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DEVELOPER
Konami
PUBLISHER
Konami
AVAILABLE
Now
MEDIUM
Cartridge
PLAYERS
Four
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how many soccer games does a fully stretched goaly clamoring for a high
shot come down from his jump, catch himself on the bar, and swing before
jumping down to the turf? If you haven't played International Superstar
Soccer, the answer will of course be zero, because details like this haven't
been attended to before in any other soccer game. Even a piercing shot
to the stomach is played out in nauseating detail, as the goaly slumps
in pain, falling to the ground.
But the goaly is invariably quick to recover, and the game continues,
unleashing a wellspring of further fluid, kinetic animations, from swift
bicycle kicks to deft liting. Every move any proficient soccer player could
possibly master -- or even need for that matter -- is available for manipulation
in ISS, carried out with analog accuracy.
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The power of the N64 offers us one of the most realistic
looking soccer games to date.
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While nearly every button on the N64 pad is utilized, the control is
kept simple for the initial play, safeguarding against any sabotage of
the game's enjoyment. Once the basic mechanics are down, for anyone wanting
finite control over their players, a hefty amount of time needs to be spent
to master the depths of the game, and here is where the complexity of the
game can be uncovered.
After Konami laid the foundation of engaging gameplay, placed in the
visual framework, they could have stopped production and admired their
handiwork, knowing they had created perhaps the greatest soccer game on
the market. So why even ponder the situation? If you've gone this far,
don't stop till you are absolutely sure you have reached the top.
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The superb animation only serves to hieghten the already
great gameplay.
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And after adding an indelible announcer, excellent sound effects, an
invaluable training mode, scenarios, players stretching after substitutions,
indignant players shouting at referees, and various celebrations, a soccer
paragon is completed.
-- Brady Fiechter
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