daniel Armstrong of Acclaim Australia for providing the boys with copies of the game to review.
N-Sider Review Staff